Our Basic Needs Are Met

An estimated

15%

Of Travis County Residents ARE FOOD INSECURE

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

WHERE DO WE STAND?

An estimated 14.6% of Travis County residents faced food insecurity in 2022. That means they did not have access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

In 2022, the national food insecurity rate saw its largest one-year increase since 2008, according to the USDA. Texas and Travis County mirrored this sharp increase. There are many systemic factors contributing to increased food insecurity, like increased cost of living, the sunsetting of pandemic-era benefits, and disruptions to the global food supply chain. Through Food Access Community Needs Assessments (CNAs), the Central Texas Food Bank has found that in recent years, the face of food insecurity has shifted to include more and more middle-income households.

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

A FOCUS ON EQUITY

Travis County residents who are Black have higher rates of food insecurity (27%) than Latino residents (21%) or White residents (10%). In 2022, the food insecurity rate for all racial & ethnic groups in Travis County increased. This mirrors national trends indicating that, while food insecurity rates among all racial and ethnic groups are rising, Black and Latino neighbors continue to experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity compared to White neighbors. Since the availability of disaggregated data is limited to 2019 through 2022, it is difficult to establish trends for this measure.

Source: Feeding America’s Map The Meal Gap

FOOD INSECURITY BY AGE

Children experience food insecurity at a higher rate than the general population. According to Feeding America, 17.1% of children in Travis County, or about 45,750 people under age 18, experienced food insecurity in 2022 .

It is important to consider migration flows and poverty displacement within Central Texas when looking at these figures. For example, households that can no longer afford to live in Travis County may move to neighboring counties, which may make Travis County’s food insecurity rate appear to decrease while a neighboring county’s increases. This underlines the need for a regional approach to improve food security.

Data Source: Central Texas Food Bank estimates of food insecurity based on 2021 Current Population Survey, 2016-2020 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, and 2021 Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) data

The Central Texas Food Access Dashboard includes a heatmap of food insecurity rates by census tract for our region. If the map does not appear at first, click “refresh” on your browser.

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last refreshed January 2024.

LOCAL EFFORTS

The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) partners with over 300 organizations across Central Texas to provide immediate food access and resources for Central Texans to access nutritious and affordable food on their own. These resources include benefits assistance and referrals, nutrition and garden education, and culinary training. CTFB recently launched more programs to meet people where they are, such as on-site school pantries and food is medicine initiatives in partnership with hospitals and healthcare entities. 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 reimagine the Central Texas Food System and use data to drive improvement and regional change. In late 2024, CTFB will work to launch a Central Texas Regional Food System Council to provide regional support and infrastructure for local and regional food access projects.

In 2022 Austin’s Office of Sustainability published the State of the Food System report. The report shows that only a small fraction of the food consumed in Travis County (less than 1%) is produced locally. The goal of the report is to serve as a first step in the process to create a Food Plan that contributes to a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system. In 2024, the City of Austin and Travis County drafted the Austin/Travis County Food Plan to set goals and strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system.

Sustainable Food Center coordinates a statewide network of farmers markets and grocery stores that accept Double Up Food Bucks, a program that doubles the value of SNAP at participating outlets. Several sites also double WIC and Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits.