Food insecurity is at a 5-year high across the capital region, according to new report

Food insecurity across the capital region is at a five-year high, but residents in neighboring Montgomery and Prince George’s counties experienced divergent effects, according to a report released today by the Capital Area Food Bank.

The regional network of food pantries and distribution sites has conducted an annual general population survey of food insecurity — defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life” — since 2022. This estimated rate has steadily increased since then and has surpassed a level seen at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think what that shows us is the number of families who are still struggling to afford basic needs like food,” said Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. “Traditionally and historically, when we’ve looked at USDA data, for example, over the 2008 recession, you would expect [food insecurity] to stay high for a couple years and then decline. That’s what the data showed before, and our five-year trend does not show that.”

Nearly 4,000 residents across Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George’s counties), D.C., and Virginia (the city of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties) responded to the survey in early to mid-May.

Prince George’s County residents reported food insecurity at the highest rate — 56% — and saw the most drastic jump from last year’s rate of 49%.

Montgomery County was the only county that reported a significant decrease in food insecurity, dropping from 35% to 31%. The report says that while this drop is within the survey’s margin of error, it “is notable as an outlier in the region in terms of its negative trendline.”

Residents in Arlington and Fairfax counties reported the lowest rates of food insecurity at 22% and 27%, respectively.

The effects of decreased cash flow have been magnified for current and former federal workers, while others across the capital region have also felt the disproportionate impact of federal actions in recent years, including government shutdowns and the lingering effects of workforce cuts mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Muthiah pointed to some systemic differences between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties that could explain some of the disparities. She credited Montgomery County officials for spending the most across the region to address food insecurity, specifically citing the Office of Food Systems Resilience.

“It is a great example of what is possible when we have good policies, public investment, strong partnership between state, county and nonprofit organizations,” Muthiah said.

Prince George’s County leaders are showing progress and an understanding of what needs to be done to address food insecurity, Muthiah said. The county has had the highest rate of any jurisdiction every year since the survey began.

The Capital Area Food Bank has worked with the county to create a hunger heat map and provide services, such as a food pharmacy in Largo. The organization has 102 partner organizations in Prince George’s County, its largest number in any one jurisdiction, compared with 43 in Montgomery County.

One of the major issues has been the lack of major grocery stores in certain parts of the county, spots sometimes known as food deserts. In recent months, Prince George’s County Council members have opened food markets within libraries in Fairmount Heights and District Heights to address these concerns.

“I was calling and knocking on doors in the Fairmount Heights community, and in my calls and discussions with my neighbors, I realized so many of our seniors were just kind of suffering in silence,” County Council member Shayla Adams-Stafford told The Banner in June.

The report continues to show that food insecurity affects lower- and middle-income households, as well as households of color and those with children, at a much higher rate than others.

Food insecurity trends could worsen as federal policies threaten to fray the social safety net, Muthiah said.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in July 2025, is expected to reduce spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by about $186 billion over 10 years, according to the report. The Maryland Department of Human Services estimated that since the law went into effect in November, nearly 36,000 Marylanders have lost their SNAP benefits.

Food pantries and charitable organizations have already reported strains on their operations compounded by disruptions in government funding. Some immigrant families who need food assistance are choosing not to use public services because of fears over immigration enforcement, according to a study cited within the report.

“We shouldn’t assume that these numbers are inevitable, right? We saw during the pandemic, when you have positive investments in the community, for example: the child tax credits during the pandemic, we were able to cut childhood poverty,” Muthiah said. “So good, positive public investments to make a difference, and they can make a difference relatively quickly.”

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