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# GRAPHIC: Fewer people overall struggle with food access, but food insecurity among single mothers still prevalent, USDA data shows
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-fewer-people-overall-struggle-with-food-access-but-food-insecurity-among-single-mothers-still-prevalent-usda-data-shows/
- Published: 2021-08-05T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T18:10:53.000Z
- Author: Da Yeon Eom, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Data Harvest, TP::Explainer, food insecurity, Hunger, poverty, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Across the country, fewer people have struggled with reliable access to food because of insufficient income in recent years, according to [U.S. Department of Agriculture data](https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/interactive-charts-and-highlights?ref=investigatemidwest.org) from 2015 to 2019.

But the percentage of single mothers with children who struggled with food access remained steady over those four years, at about 15-16%.

For single fathers and married couples with children, the percentage who were food insecure decreased over the same time period. It dropped significantly for single fathers: from 10% in 2015 to 6.5% in 2019.

Women’s income is, on average, less than men’s, and women are more likely to stay at home to care for their children, [according to The 19th](https://19thnews.org/2020/11/pandemic-mothers-struggling-feed-kids/?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

In 2019, about 14% of all U.S. households with children experienced food insecurity.

Among them, 5.9% were considered “low food security,” which means parents could not provide adequate, nutritious food for their children at some point in a year because they lacked enough money. Some, 0.6%, were considered “very low food security”: these children were regularly hungry, skipped meals, or did not eat for a whole day at times.

*Lead photo from Canva*