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Food Insecurity - Age 60+ in Alaska
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Alaska Value:

14.5%

Percentage of adults age 60 and older who faced the threat of hunger in the past 12 months

Alaska Rank:

41

Food Insecurity - Age 60+ in depth:

Additional Measures:

Appears In:

Food Insecurity - Age 60+ by State

Percentage of adults age 60 and older who faced the threat of hunger in the past 12 months

Top StatesRankValue
Your StateRankValue
4014.0%
4114.5%
4214.9%
Bottom StatesRankValue

Food Insecurity - Age 60+

37.0%
47.2%
68.0%
88.5%
98.9%
98.9%
119.0%
129.4%
139.6%
159.7%
169.8%
179.9%
1810.1%
1910.2%
2110.6%
2210.7%
2411.2%
2411.2%
2611.3%
2711.7%
2911.8%
3212.1%
3212.1%
3412.2%
3512.5%
3512.5%
3713.0%
3813.4%
3813.4%
4014.0%
4114.5%
4214.9%
4315.1%
4415.2%
4515.4%
4820.9%
4820.9%
Data Unavailable
Source:
  • Feeding America, The State of Senior Hunger in America Report Series, 2020-2021

Food Insecurity - Age 60+ Trends

Percentage of adults age 60 and older who faced the threat of hunger in the past 12 months

Compare States
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About Food Insecurity - Age 60+

US Value: 12.9%

Top State(s): North Dakota: 5.6%

Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 21.6%

Definition: Percentage of adults age 60 and older who faced the threat of hunger in the past 12 months

Data Source and Years(s): Feeding America, The State of Senior Hunger in America Report Series, 2020-2021

Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of Feeding America, The State of Senior Hunger in America Report Series, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.

Food insecurity is an economic and social condition where one’s regular access to food is limited or uncertain. It differs from hunger in that hunger is a physiological feeling. Food-insecure older adults have significantly reduced intakes of vital nutrients and a higher prevalence of health problems such as heart attack, congestive heart failure, diabetes, asthma and depression. 

Many older adults who live at home report eating less or skipping meals entirely due to challenges obtaining or preparing food. Barriers to access include affordability and lack of reliable transportation, both of which may be complicated by older adults’ specific dietary needs. Even with food items available or in the house, more than half of older adults report difficulty cooking and eating meals due to functional impairments, disability, depression or general unwellness. 

Older adults with chronic conditions who experience food insecurity have higher health care costs compared with those who have the same conditions but are not food insecure. A 2019 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that adults experiencing food insecurity spent an average of $1,834 more on annual health expenditures than food-secure adults.

According to a 2023 report from Feeding America, the prevalence of food insecurity is higher among: 

  • Older adults living near or below the poverty level compared with those living above the poverty level. 
  • Black and Hispanic older adults, who have a prevalence more than twice that of white older adults.
  • Older adults with a disability compared with those who do not have a disability. 
  • Older adults who rent. Renters age 60 and older are more than 3 times as likely to be food insecure as homeowners of the same age. 
  • Older adults with a high school diploma or less than a high school education compared with college graduates.
  • Older adults living alone compared with those who are married.

Many multidisciplinary programs are working to reduce food insecurity among older adults:

Reducing overall household food insecurity is a Healthy People 2030 leading health indicator.

“2020 Annual Report: Together We Are Feeding America.” Chicago, IL: Feeding America, 2021. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/FA_2020AnnReport_FINAL_updated0309_v2.pdf.

Berkowitz, Seth A., Sanjay Basu, Craig Gundersen, and Hilary K. Seligman. “State-Level and County-Level Estimates of Health Care Costs Associated with Food Insecurity.” Preventing Chronic Disease 16 (July 11, 2019): 180549. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180549.

Garcia, Sandra P., Anne Haddix, and Kevin Barnett. “Incremental Health Care Costs Associated With Food Insecurity and Chronic Conditions Among Older Adults.” Preventing Chronic Disease 15 (August 30, 2018): 180058. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.180058.

Lee, Jung Sun, and Edward A. Frongillo Jr. “Nutritional and Health Consequences Are Associated with Food Insecurity among U.S. Elderly Persons.” The Journal of Nutrition 131, no. 5 (May 1, 2001): 1503–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/131.5.1503.

“Spotlight on Senior Health: Adverse Health Outcomes of Food Insecure Older Americans.” Executive Summary. Feeding America, 2014. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/senior-hunger-research/or-spotlight-on-senior-health-executive-summary.pdf.

Wolfe, Wendy S., Edward A. Frongillo, and Pascale Valois. “Understanding the Experience of Food Insecurity by Elders Suggests Ways to Improve Its Measurement.” The Journal of Nutrition 133, no. 9 (September 1, 2003): 2762–69. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.9.2762.

Ziliak, James P., and Craig Gundersen. “The State of Senior Hunger in 2021.” Feeding America, April 2023. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/State%20of%20Senior%20Hunger%20in%202021.pdf.

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