2019 Food shelf visits hit record high 10 years after recession
Minnesotans visited food shelves 3,594,545 times in 2019 –the highest number of visits in recorded history and 107,139 more visits than the record high set in 2018.
This marks the ninth consecutive year with more than 3 million visits to our food shelves. In other words, since the recession, over three million food shelf visits has become the “new normal” in Minnesota.
If Minnesota food shelves were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, more than six people would visit a food shelf every minute.
During the recession, the number of food shelf visits rose along with the unemployment rate. Despite falling unemployment numbers, however, food shelf usage is increasing. Minnesota’s unemployment and poverty rates are among the lowest in the country and our per capita income and homeownership are among the highest. Yet thousands of Minnesotan families are still struggling to put food on their tables.
Download the Food Shelf Visit Fact Sheet (PDF)
Who visits food shelves?
The fastest growing group of visitors are seniors (adults 65 and older) at 391,177 — up 48.3 percent from 2014. Adult usage, overall, increased by 5.6% from 2014 to 1,921,209 visits. Children represented 35.7% of food shelf usage in Minnesota for a total of 1,282,159 visits.
Why are seniors the fastest growing group of food shelf visitors?
It’s important to note the continued increase in the number of seniors visiting food shelves, up almost 50% from 5 years ago. Seniors, especially those who are retired and living on a fixed income, are finding it increasingly difficult to afford food. New and expanded mobile food shelves have been very successful in overcoming mobility and transportation challenges for seniors.
Where do people use food shelves?
The number of food shelf visits track pretty closely with the population across the state.
| % total visits | % of population | |
| Central | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| Metro | 57.3% | 55.2% |
| NE | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| NW | 8.8% | 10.1% |
| SE | 10.1% | 9.1% |
| SW | 7.3% | 7.0% |
Interested in county-level data? County map coming soon.
What’s the trend?
Visits to food shelves rose quickly during the recession. And they have continued to rise since the end of the recession. We’ve recorded nine consecutive years of over 3 million visits. 2019 marks a new record-high visit total — even as we approach 10 years post-recession.
