The statistics on this page come from a myriad of sources from Alabama Possible, Feeding America, the United States Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” They also categorize food security and food insecurity into four levels: high food security, marginal food security, low food security, and very low food security. The Department of Health & Human Services defines the poverty guidelines to determine who is eligible for federal subsidies and aid. The current poverty threshold (commonly referred to as the poverty line) for a family of four is $31,200.
Poverty and Hunger in West Alabama
Bibb County
- Population: 22,251
- Living under the poverty line: 16.9%
- Food insecure: 14.9%
Fayette County
- Population: 16,297
- Living under the poverty line: 21.3%
- Food insecure: 17.3%
Greene County
- Population: 7,706
- Living under the poverty line: 39.8%
- Food insecure: 21.2%
Hale County
- Population: 14,742
- Living under the poverty line: 24.9%
- Food insecure: 16.4%
Lamar County
- Population: 13,885
- Living under the poverty line: 16.3%
- Food insecure: 16.8%
Marion County
- Population: 29,203
- Living under the poverty line: 17.5%
- Food insecure: 17.7%
Pickens County
- Population: 18,925
- Living under the poverty line: 22.7%
- Food insecure: 16.7%
Sumter County
- Population: 12,196
- Living under the poverty line: 31.6%
- Food insecure: 17.0%
Tuscaloosa County
- Population: 231,558
- Living under the poverty line: 15.8%
- Food insecure: 12.4%
Sources
- NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, 2017-2021
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2022
- Feeding America, 2021
Poverty and Hunger in Alabama
Alabama is the sixth poorest state in the U.S., and 14.9% of Alabamians live below the federal poverty line, a noticeably larger percentage than the national average of 11.9% (Alabama Possible, 2022).
- 17% of adults in Alabama face food insecurity, and 1 out of 4 children in Alabama face food insecurity (Alabama Public Health, 2024)
- 800,395 people in Alabama live below the poverty line, including 240,009 children (United States Census Bureau, 2022)
- 5 of Alabama’s 67 counties have a poverty rate higher than 30% (Alabama Possible, 2023)
- 3.1% of the population is unemployed (Alabama Department of Labor, 2024)
- 373,816 households receive SNAP benefits (Alabama Department of Human Resources, 2024)
- The average monthly food stamp benefit for a household of 2 is $241 (USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 2020).
Alabama Possible
The organization Alabama Possible (AP) has “been working to change the way people think and talk about poverty in Alabama since 1993.” Here is the 2024 Alabama Possible fact sheet with information on poverty in the State of Alabama.
Poverty and Hunger in America
- 37.9 million Americans live in poverty (Unites States Census Bureau, 2022)
- 44.2 million people face food insecurity, including 7.3 million children (U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2022)
- 12.8% of U.S. households face food insecurity, (U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2022)
- 5.5 million adults age 60 and older face food insecurity, (Feeding America, 2023)
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves an average of 41.1 million people per month (U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2022)
