Despite a modest decline, food insecurity in Los Angeles County remains significantly above national levels, with 25% of households struggling to afford food, according to a new study by USC Dornsife researchers.
As of October, about 832,000 households in L.A. County experienced food insecurity, a 5% drop from 2023. But despite the seemingly encouraging progress, that figure remains far higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 17% and the current national average of 14%, researchers found.
Among low-income residents, the situation is even more dire, with 41% facing food insecurity.
“The high cost of living and food, coupled with cuts to assistance programs – persistent challenges for Angelenos – continue to fuel the crisis,” said Kayla de la Haye, lead author of the study and director of USC Dornsife’s Institute for Food System Equity.
The study also highlighted disparities in nutrition insecurity, which affects 29% of households. This issue, characterized by limited access to healthy foods, disproportionately impacts Asian communities, with 35% experiencing nutrition insecurity — the highest among racial and ethnic groups.
Pandemic-era federal food programs had temporarily eased the burden for low-income households, reducing food insecurity to 28% in 2021. But cuts to those programs in 2022 and 2023, coupled with rising inflation, reversed those gains, researchers found.
By mid-2023, food insecurity among low-income households soared to 44%, surpassing the pandemic-era peak of 42%.
“We know that when programs lose funding or are terminated, food insecurity rates rise,” de la Haye said. “The correlation couldn’t be clearer.”
The findings also reveal stark racial disparities in food insecurity, with Black and Hispanic Angelenos experiencing rates three times higher than white residents.
Despite these challenges, only 29% of food-insecure households in L.A. County are enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s food stamps program, and just 9% participate in WIC, the federal nutrition program for women, infants and children.
Researchers recommend expanding food assistance programs, increasing funding for local food initiatives, and making healthy, culturally relevant foods more affordable.
The study, conducted by USC Dornsife’s Center for Economic and Social Research, analyzed data from over 1,100 participants as part of the Understanding America Study, with support from the National Science Foundation.
To read more about the 2024 food insecurity study, click here.