Our Basic Needs Are Met

An estimated

12%

Of Travis County Residents ARE FOOD INSECURE

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

WHERE DO WE STAND?

Approximately 12% of Travis County residents faced food insecurity in 2021. That means they had limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, according to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

A FOCUS ON EQUITY

Travis County residents who are Black have higher rates of food insecurity (22%) than Latino residents (15%) or White residents (7%). In 2021, the food insecurity rate for Black and Hispanic residents in Travis County increased, while the rate decreased for White Travis county residents. Since the disaggregated data is only available from Feeding America for 2019 through 2021, it is difficult to establish trends for this measure.

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

FOOD INSECURITY BY AGE

Children are more likely than adults to experience food insecurity. According Feeding America, 12.3% of children in Travis County, or about 33,510 young people, experienced food insecurity in 2021.

LOCAL EFFORTS

The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) partners with over 300 organizations across Central Texas to provide immediate food access as well as resources for Central Texans to access nutritious and affordable food on their own including benefits assistance and referrals, nutrition and garden education, and culinary training. In 2023, CTFB launched the Central Texas Food System Dashboard in partnership with the City of Austin Office of Sustainability and other key partners and stakeholders to re-imagine the Central Texas Food System and use data to drive improvement and regional change. In 2023, CTFB also launched food system community needs assessments to elevate community voice in driving food system and charitable food response solutions.

The Healthy Food Access Portal provides a great deal of information to support planning and implementation of policies, programs, and projects aimed at improving access to healthy foods. Using the map tool, you can see the geographic distribution of the following for Travis County: farmers markets, locations accepting SNAP, grocery retail locations, limited supermarket access areas, low income and low access tracts, etc.

Austin’s Office of Sustainability conducted the Food Environment Analysis. The analysis was used to identify and map proximity to healthy food retail sites, household income, mobility, and healthy food availability in the Austin area. The study identifies Healthy Food Priority Areas to enhance access to healthy foods.

The Sustainable Food Center’s Grow Local initiative provides resources to help residents grow their own food. The Farm Direct program connects local farmers with schools, urban residents, institutional food service operations worksites, and shoppers through a network of Farmers’ Markets that also accept SNAP, WIC and Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, and issue Sustainable Food Center Double Dollars benefits for all three.