Key Facts & Statistics

Washington Statistics

Poverty:

• In 2022, 10% of Washington’s population lived below the poverty line. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when about 9.9% of the state’s population lived below the poverty line.
  • Poverty line: An economic measure that determines if an individual or family is eligible for certain federal programs and benefits. Federal poverty level (FPL) is issued yearly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and applies to the 48 contiguous states.
• The number of children living in poverty in Washington has nearly tripled, increasing from about 64,000 in 2021 to nearly 186,500 in 2022. According to experts, this rise resulted from the expiration of the federal Child Tax Credit, other pandemic supports, and record inflation.

Food Insecurity:

• Food insecurity is an economic and social condition where someone’s access to food is limited or uncertain. It differs from hunger in that hunger is a physiological feeling, though hunger is often a result of food insecurity.
• Food insecurity is a complex problem. Many families facing food insecurity are also negatively impacted by structural racism, unaffordable housing, high medical costs and low wages.
• Rates of food insecurity are calculated by the percentage of households unable to provide adequate food for one or more household members due to lack of resources.
• Across Washington, an average of 8.3% of households faced food insecurity between 2020 and 2022.
  • Among households with children, 17.3% experienced food insecurity. The last time more children experienced food insecurity was in 2014.
• Washington’s economy ranks 8th in size (GDP) in the country.
• Washington ranks 5th in the country for lowest food insecurity rates.

National Statistics:

Food Security:

• In 2022, 12.8% households (approximately 17 million households) experienced food insecurity. The prevalence of food insecurity in 2022 was significantly higher than the 10.2% recorded in 2021 (13.5 million households) and 10.5% in 2020 (13.8 million households).
• About 55% of households experiencing food insecurity reported participating in SNAP, WIC, and the National School Lunch Program.
  • See our glossary of terms for more information.
• In 2022, children experienced food insecurity in 8.8% of U.S. households (3.3 million households), up from both 6.2% (2.3 million households) in 2021 and 7.6% (2.9 million households) in 2020.
• 17.3% of households with children (6.4 million households) experienced food insecurity at some time in 2022.
  • Many parents often prioritize providing meals for their children even when the parents themselves are skipping meals. Adults will forgo their own nutritional needs to satisfy the needs of their children.
• Food insecurity persists at disproportionately higher rates for Black and Latine households and households with children headed by a single parent.
• 37% of individuals experiencing food insecurity live in a household that does not qualify for SNAP.

Rates of Food Insecurity:

Rates were higher than the national average (12.8%) for the following groups:

• All households with children (17.3%)
• Households with children under age 6 (16.7%)
• Households with children headed by a single female (33.1%) or a single male (21.2%)
• Women living alone (15.1%)
• Households with Black (22.4%) and Hispanic (20.8%) members
• Households in cities (15.3%) and rural areas (14.7%)

Because food insecurity is related to a lack of economic resources, the prevalence of food insecurity is higher among those households with incomes below the Federal poverty level. However, poverty rates vary among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

In 2021:

• White individuals accounted for 59.2% of the total population and 41.7% of people living below the poverty line.
• Hispanic individuals accounted for 19% of the total population and 28.2% of people in poverty.
• Black individuals accounted for 13.4% of the total population and 22.6% of people in poverty.
• Asian individuals accounted for 6.3% of the total population and 5.1% of the people in poverty. Individuals of two or more races accounted for 2.8% of the total population and 3.4% of the poverty population.
• American Indian and Alaska Native individuals were 1.3%of the total population and 2.6% of the poverty population.