Counties With the Highest Rate of Food Insecurity in New Hampshire

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Counties with the highest rate of food insecurity in New Hampshire

Every county in the United States is home to people experiencing food insecurity, defined by the nonprofit Feeding America as "a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life."

The USDA estimates that 89.5% of U.S. households were food secure throughout 2019—that's 116.0 million people. The COVID-19 pandemic put further strain on households already experiencing food hardship, with Feeding America estimating that 42 million people, or 1 in 8 Americans, may experience food insecurity in 2021. This is a slight improvement from 2020 numbers but still represents an enormous burden for millions of children and adults.

Stacker compiled a list of counties in New Hampshire with the highest rate of food insecurity using data from Feeding America. Counties are ranked by highest percent of population with food insecurity as of 2019.

#10. Rockingham County

- Food insecurity rate: 6.8% (20,680 total)
--- 37.6% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 9.0% (5,410 total)
--- 38.4% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $13,363,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.78

#9. Merrimack County

- Food insecurity rate: 8.4% (12,550 total)
--- 22.9% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 10.8% (3,150 total)
--- 26.0% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $8,071,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.76

#8. Hillsborough County

- Food insecurity rate: 8.6% (35,370 total)
--- 21.1% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 10.9% (9,310 total)
--- 25.3% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $21,842,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.61

#7. Strafford County

- Food insecurity rate: 9.1% (11,730 total)
--- 16.5% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 11.3% (2,720 total)
--- 22.6% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $7,294,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.64

#6. Carroll County

- Food insecurity rate: 9.3% (4,470 total)
--- 14.7% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 15.3% (1,190 total)
--- 4.8% higher than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $3,095,000
--- Cost per meal: $4.05

#5. Belknap County

- Food insecurity rate: 9.4% (5,750 total)
--- 13.8% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 14.0% (1,600 total)
--- 4.1% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $3,778,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.84

#4. Cheshire County

- Food insecurity rate: 9.5% (7,200 total)
--- 12.8% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 12.7% (1,740 total)
--- 13.0% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $4,347,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.53

#3. Grafton County

- Food insecurity rate: 9.7% (8,680 total)
--- 11.0% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 13.4% (1,970 total)
--- 8.2% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $5,789,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.90

#2. Sullivan County

- Food insecurity rate: 10.1% (4,350 total)
--- 7.3% lower than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 14.4% (1,180 total)
--- 1.4% lower than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $2,611,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.51

#1. Coos County

- Food insecurity rate: 12.4% (3,950 total)
--- 13.8% higher than national average
- Child food insecurity rate: 17.8% (940 total)
--- 21.9% higher than national average
- Annual food budget shortfall: $2,464,000
--- Cost per meal: $3.65