More than 350,000 New Mexicans face food insecurity due to rising meal costs, according to Feeding America. The number of people facing food insecurity in New Mexico has been increasing year after year.
Factors Contributing to Food Insecurity
Feeding America identifies multiple factors contributing to food insecurity, including lack of money or other essential resources, income, expenses, access to healthcare, and other barriers that prevent families and communities from obtaining enough food.
The 2025 Map the Meal Gap survey found that more and more children and seniors are facing food insecurity, with a food insecurity rate of 23.3% among children. While the SNAP threshold in New Mexico has risen from 165% to 200% of the federal poverty level, nearly 25% of New Mexicans facing food insecurity in 2023 still don’t qualify.
County-Level Food Insecurity Rates
Rural counties show a slightly higher rate of food insecurity than metro area counties like Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties. McKinley and Luna counties had the highest food insecurity rates in the state.
The average cost of a meal in New Mexico rose from $2.95 in 2019 to $3.32 in 2023, with the cost peaking at $3.71 in 2021. Many rural areas of New Mexico have higher per meal costs than more populated areas of the state.
Colfax and Taos counties have a per meal cost of over $4.00, while Bernalillo County has a per meal cost of $3.56. Despite these challenges, Roadrunner Food Bank said New Mexico is doing better than neighboring states in addressing food insecurity.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
