Food Security

Understanding food security in Virginia

Every Virginian deserves reliable access to enough nutritious food. Food security means having the food you need to live an active, healthy life. Understanding where people face challenges can help communities connect more households with support.

The Food Security in Virginia 2026 dashboard brings these challenges into focus. Based on a survey of 5,621 respondents, it explores food needs across Virginia, differences among population groups and barriers to getting help. The findings show higher estimated food insecurity among younger adults, renters and people with lower incomes.

Community organizations, local leaders and residents can use this information to better understand food needs and help guide efforts to address them.

Explore the dashboard below to compare food-bank service regions, view food security across population groups and learn how food costs and other household bills affect access to food.

About the data: This dashboard was developed by Virginia Tech researchers. Results are survey estimates. Visit the dashboard’s About section for sources, definitions and limitations.