Hunger Transcends Geography in the U.S.

Hunger isn’t just a problem for the poorest of the poor. It cuts across age, race, gender, and affects Americans in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. In fact, every single county in the U.S. experiences food insecurity (defined here as “limited or uncertain” access to food), according to the latest “Map the Meal Gap” report by Feeding America, a network of 200 U.S. food banks.

The risk of hunger, while omnipresent, varies dramatically based on where you live. In Jefferson County, Mississippi, for example, 38 percent of the population experienced food insecurity in 2014. In Loudon County, Virginia, that share is only 4 percent. In general, though, rural areas are worst affected—two-thirds of the counties in the top 10 most at risk for hunger were rural.