Food Consumption

Understanding a community’s food consumption patterns and health indicators can inform food system interventions related to which types of foods are grown, how they are processed, and where they are sold. The dashboards below outline data related to food consumption and health outcomes that can be influenced by diet.

Questions to Consider:

  • Which types of foods are Central Texans consuming?

  • How much are Central Texans spending on different types of food? When they purchase food, what tradeoffs are they making in terms of their household budget? (e.g., paying for medical care or housing instead of food)

  • How does what is grown in Central Texas compare with what Central Texans are consuming?

  • What are the main diet-related health issues in Central Texas? Where do more neighbors experience poor physical and mental health? Which food system interventions could address these outcomes?

  • Where are nutrition education classes offered?

List of Dashboards

Continue scrolling to view the dashboards linked below or click on a link to visit a specific part of this page.

    • Household Spending on Food

    • Consumption vs. Production

    • Key Health Indicators

    • Poor Health Days (Mental and Physical Health)

    • Cost of Care

    • Nutrition Education Programs

Types of Food Consumed

Household Spending on Food

Nationwide, food expenditures as a percentage of household budget decreased steadily from the 1950s until the early 2010s, from 20% to 10%. However, this share has increased sharply since 2020, rising to 11.2%. Compared to other states’ per-capita food spending, Texas falls in the middle. Some of these spending trends are likely related to increasing food prices. Since 2021, food prices have rapidly increased in the United States—faster than at any time during the past 40 years. In 2023 alone, food prices increased 5.8%, and prices across food categories are expected to increase another 2.2% in 2024. Contributing factors include supply chain issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and international conflicts. Another factor that may be partially responsible for rising food prices is the record profits reported by major food corporations.

Within those total expenditures, spending on food at home (supermarket or grocery store spending) is falling after experiencing an upward trend during the early 2010s and through the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversely, expenditures on food away from home (restaurant spending) are increasing, continuing an upward trend that was temporarily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following charts highlight how much neighbors spend on food they eat at home and food they eat away from home. Expenditures on food at home are further categorized by type of food (note that all foods except “Dining Out” are consumed at home). “Other Food” includes bakery items and snacks, as well as other types of food not specified.

Highlights: On average, Central Texas households spend 10.1% of their income on food. This is on par with the state average and slightly below the national average of 11.2%. Two-thirds of Central Texas food dollars are spent on dining out and “Other Food,” while only 13% of food dollars are spent on produce. The total dollar amount spent on food differs across counties and is highest in Travis and Williamson counties, which may be partly attributable to differences in wages and cost of living. However, the highest spending as a percentage of income is in Freestone County at 12.6%.

Click on a metric button on the bottom right to toggle between “Gross Expenditures” and “% of Income” in the view. Click on a county name in the chart or filter at right to focus on that county in the view.

Data Source: 2017-2022 American Community Survey (ACS) and 2023 Esri Consumer Spending Data

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated September 2024.

Consumption vs. Production

As a diverse and populous region, consumers in Central Texas have varying food preferences. While local production may not be able to realistically meet all the food needs and preferences of Central Texans, the charts below help highlight opportunities for narrowing the gap between local production and consumption. The chart below on the left shows the estimated consumption of agricultural products in Central Texas. The chart below on the right shows the amount locally produced for the same categories of agricultural products. Note that this dashboard only includes food grown for human consumption, not all agricultural production. Comparing sales volume is an imperfect measure because it does not indicate the quantity of food that was purchased or sold and does not consider differences between agricultural sale prices and consumer prices.

Highlights: The gap between consumption and production throughout Central Texas implies that most food consumed in Central Texas is produced outside of Central Texas. This means that most food consumed in Central Texas is subject to supply chain disruptions outside of the region and travels further before it reaches its final customer, adding additional emissions to its carbon footprint. While overall production exceeds consumption in over half of Central Texas counties, as a region, sales meet only 27.5% of consumption needs. This is due to large gaps in the counties with the highest consumption, including Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties.

Both charts are shown on the same scale to highlight the gap between production and consumption in Central Texas. Note that the consumption chart includes food beyond what is produced locally. The data do not indicate that production is the only issue contributing to mismatches in supply and demand; distribution, waste, and economic and physical access to food should also be considered.

Filter data by county by selecting the county name on the filter to the right of the charts. Click on a census year to change the agricultural sales chart and gap/gap % values in the table. Click on a header in the table to sort by that column. Drag the circles up and down on the y-axis of the bar charts to adjust the y-axis.

Health Outcomes

Key Health Indicators

Consuming nutritious foods is essential to a person’s overall health. The typical diet in the United States tends to be high in sodium and sugar and highly processed. The majority of Americans consume more sodium and more added sugar than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recommend, which can contribute to higher levels of diet-related diseases. The following dashboard displays Central Texas’ rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and depression, all of which can be influenced by diet.

What is missing from the data below are localized data on disparities in the prevalence of these conditions among different racial and ethnic groups. Current estimates show that one in three adults in Texas has obesity. This figure rises significantly among neighbors who identify as Black (44%), American Indian or Alaska Native (40%), or Hispanic or Latino/a/e (39%).

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in Texas and the top cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups nationwide. The percentage of all deaths occurring from heart disease is highest among neighbors who identify as Black—more than one in five deaths, which is 5% higher than the share among the general population. Neighbors who identify as Asian, Black, or Hispanic or Latino/a/e experience a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes than White neighbors.

The reported rate of mental illness, which includes but is not limited to depression, sits at 23.1% of the general population nationwide. This rate is lower in Texas (17.2%), though it has an upward trend. Nationwide, rates are highest among adults who identify as multiracial (35%) or White (25%) and lowest among adults who identify as Asian (17%).

Highlights: Rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and depression vary greatly across Central Texas and within each county. Half of counties have higher rates for all four conditions than the state average, mostly in the northern and eastern part of the region (Bastrop, Falls, Freestone, Lampasas, Lee, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Mills, and San Saba counties). Only Travis County has lower-than-average rates for all four health conditions.

To toggle each health indicator layer off or on, open the “Layers” card on the left-hand side of the map, then click on the “eye” icon to the right of the layer name to either make that layer visible or hide it. View only one layer at a time. The default view is set on the “Obesity” layer.

In both the map and table, colors diverge from state averages: areas filled in pink or red are above the state average, while areas filled in light or dark blue are below the state average.

Data Source: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data 2023 release

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated September 2024.

Poor Health Days (Mental and Physical Health)

Mental and physical health are impacted by many different factors, including food security and nutrition. The map below shows self-reported poor mental or physical health by census tract. Locations of healthcare facilities and select food retail establishments are marked on the map. Healthcare facilities indicated below include hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and retail-based clinics. Food retail establishments include supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants.

Food insecurity is not only associated with higher incidences of poor physical health outcomes, but also mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and mental distress. Over half of the calories adults in the U.S. consume are in the form of ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to depression, anxiety, and an increased number of poor mental health days. Eating more fruits and vegetables may help prevent and treat mental health conditions. More research is needed to better understand relationships and causality between food security, nutrition, and physical and mental health.

Healthcare facility locations are highlighted because geographic proximity to healthcare facilities may lead to improved overall health through increased use of preventive care. There are many other factors that affect access to healthcare, like having insurance and the level of coverage that insurance provides, as well as language access. Low-income communities and areas with high Black or Hispanic or Latino/a/e populations are more likely to have lower geographic access to healthcare facilities.

Select food retail establishments are displayed below due to associations between these types of establishments and health. For example, proximity to convenience stores has been associated with unhealthy eating patterns (low fruit and vegetable consumption and high consumption of sugary drinks, snacks, and fast food) among children. Increased grocery store density has been associated with a reduced number of poor mental health days, while increased fast food restaurant density has been associated with an increased number of poor mental health days.

Highlights: Statewide, 12% of adults in Texas report frequent physical distress, meaning that their physical health was not good for 14 or more of the past 30 days. In terms of mental health, 17.3% of adults in Texas report frequent mental distress, meaning that their mental health was not good for 14 or more of the past 30 days.

Six counties have rates of both physical and mental distress that are higher than state averages, mostly in the northeast part of the region (Caldwell, Falls, Freestone, Limestone, McLennan, and Milam).

Three-quarters of counties (16) have rates of physical distress that are higher than the state average, and all counties have at least one census tract that is higher than the state average. Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties have the lowest rates at under 10%. Nearly half of counties have higher rates of mental distress than the state average. Gillespie County has the lowest rate at 13.9%.

Looking at the healthcare and food retail environment surrounding census tracts with relatively high rates of mental and physical distress, there tend to be few supermarkets and healthcare facilities nearby.

To toggle each layer off or on, open the “Layers” card on the left-hand side of the map, then click on the “eye” icon to the right of the layer name to either make that layer visible or hide it. View either physical or mental health data one layer at a time, not overlaid. The default view is set on the “Frequent Physical Distress” layer.

In both the map and table, colors diverge from state averages: areas filled in pink or red are above the state average, while areas filled in light or dark blue are below the state average.

Data Sources:

Refreshed: Annually. Dashboard last updated October 2024.

Cost of Care

The health outcomes described in the dashboards above contribute greatly to the overall cost of healthcare. Almost half of Texas’ state budget goes towards healthcare, totaling nearly $43 billion per year. This high price tag has been partly attributed to the treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Nationwide, the cost of diagnosed diabetes is nearly $413 billion, and the annual cost of heart disease exceeds $250 billion. Beyond specific health outcomes, food insecurity is associated with higher healthcare utilization, including more emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and longer hospital stays, and thus, higher healthcare costs. More research is needed to understand the relationships between and causality of these associations.

The dashboard below shows aggregate annual healthcare expenditures in Central Texas. These amounts include the total amount paid to the healthcare provider by the patient and through health insurance, as well as the amount paid out of pocket by the patient for all medical costs, prescription medications, medical office visits, dental care, and vision care. For context, 2022 aggregate annual healthcare expenditures in the United States were $7,674 per person. This figure was lower in Texas, at $6,410. One possible explanation for Texas’ healthcare expenditures being lower than average is that healthcare services in Texas tend to be more expensive and therefore less utilized. A recent Episcopal Health Foundation survey found that 56% of Texans with insurance skip or postpone care because of high costs.

Highlights: Average healthcare costs are higher overall than the state average in all counties except for Coryell. Half of the counties in the region have expenditures higher than the national average, and these are primarily rural counties to the east and west of the Austin MSA counties (Blanco, Burnet, Fayette, Gillespie, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, Milam, Mills, and San Saba). Llano County has the highest average healthcare cost—nearly $5,000 above the state average per person.

In the map, colors diverge from the state average: areas filled in pink or red are above the state average, while areas filled in light or dark blue are below the state average.

Nutrition Education Programs

Across Central Texas, several organizations provide free cooking and nutrition education classes, including Central Texas Food Bank. These classes aim to provide recipes that are culturally relevant, affordable, nutritious, and easy to prepare to build healthy eating patterns and ultimately prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. They tend to focus on serving neighbors with low income, who are experiencing food insecurity, or who live in areas with disproportionate rates of diet-related disease.

Nutrition education classes have been shown to improve diet quality by increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, as well as strengthen knowledge, skills, and confidence around preparing nutritious meals. There is opportunity to research what motivates neighbors to participate in these programs, as well as which barriers they face to participation.

Central Texas Food Bank is working on compiling a list of nutrition education programs in Central Texas, including those provided by Central Texas Food Bank, Sustainable Food Center, Brighter Bites, and Common Threads. There are more organizations providing these types of classes in Central Texas, however. Please contact the Research Team at Central Texas Food Bank to add additional locations to our list.

Nutrition Education Program information coming soon!

Food Consumption Reports and Articles