This “Clothing Insecurity Update for 2025” provides the following measures and insights:
- Requests for clothing grew 25% from 2024 to 2025. They have grown 88% in three years.
- Demand for clothing is highest in three peak times of the year: preparing for winter (October-November); back to school (August-September), and preparing for summer (May-June).
- The need was greatest for children under one-year-old (8.7% of total requests). It was next greatest among teens: 16-year-olds (6.2%); 17-year-olds (5.8%), and 15-year-olds (5.5%).
- The vast majority (83.2%) of the children and teens served live at home with a parent or guardian, but 13.4% live in a shelter or unstable housing.
Clothing insecurity is best described as the lack of sufficient, clean, seasonal, and size-appropriate apparel, and it has implications for the nation and beyond. An estimated two out of every five children in the United States are clothing insecure, according to Nonprofit Quarterly.
