A new policy analysis reveals that nearly one in five children in Pennsylvania still face food hardship, with disparities across counties and limited federal data tracking the ongoing issue post-pandemic.
Children across Pennsylvania are still facing significant food hardship, even after some improvement from the worst pandemic-era levels, according to a new policy analysis from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The group’s review of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey suggests that in 2025 nearly one in five students said they worried food at home would run out, while about one in 10 said they had skipped a meal because their family lacked the money to buy food.
The findings matter because food insecurity in childhood is linked to poorer health, behavioural problems and weaker educational outcomes, according to research in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatrics and a more recent review in Global Food Security. Those studies found that the effects can extend beyond nutrition, shaping mental health, development and readiness for adulthood. In that context, the Pennsylvania data offer a rare, school-based look at how families are coping at a time when federal tracking has become less certain.
That uncertainty widened after the US Department of Agriculture said in 2025 that it would end future Household Food Security Reports, calling them redundant, costly and politicised. The move removed a long-running federal benchmark just as advocates were still trying to understand the after-effects of pandemic relief, the end of the expanded Child Tax Credit and continued pressure from grocery inflation. Pennsylvania’s survey results appear to reflect that broader pattern: the 2021 figures were unusually low, then climbed in 2023 before easing slightly in 2025.
The county-level results show that hardship is unevenly spread. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank said worry about running out of food ranged from 10.5% in Chester County to 29.3% in Luzerne County, while meal skipping ranged from 5.0% in Chester County to 14.2% in Luzerne County. The lowest rates were generally found in the suburban counties around Philadelphia and in Butler County, while higher levels were more common in both rural and urban areas. The analysis also noted gaps in the data for several counties and said Philadelphia was underrepresented because the city school district did not take part, leaving only charter schools in the sample.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
