Food Insecurity

Food insecurity disproportionately impacts lower income, LGBT, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American, residents in King County.  

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Lack of adequate food can affect physical and mental health. Children who grow up in homes without enough food are at an increased risk of illness and experiencing academic and psychosocial problems. Nutritional deficiencies and family stress both contribute to these outcomes.   

In 2020-2024, about 8.8% of adults in King County reported that food that was bought for their households sometimes or often did not last, and they did not have money to purchase more food.   

  • Race and ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino (28.4%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (24.4%), Black/African American (22.4%), and American Indian/Alaskan Native (22.3%) residents in King County experienced food insecurity at substantially higher rates than other groups. 

  • Income: In King County, residents with household incomes less than $49,999 were more likely to be food insecure than those with higher incomes. 37.3% of residents from households making less than $20,000 a year, 29.8% of households making between $20,000 and $34,999 a year, and 16.0% of residents from households making between $35,000 and $49,999 a year were food insecure. Residents with household incomes over $75,000 a year were less likely to experience food insecurity, with 1.0%-4.3% reporting running out of food and not being able to afford more.   

  • Age: Adults ages 18-44 (11.3%-13.2%) were more likely to be food insecure than those ages 45 and older (3.5%-7.2%). 

  • Gender: Transgender residents (19.1%) were over 2 times more likely to experience food insecurity than cisgender residents (8.5%). 

  • Region and city/neighborhood: Food insecurity rates across King County varied. South King County residents (13.2%) were more likely than all other regions to experience food insecurity, while East King County residents (4.0%) were least likely. Among cities and neighborhoods, residents of West Kent (22.1%), Federal Way - North Corridor (20.3%), SeaTac (20.1%), Tukwila (19.4%), and Burien (18.4%) experienced some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the county. 

Additional Resources 

 

Notes & Sources

Source: Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cooperative Agreement NU58/DP006066-03-00 (2018).  

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System collects information on the health and safety of Washington residents aged 18 and older. Every year, the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conduct the survey primarily through telephone interviews, including landline and cellphone numbers. To learn more about the survey, please go to https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/DataSystems/BehavioralRiskFactorSurveillanceSystemBRFSS.   

Numerator: Respondents that answered that food that was bought for their households sometimes/often did not last, and did not have money to buy more food.   

Denominator: All respondents who answered the question.    

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