New data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study reveals that food insecurity remains a pervasive issue across Georgia, with 1 in 6 people and 1 in 5 children experiencing hunger in 2024. The study, which provides local-level estimates, shows that rural communities are disproportionately affected, with 84% of counties with the highest food insecurity nationally located in the South, including several in Georgia.
In the 29-county service area of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, over 900,000 people, including more than 293,000 children, faced food insecurity last year. The highest rates were found in Heard County (20.9%), followed by Floyd and Polk counties. "More of our neighbors are having to make difficult choices to make ends meet and are struggling to put food on their tables," said Kyle Waide, President and CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. "Nearly 14% of our neighbors are food insecure."
A critical finding of the study is that approximately 64% of food-insecure individuals in Georgia have incomes too high to qualify for federal nutrition assistance like SNAP. In the Atlanta Community Food Bank's service area, more than 68% of people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP, up from 61% in 2023. Among children, 40% may not qualify for free or reduced-price meals, an increase from 32% in 2023. This leaves many families without a vital safety net as food prices remain high and federal supports decline.
The study also highlights disparities by race and ethnicity. While most people experiencing food insecurity nationally are white non-Hispanic, Black and Latino individuals face disproportionately higher rates. In Georgia, 27% of Black individuals and 19% of Latino individuals experienced food insecurity in 2024, compared to 11% of white individuals.
Food insecurity varies by age group as well. Among children in the Atlanta Community Food Bank's service area, the rate rose to 19.2% in 2024 from 16.5% in 2023. Among seniors statewide, 1 in 9 experienced food insecurity.
The study also examined meal costs, finding that food-secure individuals in 2024 spent an average of $3.70 per meal nationally, but costs vary widely by county. In Fulton County, the average cost per meal is $4.68, reflecting the economic challenges faced by communities.
Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study, supported by Conagra Brands Foundation, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, and NielsenIQ/NIQ, uses publicly available data from the USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study also estimates local meal costs and food budget shortfalls using food price data from NIQ. With the USDA discontinuing its food security data collection, Feeding America is exploring alternative data sources for future estimates.
"The Map the Meal Gap numbers help us understand the scale of this crisis as we work with lawmakers, donors, suppliers and our partners to ensure that Georgia residents have access to healthy, nutritious food," Waide added. The Atlanta Community Food Bank, which distributed its one billionth meal in 2023, continues to work with more than 700 community-based partners to address hunger in metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
