Date: August 2026
Feeding America’s recently released Map the Meal Gap, an annual study that provides local food insecurity estimates, highlighted several key findings about the Larimer County service area, including that more children are experiencing food insecurity.
The most recent data, gathered from 2024, uses publicly available data from USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. The key highlights for the Larimer County service area are:
- 1 in 8 people (or 12.3% of the population) experience food insecurity in Larimer County. This shows a rise from the prior report where 11.9% of the population was estimated to be experiencing food insecurity.
- 1 in 6 kids (or 11,030 children) in Larimer County experiences food insecurity. This data point also shows an increase from the Map the Meal gap released the year before, which reported 1 in 8 kids experiences food insecurity.
- 46% of people experiencing food insecurity in our area have incomes too high to qualify for SNAP, leaving them without a vital bridge to maintain stability
- A 16% jump in the cost to make a meal at home, compared to pre-pandemic levels, from $3.57 per meal to $4.13 per meal
Food Bank for Larimer County CEO Amy Pezzani said the results of the most recent report highlight that food insecurity is not a distant problem.
“Among the important information shared in this report is that the number of children experiencing food insecurity has gone up,” Pezzani said. “That underscores not just a need for our programs, but a need for us to expand our reach and bolster our existing community partnerships to reach more families and ensure that every child has the nutritious food they need to thrive.”
Map the Meal Gap remains an important way to localize food insecurity data, helping food banks in Feeding America’s network better understand service area challenges. Following the termination of the USDA’s Household Food Security Reports in September 2025, Feeding America stated that it will continue to estimate local food insecurity and meal costs.
Moving forward, Feeding America is collaborating as a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, state-wide associations and regional co-ops—in partnership with diverse partners—to explore alternative data sources from which to estimate local food insecurity in 2027 and beyond.
“The data helps us understand the scale of need in Larimer County, knowing that behind every number is a child, a family, a senior, a veteran, a neighbor working hard to make ends meet,” Pezzani said. “These are real people with real stories. Hearing them guides us toward true food security for all.”
