A new report from AARP’s Public Policy Institute finds that food insecurity increased substantially among adults ages 50 and older between 2021 and 2022, from 7.9 percent (9.4 million) to 9.8 percent (11.8 million). This rise reversed a decade of downward trends in food insecurity.

The report broke down food insecurity rates among age groups within each state. In Massachusetts, 8.8% of adults age 50-59 are food insecure, along with 10% of those 60-69, and 3.5% of those age 70 and older.

According to the report, factors such as rising food prices and the end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments in 2021 and 2022 in some states may have played a role in the increase in food insecurity in 2022.

The report also noted food insecurity rates as higher among American Indian and Alaska Native, Hispanic, Black, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. Other trends highlight increased food insecurity for older women, those living alone, people living in rural areas, and lower income older adults.

More information is available in the full report here.