‘The rent eats first’: Did ending the national eviction moratorium increase food insufficiency among renters in the United States?

As the housing crisis deepens, a growing share of U.S. residents forgoes groceries to make the rent. Sweeping eviction moratoria reduced housing insecurity during the pandemic, yet research examining their effect on food insufficiency remains scarce. This study leverages the Supreme Court’s cessation of the federal eviction moratorium in August 2021 as a natural experiment, using the Household Pulse Survey (N = 460,474). Difference-in-differences analyses identify a 1.06 (95% CI: 0.59–1.54) percentage point increase in the prevalence of food insufficiency among renters after the moratorium’s end, with larger effects for groups most at risk of eviction (i.e., renters who are Black, female, low-income, living with children, and living in states with less generous social safety nets). A particularly strong effect is observed for renters with children, representing a 3.17 percentage point (95% CI: 2.2–4.2) increase in the prevalence of food insufficiency; significant effects are observed far before the cessation of advanced Child Tax Credit payments in December 2021. These results suggest that policies reducing the population risk of eviction may ameliorate food insufficiency. As eviction rates rise, policymakers should thus look to pandemic-era legal protections and social safety net provisions to reduce post-pandemic housing and food insecurity.