Volunteers sort food into bags at a Soldiers' Angels military food distribution event. A new survey by the Military Family Advisory Network found food insecurity among military families jumped from about 15% in 2023 to more than 41% in 2025, with enlisted families hit hardest. (Tenison Shirai/Soldiers’ Angels)
The rate of military families suffering from food insecurity has surged in the last two years, according to the latest annual survey of spouses, active-duty service members and veterans.
More than 41% of respondents in a new Military Family Advisory Network study said they experienced low or very low food security in 2025, up from about 16% in 2023.
That is nearly three times the national rate of food insecurity in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The findings point to growing financial pressures across military households that researchers said threaten morale and military readiness.
“Military families are operating with really tight financial budgets, and food insecurity is just one indicator of a larger financial strain,” said Gabby L’Esperance, vice president of research and evaluation at MFAN.
The survey found that 85% of respondents were paying more than what they could comfortably afford to cover housing, rent or utility payments. Much like food insecurity, housing burdens were also greater on enlisted families compared with officer families.
Boxes of fresh produce are laid out ahead of a Soldiers' Angels military food distribution event. A new survey by the Military Family Advisory Network found food insecurity among military families jumped from about 15% in 2023 to more than 41% in 2025, with enlisted families hit hardest. (Tenison Shirai/Soldiers’ Angels)
“We see enlisted family respondents consistently reporting different outcomes than their officer counterparts,” L’Esperance said.
Junior enlisted families reported the highest rate of food insecurity among those surveyed, about 74%. Currently serving families also reported food insecurity at higher rates than veteran and retiree populations, according to the report.
Researchers cautioned that the increase from 2023 was partly driven by changes in the survey population, which included a larger share of currently serving families and enlisted respondents compared to previous years. But they said the findings also reflect growing economic strain facing military families.
The polling was conducted between October 2025 and January 2026 as rising costs, a strained housing market and the government shutdown worsened financial conditions for many military families.
For the first time since the survey launched more than a decade ago, military families identified grocery prices as a significant factor preventing them from making ends meet. Nearly 58% of respondents said rising food costs were the biggest barrier to saving money.
Spouse unemployment is also increasing, especially among active-duty families. The survey found that nearly a third of spouses in currently-serving families are unemployed, compared with 19% across the entire population.
Soldiers load fresh produce into a car at the Fresh Food for Families drive-thru food distribution event at Fort Hood, Texas, Nov. 13, 2025. A new survey by the Military Family Advisory Network found food insecurity among military families jumped from about 15% in 2023 to more than 41% in 2025, with enlisted families hit hardest. ( Janecze Wright/U.S. Army)
One of the biggest factors driving spouses out of the workforce is access to affordable child care, L’Esperance said. Without it, she said many spouses can’t maintain a full-time job, which in turn worsens other financial burdens related to food and housing.
Housing costs have also become a major burden. Nearly 60% of active duty families are paying more than their basic allowance for housing, the report said.
The financial strain has left many families with little cushion for emergencies. Nearly 1 in 3 respondents said they have less than $500 in emergency savings. That rate was highest among veteran and retiree families, at 36%.
The report urged leaders and policymakers to treat military families’ financial health as a national security imperative.
“Ultimately, economic security has emerged not just as a matter of household welfare but as the foundational infrastructure for readiness,” the report said.
Although more respondents said they would recommend military life than in 2023, active duty spouses were the least likely to do so. L’Esperance said that suggests spouses are carrying much of the stress of military life.
“We are taking away from this that spouse well-being is a readiness concern,” she said.
