New U.S. Hunger Report Reveals the Rise of America's Newly Vulnerable: Working, Insured Families Now Living One Paycheck Away From Instability

ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / November 12, 2025 / U.S. Hunger today released a new data-driven report, "When Making a Living No Longer Covers the Cost of Living," revealing a growing population of "newly vulnerable" Americans - working, insured families now living one missed paycheck away from crisis.

Drawing from more than 148,000 household applications collected between January 2023 and October 2025 through U.S. Hunger's Full Cart program, the findings highlight a significant shift in who is experiencing food insecurity in America. Nearly 69% of applicants reported being employed, and 88% reported having health insurance. Among those insured, one-third held private or employer-sponsored plans.

"The data show that hunger is no longer defined by unemployment or poverty alone," said Rick Whitted, CEO of U.S. Hunger. "We're witnessing a fundamental shift - families who appear stable on paper are struggling to meet the rising cost of living. Hunger is not the failure to find food; it's the signal that the cost of living has outpaced the act of making a living."

The report arrives amid the 2025 federal government shutdown, which has disrupted SNAP and WIC benefit distribution, leaving millions uncertain about how they will feed their families. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP served an average of 41.7 million people per month in 2024 - a number that underscores the scale of national reliance on food assistance programs.

Through its virtual, dignity-based food assistance model, U.S. Hunger provides real-time visibility into household stress before official statistics catch up. The report reveals that mentions of "SNAP," "benefit delay," and "missed paycheck" surged by 160% between September and October 2025, reflecting a rapid rise in situational food insecurity among employed households.

"This is more than a hunger issue; it's a health and economic issue," said Whitted. "Families are working, insured, and still unable to keep pace with the cost of living. If we want to build resilient communities, we must design systems that see fragility forming before a crisis hits."

U.S. Hunger's Voices: Unpacked initiative, which amplifies real stories from families nationwide, continues to inform policymakers, health partners, and community organizations about the lived realities behind the data. Learn more at voicesunpacked.org.

SOURCE: U.S. Hunger