How bad is food insecurity in Kentucky? New study shows changes in last decade

More than a decade after Feeding Kentucky’s last study to measure food insecurity, a new evaluation shows a sizable number of state residents are cutting meal size or skipping meals due to financial strain.

The survey, funded by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and private donors, asked residents of Kentucky about their access to consistent meals, public assistance programs and nutritional foods. A little over 4,000 residents of Kentucky participated, according to Executive Director of Feeding Kentucky Melissa McDonald.

Feeding Kentucky put together an online dashboard on their website to organize the data. The dashboard filters all data by region, alongside state-wide data. The survey is then further broken down into five categories: by age, by household size, by household children, by income and by SNAP.

In the “Bluegrass” region, containing Fayette County, 53% of adults age 18 to 44 go at least one day without eating a week. 40% of adults age 45 to 64 and 24% of adults age 65 and older do the same.

McDonald said state-wide food insecurity is growing based on the change in data shown between the survey conducted 12 years ago and now. The main barrier is the cost of living. The survey showed that Kentucky residents are having to choose between paying for housing, utilities, gas, healthcare and childcare, and paying for food.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture surveyed Kentucky households to find the prevalence of food insecurity from 2022 to 2024. The data showed that food insecurity had decreased from 17.5% in 2012 to 2014 to 12.3% in 2019 to 2021, before increasing to 18.8% in 2022 to 2024.

Food prices alone have increased 3.8% between April 2025 and April 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says the statistic is much worse over the last several years; food prices have increased 27% since 2020.

“What this study did was pull back the curtain to be able to say affordability is a big issue,” McDonald said.

There is little variation in food insecurity between regions, though. About 34% of adults age 18 to 44 in the “Bluegrass” region cut the size of meals or skip meals every month due to financial issues. In the “Kentucky River” region, in the southeast of the state, 32% of that same demographic cut the size of meals or skipped meals almost every month.

The similar data across different regions shows how widespread the impact is.

“It’s not just hitting rural communities, it’s hitting everywhere,” McDonald said.

The issue of food insecurity is beginning to impact the middle class too, McDonald said. Those who are working two jobs and making middle-class wage are struggling more and more to keep up with living costs and avoid food insecurity.

“Someone that may be living next to you or across the street is struggling with figuring out how to put a meal on the table that next morning,” McDonald said.

Feeding Kentucky last conducted a survey 12 years ago, called “Hunger in Kentucky,” in partnership with Feeding America. McDonald said that data has since fallen out of relevance.

“We had stopped using it years and years ago, and it was time to figure (it) out because food insecurity rates have increased across the state,” McDonald said.

IQS Research, a market research and data analytics firm out of Louisville, partnered with Feeding Kentucky for the survey. The firm was responsible for conducting the research and surveying individuals.

The survey data acts as a resource for nonprofits, the legislature and food banks to address food insecurity.

“We wanted to be able to have an opportunity to show, ‘we have a problem, and here are some ways that you can fix it,’” McDonald said.