Feeding America released its annual report on food insecurity in every county in the country.
ESSEX COUNTY -- It takes less than an hour to drive from some of the most affluent areas of Hunterdon County to the poorest neighborhoods of Newark. The short car trip will paint a startling picture of the highs and lows of hunger in New Jersey.
According to the recently released 2016 Feeding America "Map the Meal Gap" report, the highest concentration of "food insecurity" in the state is in Essex County. The study identifies the number of food insecure residents in every county across the country, as compared to the population of the county, to determine a "food insecurity rate."
At 18.6 percent of the population, Essex has the highest rate of any county in New Jersey. Hunterdon reported the lowest rate in the state, 6.4 percent. Overall, more than 1 million residents in New Jersey, or about 11.8 percent of the state's population, are "food insecure," the term the USDA uses to indicate people who lack access to enough food to live healthy lives.
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"It's here, and it's prevalent - that's the takeaway," said Diane Riley, the Director of Advocacy for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
And, though food insecurity rates tend to be higher in areas of concentrated poverty, she said it exists in "every community...even in the most affluent areas."
Particularly troubling, Riley said, was the rate of child food insecurity reported in New Jersey, 16.8 percent. Though the numbers have dipped slightly from last year's survey, she said they should still serve as a "call to action" for elected officials and residents throughout the state.
The report also uses Current Population Survey and Nielsen data to estimate the average cost of a meal in each county, and maps out the percentages of food insecure residents who do not qualify for meal assistance programs, like SNAP.
Average meal costs ranged from $2.80 in Cumberland County to $3.75 in Hunterdon County. In New Jersey, about 36 percent of food insecure people do not qualify for federal food assistance based on their incomes, the report found.
Nationwide, food insecurity rates ranged from a low of four to a high of 38 percent, in Loudoun County, Va. and Jefferson County, Miss., respectively. Every county in the country was found to have residents who struggle to pay for food. Overall, about 48 million people in the U.S. are food insecure, the report found.
"This new research documents the pervasiveness of hunger in every community in our nation," CEO of Feeding America Diana Aviv said in a release about the report.
"While the economy has improved and unemployment rates have declined, many people are still struggling to access adequate amounts of nutritious food for their families."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.