Data shows Washington food insecurity rising as food bank visits exceed 13 million

New data from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) show signs of rising food insecurity in the Evergreen State. In a chart sent to KIRO Newsradio, Washington residents went to food banks 13.3 million times over the 2024 fiscal year. One year prior, about 10.9 million visits were recorded.

In terms of the total proportion of the state population, officials listed 1 in 4 Washingtonians as having gone to a food bank in 2024 — a rise from 1 in 5 in 2023 and 1 in 6 in 2022.

Rising housing and food costs are the primary factors behind the surge, according to Daniel Schafer, a spokesperson with the WSDA. Schafer said between the two reasons, grocery prices took a back seat to rent and mortgage payments.

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Outside the University District Food Bank in Seattle, those in line told KIRO Newsradio they are more focused on stagnant wages.

“Come up to a guy and he’s got a full body cast on and he’s hobbling down the street somehow, and you got to go up to him and ask him how he’s doing,” Lyle English, offering a metaphor for struggle when asked of his financial situation, said. “What’s your reaction?”

Susan, who provided just her first name, also waited in line for more than an hour at the food bank on Monday.

“I’ve been going to food banks for about 5 years,” she said. “And I see that the quality of the food is diminishing.”

She said the variety of donations is decreasing, too, and she suspects government assistance is making up more of the stock as donations decrease.

“Five years ago, half the stuff … you could tell these were (from) people that were donating,” she said. “These were individual different things. Those are all gone.”

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Despite the spike in people visiting the food banks, the data shows the average amount of pounds of food each person has received is decreasing. According to the WSDA, the number has steadily dropped from 21.65 in 2022 to 18.67 in 2023 and then most recently, 17.23 in 2024.

While the need continues to rise year over year, Schafer said pandemic-era aid from the federal government is expiring in 2025, leading the WSDA to increase its request for funding food assistance programs — an action he said is necessary to maintain “stability.”

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.

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