Mass. food insecurity hits 40% of households in 2025, Greater Boston Food Bank reports

BOSTON — Food insecurity is rising in Massachusetts, according to a recent report from The Greater Boston Food Bank.

In 2025, 40% of households in Massachusetts, which is 1.1 million out of 2.8 million households statewide, experienced some sort of food insecurity.

The rate of insecurity has more than doubled since 2019, driven by rising costs, ongoing economic instability, and federal policy changes, according to the report.

Rates of very low food security, the most severe form of food insecurity with hunger, have more than quadrupled to 25%, according to the report.

75% of these families receiving SNAP still reported needing additional food support. 78% of these households received less than $300 per month in benefits, and for more than half, 57%, this was not enough to cover their monthly food budget.

“Even as participation in food and nutrition assistance programs reached record levels among those with food insecurity, many households report it is not enough—they must often stack multiple programs and make impossible trade-offs between food, housing, and healthcare," the report states.

“The widening gap between need and the availability of support services reflects structural underinvestment in the systems meant to prevent hunger.”

88% of households with this type of food insecurity reported trouble paying for at least one basic expense, compared to 27% of households with food security.

According to the survey, over 3,000 adults across Massachusetts completed the survey.

Age, race and ethnicity, gender, income, education, and region are based on the American Community Survey, with oversampling of low-income households to better represent those most likely to experience food insecurity.

Hispanic households have consistently experienced the highest rates of food insecurity in the state.

Recommendations from the survey include strengthening government food and nutrition programs, advancing food security through healthcare and research, expanding access to affordable, locally produced foods, investing in community infrastructure, social connection and participatory design, and addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

“We call for immediate increases in funding for the programs below and sustained structural reforms to build a food security system capable of meeting escalating needs, while managing the existing crisis,” the survey states.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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