15 Min Read
Feb 21, 2025
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Percent of child population that experiences food insecurity. Food insecurity is not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.
Note: For the legend, bin breaks are determined using equal intervals based on the full range of food insecurity estimates at the county level across the child population in Kansas.
Source: Feeding America, 2022.
Percent of child population that experiences food insecurity. Food insecurity is not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.
Note: All Kansas children in 2022 = 688,115. During the COVID-19 pandemic, financial assistance programs were temporarily expanded. In 2022, food costs increased sharply and some of these program changes ended. Food costs rose 12% between December 2021 and December 2022. Program changes included, for example, the expanded child tax credit that expired in December 2021 and SNAP emergency allotments that ended in February 2023.
Source: Feeding America, 2022.
Food insufficiency of Kansas adults overall and in households with children. Food insufficiency is when someone sometimes or often does not have enough food to eat.
Note: In 2024, the estimated population of all Kansas adults was 2,171,862; and 729,487 for adults in households with children. Respondents were surveyed on the household level and responses were weighted for population estimates for adult population age 18 or older. On the Household Pulse Survey, respondents were asked, “In the last 7 days, which of these statements best describes the food eaten in your household?” Response options included, “Often not enough to eat,” “Sometimes not enough to eat,” “Enough of the kinds of food wanted,” “Enough food, but not always the kinds wanted,” and the option to not provide a response. Participants also were asked: “How many people under 18 years-old currently live in your household?”
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Household Pulse Survey: Aug. 20‒Sept. 16.
Average annual grocery spending and percent of pre-tax income that consumer units spent on groceries. Although sometimes used interchangeably with “households” for simplicity, multiple consumer units could live in the same household if they do not make joint financial decisions (e.g., roommates).
Note: Income groups use respondent income quintiles. Food-at-home includes food and non-alcoholic beverages purchased at grocery stores, supercenters and other retail outlets. It does not include non-food items found in some grocery stores (e.g., cleaning supplies or toiletries) or restaurant food.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of Consumer Expenditure Survey – 2023 (published in 2024) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Percentage of residents without affordable housing by housing arrangement type. “Without affordable housing” is calculated as the percent of households spending more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs (including utilities) by arrangement.
| Housing Arrangement | Kansas | North Central | Northeast | Northwest | South Central | Southeast | Southwest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Mortgage | 11.3% | 10.9% | 11.4% | 11.3% | 11.2% | 12.2% | 10.1% |
| With Mortgage | 21.4% | 22.8% | 21.0% | 23.4% | 20.4% | 23.2% | 24.5% |
| Rent | 43.4% | 45.1% | 43.9% | 43.3% | 43.8% | 44.4% | 31.0% |
| Overall | 25.5% | 26.9% | 25.9% | 23.8% | 25.6% | 24.7% | 20.7% |
Note: Number of housing units in Kansas = 324,466 for owner occupied (no mortgage); 446,295 for owner occupied (with mortgage); and 358,119 for renter occupied. Number of counties per designated Kansas Department of Health and Environment Office Region: North Central = 17, Northeast = 17, Northwest = 21, South Central = 9, Southeast = 16, Southwest = 25.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimate, Table DP04.
Net farm income after taxes and federal insurance indemnities. Net farm income includes net cash income plus the value of home consumption, changes in inventories, capital replacement, implicit rent, and expenses related to the farm operator’s dwelling. Indemnities are money received from insurance for losses and damage of crops, livestock or other insured farm property due to conditions such as flood, fire, disease or other natural causes.
Note: In 2023, the top five production expenses in Kansas were 1) Livestock purchases; 2) Feed; 3) Fertilizer, lime and soil conditioner; 4) Miscellaneous (includes dwelling expenses); and 5) Capital consumption (includes landlord capital consumption). Income can include crop or livestock sales, rentals, income from forest product sales, gross imputed rental value of farm dwellings, machine hire and custom work, insurance indemnities or net cash rent, and income associated with grazing, recreational activities (hunting, fishing, tourism), energy production and more.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service’s United States and State-Level Farm Income and Wealth Statistics, 2008‒2023.
Percent of people who live below 100% of the federal poverty level by race and ethnicity.
Note: Kansans earning less than 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL; $30,000 for a family of four in 2023) = 319,652 people. The category of Hispanic or Latino, Any Race, is not mutually exclusive with other categories.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Table S1701.
Utilization of social services related to food (federal benefits, pantries or other nutrition assistance programs).
Note: Respondents were surveyed on the household level and responses were weighted for population estimates for adult population age 18 or older. Nutrition program utilization refers to participation in one or more of the following programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer-EBT). Free groceries refers to a household receiving free food from a food pantry, food bank, church or other place that provides free food.
Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Household Pulse Survey: Aug. 20‒Sept. 16.
Food insufficiency is when someone sometimes or often does not have enough food to eat. This can look like inconsistent access to enough food, skipped meals or dependence on unhealthy food options. Food insufficiency is associated with higher rates of poor nutrition and diet-related conditions and is disproportionately experienced by historically underserved communities.
Source: Mozaffarian (2023) in Circulation, National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health Evidence Center.
Food insecurity among children varies across regions. These disparities are influenced by limited access to grocery stores, transportation challenges and fewer community food programs in rural areas. Households with children, single-parent families, those with income below the federal poverty level and households in rural areas are disproportionately affected. Food insecurity contributes to higher risks of adverse health outcomes for children, including chronic conditions like asthma and obesity, as well as social and behavioral challenges.
Source: Healthy People 2030, Kansas Health Matters, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 2022, food insecurity rates among children increased as food costs rose and temporary programs, such as the expanded child tax credit put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expired. Children who are food insecure are more likely to be hospitalized and may be at higher risk for developing chronic diseases. Food-insecure children also may be at higher risk for behavioral and social issues including fighting, hyperactivity, anxiety and bullying.
Source: Kansas Health Matters, Health People 2030, Annie E. Casey Foundation.
When families must spend a large portion of their income on housing, they may not have enough money to pay for things like healthy food or health care. This is linked to increased stress, mental health problems and an increased risk of disease. The Healthy People 2030 goal is to reduce the proportion of families without affordable housing to 25.5 percent.
The Healthy People initiative is a national collaboration of stakeholders started in 1979, and led by the U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to promote, strengthen and evaluate the nation’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of all people.
Source: Healthy People 2030.
There is persistent over-representation of Black and Hispanic Americans among the population in poverty in the United States. Racial disparities in poverty are byproducts of systemic racism and cumulative disadvantage over the life course, including unequal economic opportunity and barriers to multigenerational social mobility.
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Health Affairs, the Brookings Institution.
The price of groceries in the U.S. rose 5.0 percent from 2022 to 2023, double the 20-year historical inflation level. The cost of food impacts household purchasing power, behavior, community health and nutrition. Higher food costs may result in consumers shifting their purchases to less-nutritious and less-costly foods. Households that spend a greater share of their income on groceries may have difficulty paying for other essentials, such as housing, utilities, transportation, child care and medical costs.
Source: Kansas Health Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Dong et al. (2020) in Agricultural Economics, Wang et al. (2021) in Health Economic Review, U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
Social services are essential for individuals struggling to afford and access food. Access to household economic resources such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), both in utero and in early childhood, have been found to reduce medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes later in life and increase financial security for women, including increased educational attainment and income and decreased use of safety net programs. Food banks are also an essential community resource and can be a source of nutrient-rich food. Social services programs support businesses, generating economic activity beyond the benefit’s value.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, Hoynes et al. (2016) in American Economic Review, Bazerghi et al. (2016) in Journal of Community Health.
Kansas is a top agricultural leader in the nation, ranked seventh in the U.S. for agricultural sales. Over the past fifty years, farms have been consolidated, shifting to larger operations across fewer farms. Today, 55,500 farms across the state oversee 44,800,000 acres of farmland. Increasingly severe weather creates new challenges for these farms. In 2023, Kansas received the second highest amount nationally of federal insurance indemnities for losses of crops and livestock. Nationally, over half of crop losses are due to fire, high temperatures or drought. Excess moisture due to rain or floods is the next most common cause.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
Data can inform the development of effective decisions, policies and interventions, and can measure progress. Some of this data may be publicly available or could be shared in the future, but some data may require new efforts to collect it. However, there will always be unknowns. Leadership requires becoming comfortable with some uncertainty.
Source: Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Leadership Center.
The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.
