Why is Utah ranked 4th in the nation for the highest rate of food insecurity?
As mentioned, Utah has a startling number of individuals and families living below the poverty line. In addition, Utah has a rapidly growing population. Utah also is unique in that it has more dependents per household than any other state. So, when the head of household loses a job or is unable to earn wages due to illness, more individuals are affected. Combine those rates of poverty, population growth and dependents per household, one better understands why Utah has such a high rate of food insecurity. But the fact is though we are seeing a startling spike in the requests for emergency food assistance right now, the trend for assistance has been growing over the course of more than 10 years. In the last decade, Utah’s food distribution has expanded from 9 million pounds a year to 19 million pounds a year in the same facility.
