Collin County may be one of the fastest-growing parts of the country, but new data shows that growth has not erased a persistent problem: food insecurity.

Nearly 150,000 Collin County residents were estimated to experience food insecurity in 2024, according to Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap study. The county’s overall food insecurity rate was 12.9%, down slightly from 13.5% the previous year.

The numbers look different when it comes to children. An estimated 53,040 children in Collin County faced food insecurity in 2024, representing 18.4% of children. That is up sharply from 43,770 children and a 15.6% rate in 2023.

In other words, while the overall number of food-insecure residents dipped slightly, the number of children struggling to consistently access enough food jumped by more than 9,000 in a single year.

Part Of A Larger North Texas Problem

The new figures come as food insecurity continues to rise across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Across the 25 counties served by the North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank, an estimated 1.4 million people experienced food insecurity in 2024. That includes more than 506,000 children, or roughly one in four kids in the region. The DFW food insecurity rate rose to 16.2%, up from 15.7% in 2023.

Collin County’s rate remains below the regional average, but its child food insecurity rate tells a different story. The county saw one of the more notable increases in child hunger among the counties served by the North Texas Food Bank.

The cost of a meal is also higher in DFW than the statewide average. Feeding America estimates an average meal in the region costs $3.46, compared with $3.17 across Texas.

Food Insecurity Isn’t Limited To Low-Income Households

One of the more striking findings from the study is how many food-insecure households fall outside the income limits for federal assistance.

Across the DFW service area, about 54% of people experiencing food insecurity have household incomes above the threshold for SNAP eligibility. That means a family can be working and earning too much to qualify for certain assistance programs while still struggling to keep groceries on the table.

“As the cost of living continues to outpace household incomes, families across every ZIP code in North Texas are increasingly having to make tough decisions about whether to buy the groceries they need or pay for other essentials, such as gas, rent, medication or utilities,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “With the support of our community, we are committed to ensuring every child, family and older adult has access to the food they need to thrive.”

Texas Continues To Lead The Nation

The challenge extends well beyond Collin County. Texas had an estimated 6.06 million food-insecure residents in 2024, giving the state a food insecurity rate of 19.4%, up from 17.6% in 2023. The state also had nearly 2 million food-insecure children, with a child food insecurity rate of 26.1%.

The DFW area now ranks fourth nationally for the number of people experiencing hunger, behind Los Angeles, New York and Houston. More than 61% of the region’s food-insecure population lives in Dallas and Tarrant counties.

The latest Map the Meal Gap study uses 2024 data and draws on information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and USDA, among other sources, to estimate food insecurity and meal costs at the local level.

For Collin County, the latest numbers add another dimension to the story of its rapid growth. More people may be moving in, but for tens of thousands of families, having enough food for the week remains a challenge.

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