Human Services News

UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

This research brief examines data from the California Health Interview Survey on the state of hunger in California counties. Hunger is measured as either food insecure (having a reduced quality and variety of food intake), or very low food secure (extreme food insecurity characterized by disrupted and reduced food consumption). Hunger is presented across the years 2001, 2003, and 2005, with some brief data on race/ethnicity, household makeup, employment and immigration status.

Selected Findings:

* More than three quarters of a million people in California experienced very low food security in 2005.

* About 28% of low income residents (earning below 200% of the poverty level) in LA County were food insecure in 2005.

* 740,000 residents in Los Angeles County experienced some food sort of food insecurity in 2005.

* In 2005, 17% of low income elderly (above age 65) experienced food insecurity in California.

* Placer County (Sacramento area) had the lowest rate of low income residents who were food insecure (14%), while Kings County (in the San Joaquin Valley) had the highest rate (at 38.6%).

* 226,000 people in LA County had very low food security in 2005.

* The percentage of low income residents in San Diego County who were classified as having very low food security increased from 9.6% to 11% from 2003 to 2005.