Measures of Economic Hardship

Cost-of-Living Impacts Food Insecurity in Maine

Income of Food Insecure Households in Maine

Data on the incomes of food-insecure households in Maine demonstrates that Mainers tend to experience food insecurity at higher income levels than the national average, suggesting a higher cost of living. Annually, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap (MMG) Report estimates the share of people who are food insecure, but whose incomes are too high to qualify for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). In 2022, Feeding America estimates that 52% of food-insecure individuals in Maine live in households with income above the state’s SNAP income threshold, 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Income eligibility thresholds for SNAP vary across U.S. states. Nationally, 36% of food-insecure individuals have incomes above a lower threshold of 185% FPL, 16% between 130%-185% FPL. This indicates that food insecurity is experienced at higher income levels in Maine than the national average.

Meal Costs Reported by Food Insecure Individuals

The Map the Meal Gap Report also includes data on average meal costs, based on the amount food-insecure individuals report spending on food in the Current Population Survey. The map below displays average meal costs by county in Maine. These numbers demonstrate the challenging fact that food prices, and as a result, SNAP buying power, varies based on where you live, potentially compounding affordability issues for low-income households. 

In addition to the cost of food, the cost of other basic needs, like housing, transportation, healthcare, and childcare also impact a household’s ability to afford enough food. Homeownership in Maine has become increasingly unaffordable and out-of-reach for most Mainers. Households now need to make over $100,000 a year to afford the median home price. In 2022, nearly half of renters (47.2%, American Community Survey) were cost burdened, paying over 30% of household income in rent. Home prices and rents continued to increase in 2023, exceeding wage increases, likely further exacerbating housing cost burden for Mainers (see more: State of Maine Housing Production Needs Study).

A 2024 energy burden study, meanwhile, found that home energy burden (the percent of household income spent on home energy) for low-income households in Maine is 14%, nearly three-times higher than the statewide average, and far above the affordability target of 6 percent.

Poverty & Economic Hardship Above the Poverty Line in Maine 

Providing a measure for overall cost-of-living by county, a study of financial hardship by the United Ways of Maine, finds that a large share of households that have income above the poverty level in Maine still struggle to afford basic needs – a group the report refers to as ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed). The ALICE in Maine report finds that in 2022, 30% (172,502) of households in Maine were ALICE, just above the national rate of 29%. When combined with households in poverty (12%), a total of 249,725 households — 42% — are living below the ALICE Threshold. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of households in poverty decreased by 1%, but the number of ALICE households increased by 4%; another indicator of increased cost-of-living. The report also finds racial disparities in ALICE, with 49% of Black households struggling to make ends meet with income above the poverty level, compared with the state average of 30%.

 

Snap Participation in Maine

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program. In Maine, 184,511 individuals participated in SNAP in an average month in 2024, representing 13% of Maine’s population, or 1 in 8 people. In several counties, 1 in 5 people participate in SNAP, or 19-21% of the county population. 

 

SNAP Households in Maine

  • 73% include someone who was working
  • 58% include a person with a disability
  • 43% include older adults
  • 34% include children

Economic Impacts of SNAP

  • Each $1 in SNAP spending generates $1.54 in local economic activity (USDA ERS, July 2019).
  • In 2024, $396,060,494 in SNAP benefits were issued in Maine, resulting in nearly $610 million in economic activity.