USDA's final food insecurity report ranks Arkansas as hungriest state for third consecutive year

Jan 19, 2026

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — In the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final food insecurity report, Arkansas was found to be the most food-insecure state for a third consecutive year.

USDA researchers used U.S. Census data from 2022-24 and found that roughly 19.4% of Arkansas households were food insecure, up from 18.9% in the previous report.

Kentucky had the second-highest food insecurity rate with 18.8%. Louisiana (17.7%), Texas (17.6%) and Mississippi (17.3%) rounded out the top five.

Arkansas’ western neighbor, Oklahoma, came in sixth with a food insecurity rate of 16.9%.

North Dakota (9.0%), New Hampshire (9.1%), Vermont (9.4%), South Dakota (9.5%) and New Jersey (9.8%) were the five states with the lowest food insecurity rates.

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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/usdas-final-food-insecurity-report-ranks-arkansas-as-hungriest-state-for-third-consecutive-year/