Wayne County saw a 42.4% decrease in the number of residents relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since 2014, according to Iowa’s Department of Human Services.
Data shows that there were 494 people relying on food stamps in 2023, in comparison to 858 in 2014.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits to help low-income households buy food. The program is federally funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
SNAP funds allocated to the county reached $895,112 in 2023, compared to $1,046,788 in 2014.
Qualified recipients in the program are eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which can then be used to buy selected groceries. The amount of benefits depends on the net income and household size.
Statewide, Polk County recorded the highest number of people relying on SNAP, amounting to 50,042 in 2023.
Overall, families relying on the program in 2023 lived across 257 households, in comparison to 389 in 2014.
Since 2014, $10,076,645 has been allocated for Wayne County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
| County | Total Recipients (2014) | Total Recipients (2023) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair | 849 | 508 | -40.2% |
| Adams | 442 | 281 | -36.4% |
| Allamakee | 1,664 | 909 | -45.4% |
| Appanoose | 2,181 | 1,368 | -37.3% |
| Audubon | 577 | 414 | -28.2% |
| Benton | 2,252 | 1,572 | -30.2% |
| Black Hawk | 20,581 | 14,412 | -30% |
| Boone | 2,646 | 1,407 | -46.8% |
| Bremer | 1,424 | 990 | -30.5% |
| Buchanan | 1,884 | 1,143 | -39.3% |
| Buena Vista | 2,973 | 1,726 | -41.9% |
| Butler | 1,285 | 825 | -35.8% |
| Calhoun | 955 | 698 | -26.9% |
| Carroll | 1,890 | 1,225 | -35.2% |
| Cass | 1,958 | 1,324 | -32.4% |
| Cedar | 1,437 | 820 | -42.9% |
| Cerro Gordo | 5,947 | 3,880 | -34.8% |
| Cherokee | 1,121 | 653 | -41.7% |
| Chickasaw | 942 | 515 | -45.3% |
| Clarke | 1,430 | 840 | -41.3% |
| Clay | 1,946 | 1,249 | -35.8% |
| Clayton | 1,438 | 900 | -37.4% |
| Clinton | 8,888 | 5,747 | -35.3% |
| Crawford | 2,125 | 1,181 | -44.4% |
| Dallas | 4,188 | 3,144 | -24.9% |
| Davis | 764 | 471 | -38.4% |
| Decatur | 1,392 | 758 | -45.5% |
| Delaware | 1,330 | 843 | -36.6% |
| Des Moines | 8,211 | 5,353 | -34.8% |
| Dickinson | 1,335 | 936 | -29.9% |
| Dubuque | 11,147 | 7,394 | -33.7% |
| Emmet | 1,202 | 733 | -39% |
| Fayette | 2,704 | 1,894 | -30% |
| Floyd | 2,238 | 1,456 | -34.9% |
| Franklin | 1,171 | 718 | -38.7% |
| Fremont | 1,046 | 627 | -40.1% |
| Greene | 1,410 | 895 | -36.5% |
| Grundy | 727 | 578 | -20.5% |
| Guthrie | 1,150 | 727 | -36.8% |
| Hamilton | 1,717 | 874 | -49.1% |
| Hancock | 874 | 591 | -32.4% |
| Hardin | 2,181 | 1,323 | -39.3% |
| Harrison | 1,713 | 1,068 | -37.7% |
| Henry | 2,901 | 1,883 | -35.1% |
| Howard | 921 | 524 | -43.1% |
| Humboldt | 989 | 569 | -42.5% |
| Ida | 685 | 458 | -33.1% |
| Iowa | 1,106 | 700 | -36.7% |
| Jackson | 2,541 | 1,542 | -39.3% |
| Jasper | 4,780 | 3,052 | -36.2% |
| Jefferson | 2,336 | 1,502 | -35.7% |
| Johnson | 11,291 | 9,609 | -14.9% |
| Jones | 1,887 | 1,207 | -36% |
| Keokuk | 1,276 | 895 | -29.9% |
| Kossuth | 1,230 | 903 | -26.6% |
| Lee | 6,608 | 4,405 | -33.3% |
| Linn | 26,577 | 21,206 | -20.2% |
| Louisa | 1,418 | 706 | -50.2% |
| Lucas | 1,476 | 878 | -40.5% |
| Lyon | 714 | 421 | -41% |
| Madison | 1,327 | 642 | -51.6% |
| Mahaska | 3,414 | 1,910 | -44.1% |
| Marion | 3,084 | 1,799 | -41.7% |
| Marshall | 6,794 | 3,926 | -42.2% |
| Mills | 1,560 | 933 | -40.2% |
| Mitchell | 710 | 492 | -30.7% |
| Monona | 1,234 | 820 | -33.5% |
| Monroe | 920 | 534 | -42% |
| Montgomery | 1,943 | 1,205 | -38% |
| Muscatine | 7,685 | 4,529 | -41.1% |
| O’Brien | 1,214 | 688 | -43.3% |
| Osceola | 485 | 352 | -27.4% |
| Page | 2,271 | 1,354 | -40.4% |
| Palo Alto | 862 | 517 | -40% |
| Plymouth | 1,726 | 1,122 | -35% |
| Pocahontas | 946 | 573 | -39.4% |
| Polk | 70,982 | 50,042 | -29.5% |
| Pottawattamie | 16,882 | 10,847 | -35.7% |
| Poweshiek | 1,553 | 1,089 | -29.9% |
| Ringgold | 611 | 415 | -32.1% |
| Sac | 919 | 537 | -41.6% |
| Scott | 32,383 | 20,459 | -36.8% |
| Shelby | 1,172 | 749 | -36.1% |
| Sioux | 1,707 | 1,080 | -36.7% |
| Story | 6,415 | 4,094 | -36.2% |
| Tama | 2,072 | 1,298 | -37.4% |
| Taylor | 865 | 518 | -40.1% |
| Union | 1,843 | 1,379 | -25.2% |
| Van Buren | 876 | 621 | -29.1% |
| Wapello | 7,202 | 4,873 | -32.3% |
| Warren | 3,760 | 2,032 | -46% |
| Washington | 2,294 | 1,387 | -39.5% |
| Wayne | 858 | 494 | -42.4% |
| Webster | 6,496 | 4,358 | -32.9% |
| Winnebago | 1,056 | 647 | -38.7% |
| Winneshiek | 1,089 | 721 | -33.8% |
| Woodbury | 19,417 | 11,911 | -38.7% |
| Worth | 726 | 463 | -36.2% |
| Wright | 1,679 | 901 | -46.3% |
| Total for Iowa | 403,103 | 267,741 | -33.6% |
