The Midwest’s worsening food insecurity

Data: Feeding America; Map: Alice Feng/Axios

Food insecurity is worsening most drastically in the Midwest post-pandemic, according to a new report from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks.

Why it matters: Ohio ranked third among our Midwestern neighbors for food insecurity in 2022 and 14th overall nationwide.

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• Experts say rising prices, especially for food , are likely to blame.

By the numbers: Over 1.6 million Ohioans were food insecure in 2022.

• That's 18.9% more than 2021.

Zoom out: That increase is the 42nd-highest nationwide.

• Some states saw spikes of over 40% during that time frame — with North Dakota (56.8%), South Dakota (45.6%) and Iowa (44.6%) the most impacted.

Between the lines: Ohio's increase is likely not as big as other states' in part due to our higher starting point.

Data: Feeding America; Note: Uses the U.S. Census data definition of Midwest (we don't want to incite an argument ); Chart: Axios Visuals

Zoom in: The 20 counties served by the Mid-Ohio Food Bank had a collective food insecurity rate of 13.6% in 2022, up from 11.1% in 2021, per the report.

• Noble County, in Southeast Ohio, had the highest rate at 15.3%.
• Franklin County's was 13.5%, but it had the highest total number of food-insecure people (nearly 178,000).

How it works: Feeding America's report used the USDA's definition of food insecurity : a "lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life due to limited financial resources."

• It examines a combination of factors, like unemployment, poverty, homeownership, income and disability status.
• Food-insecure individuals don't necessarily have income low enough to receive government assistance. In Ohio, for example, 64% don't qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Caveat: The report's time period overlapped with the height of COVID-19.

• The pandemic, as well as government responses like stimulus payments and increased child tax credits, likely affected food insecurity in ways that won't be captured until future reports.

Stunning stat: Nationally, people who could afford it reported spending $3.99 per meal, or $363.09 per month, in 2022.

• Even adjusting for inflation, that's a 3% increase from the previous year.

The bottom line: "The insights from this year's study confirm what we hear from people facing hunger: Elevated food prices and the hard choice between other household expenses like electricity, child care or medical bills is making hunger in America worse," Linda Nageotte, Feeding America president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.