This summer, new data is telling the story of hunger in Georgia. The numbers point to a sobering truth: hunger in our state is bigger, closer, and more human than most people realize.

Feeding America has released its annual Map the Meal Gap study — the only research that estimates food insecurity, meal costs, and the resources families need right down to the county and congressional-district level. The headline finding is stark: hunger touches 100% of U.S. counties and congressional districts. Not most. All of them.

Nationwide, an estimated 47.9 million people experienced food insecurity at some point during the year. Closing that gap would have required an additional $23.16 per person each week — a national shortfall of roughly $33.7 billion.

For a Southern, largely rural state like ours, the regional findings are impossible to ignore. Rural communities make up 62% of U.S. counties but 86% of the counties with the highest food-insecurity rates. And the South, home to 45% of the nation's counties, accounts for a striking 84% of those hit hardest. Georgia sits squarely in the middle of that map.

Additionally, nearly half of the people experiencing food insecurity in Georgia earn too much to qualify for support from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The SNAP program helps people maintain food access during difficult times and is a vital bridge for families with children, veterans and seniors as they work to get back on their feet.

But, even when food assistance works exactly as designed, it doesn't reach everyone. Millions of working neighbors fall into the space between "earning too much to qualify" and "still not earning enough to keep the pantry full." Community food banks step into that space to help.

In federal fiscal year 2024, about 1.41 million Georgians — or 13% of the state's population — participated in SNAP. This includes about 715,000 households. Around 79% of SNAP households include at least one child, elderly person, or a person with a disability.

A new federal law is now, for the first time, requiring states to share the cost of SNAP benefits — requiring them to assume financial obligations for process and paperwork errors made while administering the SNAP program. States with error rates of 6% or higher will have to pay a portion of benefit costs, up to 15%.

The SNAP payment error rate is often misunderstood. It reflects unintentional process or paperwork mistakes, often by state agencies navigating outdated technology, staff shortages, incomplete case files and layered eligibility rules. It is not a measure of fraud or abuse by people participating in the program.

However, the consequences of payment errors are real. Through paperwork mistakes, families may receive too much in benefits and must pay it back — or receive too little and go without.

Georgia's SNAP payment error rate reached 15.2% in federal fiscal year 2025, one of the highest in the nation. [Source link needed before send.] The state agency that administers Georgia's SNAP program is working hard to bring the error rate down, but this means our state may have to find funding to cover a sizable annual cost shift to maintain this crucial program.

Food banks across the state are working every day to meet rising need and will continue to stand with their communities. But, helping families bridge the gap during hard times requires strong federal food assistance programs alongside local hunger-relief efforts.

Numbers describe the shape of hunger. They don't describe what it looks like at the counter.

Kisha Kelley coordinates SNAP outreach at Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, helping Georgians navigate an application process that can be genuinely difficult to get right. In this short video from Feeding America, she explains what she sees every day — and why food assistance and food banks aren't alternatives to each other, but partners.

Hunger reaches every corner of Georgia. SNAP is essential, but it can't reach everyone. That's where Feeding Georgia and our network of food banks come in.

Statistics and headlines often leave out the stories of ordinary people — most of whom simply want to feed their families and get it right. Ours is a state that takes care of its neighbors. Let's make sure the numbers never change that.

• Explore the map. See how hunger affects your own community at map.feedingamerica.org.
• Give. Your gift keeps pantry shelves full for families navigating benefit gaps and delays.
• Volunteer. Your time powers distribution days across Georgia.
• Share. Help us tell the fuller story of what these numbers really mean.