Hyattsville, United States, Feb 5, (V7N) — As dawn breaks in a strip mall parking lot in Hyattsville, Maryland, a line quietly forms. Students, delivery workers and federal contractors wait in near-freezing temperatures to register for food assistance, reflecting growing anxiety over living costs in the United States.

“Right now, it’s a lot — paying rent, buying food,” said Shirleyann Desormeaux, a 58-year-old chef supporting four children. Despite having two incomes in her household, she said it is “still not enough,” adding that reduced working hours have made matters worse.

Desormeaux was among around 100 people seeking groceries in the Washington suburb, underscoring the widening strain on household finances even as the world’s largest economy posts steady growth.

Although President Donald Trump’s administration has highlighted record Wall Street performance and tax relief, economists warn that a so-called “K-shaped economy” is taking hold — one in which wealthier households benefit from rising asset values while middle- and lower-income families struggle.

According to Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi, nearly 60 percent of consumer spending in the third quarter of last year came from the top 20 percent of income earners. In the greater Washington area, about 36 percent of households experienced food insecurity over the past year, the Capital Area Food Bank reported.

“We’re seeing more individuals in what we would traditionally consider higher-income quartiles,” said Radha Muthiah, the food bank’s chief executive. She noted that even families of four earning between $90,000 and $120,000 a year are increasingly seeking food assistance.

Muthiah attributed the trend largely to prolonged post-pandemic inflation, saying wage growth has failed to keep pace. “People are suffering,” Desormeaux said bluntly.

Salih Taylor, a 49-year-old federal worker, said he had never imagined visiting a food distribution site until encouraged by his church pastor. While earning about $4,200 a month, Taylor said his income is quickly consumed by mortgage payments, utilities and food.

“I’m scraping,” he said, explaining that his family has cut back on eating out and travel. Food prices in December were 3.1 percent higher than a year earlier, despite Trump’s claim that inflation is “virtually non-existent.”

Pastor Oliver Carter of No Limits Outreach Ministries, which runs the Hyattsville distribution point, said demand has risen sharply. He added that more immigrants are seeking help since food stamp benefits were reduced for many asylum seekers.

“They’re left to fend for themselves,” Carter said, noting that federal funding cuts have also reduced support for food drives. “It’s really a struggle now to continue doing what we do.”

Beyond the US capital region, a January New York Times/Siena poll found widespread belief that a middle-class lifestyle is increasingly out of reach.

That sentiment resonates with Delaware resident Tricia Jones, 46, who has been living with her husband and toddler in a hotel room for months. After spinal surgery temporarily halted her income last year, her family could no longer afford rent.

Although both parents are now employed, Jones said wages lag far behind rising costs. “The pay doesn’t keep up with the cost of living,” she said, adding that her family receives no childcare assistance.

With grocery prices climbing — bread costing up to $6 a loaf and milk rising from $3.79 to $5.79 — Jones said her monthly income of about $1,300 leaves no room to manage rent, utilities and childcare.

“There’s no way to stretch it,” she said.

END/WD/RH