Intro
Hi, my name is Arya Deora, and I’m a senior at Lakes Community High School. I aspire to learn more about the world of data by using the means of coding to showcase real-world issues affecting our world today. This webpage exhibits my data science project and shows different graphs and maps that are interactive and showcase food insecurity trends in America. For any further questions or concerns, please email me at arya.deora@gmail.com.
USA Map of Insecurity Rates
This map shows the insecurity rate in America at the state level from 2011 to 2020. You can click on each state to see the rate for each year. In 2011, most states had a range of over 0.1, but as each year passes, there is a trend of decreasing food insecurity rates because of the increased awareness of climate change, food waste, and household development.
Map of IL Insecurity Rates
This is a county map of Illinois showing the insecurity rates for each county in 2020. You may hover over each county to see the county name and insecurity rate. Noticeably, the southern counties of IL have a more significant rate in the range of 0.14 - 0.18 percent, and most northern counties have a lower rate between 0 - 0.10 percent. This may be because of the high poverty rate and inadequate access to essential needs in Southern Illinois.
USA Scatter Plot
This plot shows the percentage of access to improved sanitation facilities in the US from 1990 to 2015. Each point represents a particular year, and the size is determined by the total population’s vitamin A deficiency. The points are also colored by the percentage of people with access to improved water. As you can see, access to improved sanitation facilities and improved water constantly increases over the years. I calculated a linear regression, and the R-value is roughly 0.9821, which means a strong positive correlation exists between access to improved sanitation facilities and time in years. Though vitamin A deficiency decreased to its lowest percentage in 2001, it rose afterward, not seeming to improve.
Line Plot of IL Food Insecurity Rates
This line plot shows Illinois’s food insecurity rates for 2011 - 2020. Throughout the years, the rate overall has steadily decreased.
Map of California Insecurity Rates
This is a California county map showing each county’s insecurity rates in 2020. You may hover over each county to see the county name and insecurity rate. Noticeably, the northwestern counties of CA have a significant food insecurity rate in the range of 0.14 - 0.18 percent, and most eastern counties, like San Bernardino, have a lower rate between 0 - 0.10 percent. The pandemic plays a big part in why many counties have a more significant than usual insecurity rate, as many lost jobs and incomes during the pandemic prevented families across California from accessing readily available food. Also, California, compared to other states, has a relatively high cost of living which can become a burden for families in California with lower incomes.
Scatter Plot With Linear Model of Texas Food Insecurity Rates
This graph shows the relationship between food insecurity rates in Texas and time in years. As you can see, as the years increase, the food insecurity rate decreases. Also, a line of best fit is shown and has a predicted slope of -0.006110, meaning there is a negative relationship between the rate and time. I calculated a Linear regression, and the R-value is roughly -0.985, which means that there is a strong negative correlation between the food insecurity rate and time in years. This decrease in annual food insecurity rates in Texas can be reasoned by the growth in food banks in Texas, providing accessible food to families in need. Also, with an expanding economy, Texan families could make more money and provide for their families more easily than around ten years before, as the United States was coming out of a financial crisis.
USA Map of Number of Insecure People
This map shows the number of food-insecure people in America at the state level from 2011 to 2020. You can click on each state to see the number for each year. States like California, Texas, and Florida, with large populations, can be seen with the highest number of food-insecure people through most years. Still, as time passes, mostly all states have a decreasing trend in the number of food-insecure people because of the increased awareness of climate change, food waste, and household development.
Bar Plot of Michigan Food Insecurity Rates
This bar plot shows Michigan’s food insecurity rates for 2011 - 2020. Over the years, the rate has steadily decreased, and the total number of food-insecure people also decreases.
USA Map of Pounds of Food Distributed
This map shows the total amount of food distributed in pounds by food banks in America at the state level from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. You can hover over each state to see the amount, but the state of Wyoming didn’t have any data collected. As seen from trends from other US maps, states like Texas and California have high food insecurity rates, but this graph also shows how food banks respond to that issue by providing the most amount of food in pounds compared to other states in this time frame. The same can be said for New York and Florida, as they also share a similar trend. Food insecurity has been decreasing over the years (2011-2020), but due to the pandemic and other vital factors, it has increased for most states. Therefore the importance of food banks is high since there is a need to provide for families unable to bring food to the table.
Citation
Gundersen, C., Strayer, M., Dewey, A., Hake, M., & Engelhard, E. (2022). Map the Meal Gap 2022: An Analysis of County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2020. Feeding America.
Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, E. Engelhard, M. Strayer & L. Lapinski. Map the Meal Gap 2020: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2018. Feeding America, 2020.
Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, M. Kato, A. Crumbaugh & M. Strayer. Map the Meal Gap 2019: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2017. Feeding America, 2019.
Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, A. Crumbaugh, M. Kato & E. Engelhard. Map the Meal Gap 2018: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2016. Feeding America, 2018.
Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, A. Crumbaugh, M. Kato & E. Engelhard. Map the Meal Gap 2017: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2015. Feeding America, 2017.
Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, A. Crumbaugh, M. Kato & E. Engelhard. Map the Meal Gap 2016: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2014. Feeding America, 2016.
Gundersen, C., E. Engelhard, A. Satoh, & E. Waxman. Map the Meal Gap 2015: Food Insecurity and Child Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America, 2015.
Gundersen, C., E. Engelhard, A. Satoh, & E. Waxman. Map the Meal Gap 2014: Food Insecurity and Child Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America, 2014.
Gundersen, C., E. Waxman, E. Engelhard, A. Satoh, & N. Chawla. Map the Meal Gap 2013: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America, 2013.
Originator: Illinois State Geological Survey Publication_Date: 1984, 199803, 200306 Title: Illinois County Boundaries Edition: 2.0 Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data Series_Information: Series_Name: ISGS GIS Database Issue_Identification: GISDB.IL_BNDY_State_and_County_Boundaries Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Champaign, Illinois Publisher: Illinois State Geological Survey
US Census Bureau