Groceries are quickly becoming more unaffordable for most Marylanders, according to a new poll commissioned by No Kid Hungry Maryland. A shocking 85% of respondents say food costs are increasing faster than their earnings.
This has real consequences. As one father in Baltimore put it,
“Some nights we skip meals. It’s mentally draining [cus] we aren’t eating our best.”
These rising food costs are forcing families to make difficult financial choices. Seven in ten families, including families across varying income levels, reported having to choose between buying groceries and paying for other necessities, like transportation, utilities and rent. Families with growing children face a constant dilemma, as a mom in Montgomery County shared,
“My daughter is growing and I need to buy new clothes but I prefer to buy the food for the next week.”
Often it creates a domino effect with household finances, as a father in Anne Arundel County explained,
“Truck needed a $700 repair, had to put off 2 bills. Had to pay $600 prescription for diabetes medication instead of paying gas & electric. Had to pay gas & electric bill and didn’t buy groceries for 2 weeks.”
Decisions like these are why over half (58%) of those surveyed said their mental health has suffered in the last year due to the cost of food. This aligns with a recent AP-NORC poll that shows that most Americans say the cost of groceries is a major source of stress in their lives.
Many Marylanders are just one minor emergency away from facing hunger. When asked about their ability to buy groceries if their household were faced with an unexpected $500 expense, two-thirds of families polled said they would be very or somewhat worried. A mom in Howard County summed up her family’s situation,
“Recently we had to use our last little bit of savings for groceries for the kids so if any emergency were to come up (for even an oil change right now) we can’t afford it. We have to limit portions to make groceries stretch and it’s the worst feeling in the world!”
The majority of Marylanders agree on the topic of protecting food access. Well over half (59%) of those polled hold a favorable opinion of SNAP. Even more–83%–say Maryland should continue to participate in Summer EBT to ensure children have access to nutritious food in the summer when school meals are not available.
Nearly all Marylanders (96%) agree that child hunger should not exist in the state. More than 8 in 10 would like their elected officials to do more to end child hunger in Maryland, and 93% say that lawmakers should share efforts across the aisle to end childhood hunger, making it a bipartisan goal in the statehouse.
Despite the hardships confronting Marylanders in the midst of high food prices and an evolving economy, resources do exist to help families facing hunger. SNAP, Summer EBT and School Meals all help to ensure that Maryland kids and families have access to the nutrition needed for a healthy lifestyle. It’s up to their elected leaders to ensure that access to resources stays protected now and for years to come.
Using its Dynamic Online Sampling Engine to obtain a sample reflective of the adult population in Maryland, Change Research polled 1,054 people statewide from July 22-29, 2025. The modeled margin of error is 4.0%.
