Rutgers Against Hunger

Hunger in New Jersey

  • As of 2018, 774,860 people live in food-insecure households in New Jersey.
    Source: Map the Meal Gap, Feeding America and Community Food Bank of New Jersey, 2020
  • More than 1.2 million NJ residents are projected to be food insecure in 2020, with 431,000 newly food insecure this year.  Source: Community FoodBank of New Jersey, COVID-19’s Impact on Food Insecurity in New Jersey Report, September 2020
  • The number of New Jerseyans estimated to become food-insecure will increase by 56% higher than the national average, and more than 10% higher than New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.                                                                                                                                                  Source: Community FoodBank of New Jersey, COVID-19’s Impact on Food Insecurity in New Jersey Report, September 2020
  • The state of New Jersey serves approximately 800,500 residents in about 411,500 households in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
    Source: Department of Human Services, 2021
  • In 2018, more than 1.2 million (38.5%) of New Jersey households were unable to afford basic necessities such as food, housing, transportation, healthcare, and taxes.
    Source: Community FoodBank of New Jersey, October 2018
  • The number of households in New Jersey experiencing food hardship decreased from an average of 17.1.9 percent in 2011-2012 to 13.2% in 2016-2017.
    Source: Food Research and Action Center, August 2018
  • In 2014, 77 percent of emergency food clients in New Jersey reported having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel (up from 40 percent in 2006); 70 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage (up from 39 percent in 2006); and 73 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care (up from 31 percent in 2006).
    Source: Community FoodBank of New Jersey hunger survey, September 2014
  • In 2010, 42 percent of the members of households in New Jersey served by the emergency food system were children under 18 years old (up from 33 percent in 2006).
    Source: NJ Federation of Food Banks hunger survey, February 2010
  • In 2014, there were 906,735 people participating in the food stamp program in New Jersey, up from 542,424 in 2009, an increase of 67.2%.
    Source: Food Research and Action Center, December 2014