Food insecurity in the 21 counties
Summary: Gleaners published 2025 estimates of 331,320 food-insecure people, including 102,270 children, in its 21-county area, with rates of 13.9 percent overall and 17.5 percent among children.
What figures does Gleaners publish for its service area?
Gleaners’ 2025 impact takeaways state that, in the 21-county service area, an estimated 331,320 people, including 102,270 children, face food insecurity, a 13.9 percent overall rate and a 17.5 percent child rate, described as about 1 in 7 people and 1 in 6 children.[1] Statewide, the organization says more than one million Hoosiers face hunger.[1][2]
| Measure | Published figure | Source in official materials |
|---|---|---|
| People in the 21-county area estimated to be food insecure | 331,320 | 2025 impact takeaways |
| Children in that estimate | 102,270 | 2025 impact takeaways |
| Overall food-insecurity rate | 13.9% | 2025 impact takeaways |
| Child food-insecurity rate | 17.5% | 2025 impact takeaways |
| Verbal framing | About 1 in 7 people; 1 in 6 children | Impact takeaways and Hunger in Your Community |
| Statewide framing | More than 1 million Hoosiers | Same official pages |
The 21 counties named on the official Hunger in Your Community page are:[2]
- Bartholomew County
- Boone County
- Decatur County
- Fayette County
- Franklin County
- Hamilton County
- Hancock County
- Hendricks County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Jennings County
- Johnson County
- Marion County
- Morgan County
- Putnam County
- Ripley County
- Rush County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- Union County
- Wayne County
Where do estimates like these usually come from?
U.S. food banks commonly cite Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap research, which produces county-level estimates of food insecurity, alongside USDA Economic Research Service food-security reports that are built from household survey questions.[3][4] Those two traditions are related but not identical: a Map the Meal Gap county rate is a model estimate, and a USDA household food-security rate is a survey estimate with its own definitions of food security, low food security and very low food security.[4]
This wiki does not independently re-run either model. It reports the figures Gleaners published and points to those research programs so readers can see the genre of the numbers. County-by-county unofficial reprints that this project did not verify against the current Map the Meal Gap release are not added here.[3][2]
How should the figures be used?
They are a picture of estimated need, not a count of pantry visitors and not a forecast of next year’s demand. Program volume in fiscal 2025, tabulated on the meal-distribution page, is a separate official dataset.[1] A person in a named county is not automatically enrolled in a pantry, and a county line does not guarantee a nearby distribution site every week.[5]
Questions often asked
How many people in the service area does Gleaners say are food insecure?
331,320, including 102,270 children, according to the fiscal 2025 impact takeaways.
Are those USDA official counts?
They are figures the organization published, in the tradition of Feeding America estimates. USDA ERS publishes related but separate food-security research.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Key takeaways from Gleaners’ 2025 Impact Report. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana (gleaners.org). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b c Hunger in Your Community. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana (gleaners.org). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b Map the Meal Gap. Feeding America. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ a b Food security in the U.S.. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
- ^ Our Programs. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana (gleaners.org). Retrieved 9 November 2026.