Key Takeaways
A new statewide survey found 51% of Virginia families with children were food insecure over the past year, well above the 42% the final federal hunger report recorded for the state.
Virginia commissioned the survey to replace the USDA's Household Food Security report, which the federal government ended in 2025 after nearly three decades.
More than 100,000 Virginians have lost SNAP benefits in the past year, and 87% of respondents said grocery prices are straining their budgets.
When the federal government stopped counting hunger, Virginia started counting it on its own. A statewide survey released this week found that 51% of Virginia families with children were food insecure over the past year, a level far above the 42% the last federal report recorded for the state.
The survey was commissioned by the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, the Virginia Department of Social Services, and No Kid Hungry Virginia to pick up where the U.S. Department of Agriculture left off. The USDA ended its annual Household Food Security report in 2025 after nearly 30 years, with the Trump administration calling the survey redundant and a tool used to fear monger.
An independent, nonpartisan research group at the University of Chicago ran the new survey with support from Virginia Tech, and 5,600 Virginians took part. The picture it paints is stark. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said higher grocery prices are straining their budgets, and over the past year more than 100,000 Virginians lost SNAP benefits after Congress changed eligibility rules under H.R. 1.
Hunger and health track closely together. The survey found that three in four food-insecure adults have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, and three in five had visited an emergency room or urgent care in the past year. "This study underscores what is at stake," said Duke Storen, the state's social services commissioner, in a statement reported by the Virginia Mercury.
The Virginia numbers land as national data keeps pointing the same way. Feeding America put the US food budget shortfall at $33.7 billion this year, and food banks from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic report more people walking through the door while donations thin out. When the official measure disappears, the need does not.
People Also Ask
How many Virginia families with children are food insecure?
A 2026 statewide survey found that 51% of Virginia families with children were food insecure over the past year, up from the 42% of all Virginia respondents recorded in the final federal hunger report.
Why did the US stop tracking hunger?
The USDA ended its 30-year Household Food Security report in 2025, calling it redundant. Advocates say no other national survey provides the same annual, state-level detail on who is going without food.
Who conducted the new Virginia food insecurity survey?
The Federation of Virginia Food Banks, the Virginia Department of Social Services, and No Kid Hungry Virginia commissioned it. Researchers at the University of Chicago and Virginia Tech surveyed 5,600 residents.
How are SNAP cuts affecting Virginia?
More than 100,000 Virginians have lost SNAP benefits in the past year after H.R. 1 changed eligibility, and food banks across the state report rising demand as a result.