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Thursday, September 11, 2025

Number of Wayne County residents relying on food stamps shrank over last decade

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Kelly Garcia Director of the Iowa Department of Health Human Services (HHS) | Official Website

Kelly Garcia Director of the Iowa Department of Health Human Services (HHS) | Official Website

Wayne County saw a 33.7% decrease in the number of residents relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since 2015, according to Iowa's Department of Human Services.

Data shows that there were 550 people relying on food stamps in 2024, in comparison to 829 in 2015.

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 $1,056,017 in 2024, compared to $1,048,750 in 2015.

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 50,973 in 2024.

Overall, families relying on the program in 2024 lived across 268 households, in comparison to 378 in 2015.

Since 2015, $10,085,874 has been allocated for Wayne County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of SNAP Participants in Wayne County (2015-2024)
2015201620172018201920202021202220232024829829821821786786666666615615557557569569544544494494550550

SNAP Funding Among Iowa Counties in 2024
CountyTotal Recipients (2015)Total Recipients (2024)% Change
Adair772488-36.8%
Adams402273-32.1%
Allamakee1,482856-42.2%
Appanoose2,1101,361-35.5%
Audubon532378-28.9%
Benton2,1621,552-28.2%
Black Hawk20,19314,274-29.3%
Boone2,4971,354-45.8%
Bremer1,401923-34.1%
Buchanan1,7841,160-35%
Buena Vista2,7851,931-30.7%
Butler1,332826-38%
Calhoun894663-25.8%
Carroll1,8601,240-33.3%
Cass1,8581,332-28.3%
Cedar1,372800-41.7%
Cerro Gordo5,6183,770-32.9%
Cherokee1,104693-37.2%
Chickasaw926490-47.1%
Clarke1,338802-40.1%
Clay1,8341,222-33.4%
Clayton1,375853-38%
Clinton8,5135,584-34.4%
Crawford2,0271,161-42.7%
Dallas3,9973,486-12.8%
Davis719465-35.3%
Decatur1,325761-42.6%
Delaware1,326852-35.7%
Des Moines7,5445,160-31.6%
Dickinson1,227944-23.1%
Dubuque10,9847,420-32.4%
Emmet1,141722-36.7%
Fayette2,6461,823-31.1%
Floyd2,1801,426-34.6%
Franklin1,105680-38.5%
Fremont948609-35.8%
Greene1,346887-34.1%
Grundy677587-13.3%
Guthrie1,087681-37.4%
Hamilton1,618861-46.8%
Hancock785534-32%
Hardin2,0341,278-37.2%
Harrison1,6211,088-32.9%
Henry2,6671,819-31.8%
Howard776528-32%
Humboldt889546-38.6%
Ida680470-30.9%
Iowa1,028671-34.7%
Jackson2,3241,510-35%
Jasper4,5212,935-35.1%
Jefferson2,2041,471-33.3%
Johnson10,9879,704-11.7%
Jones1,8411,170-36.4%
Keokuk1,185855-27.8%
Kossuth1,186873-26.4%
Lee6,0814,216-30.7%
Linn26,63021,544-19.1%
Louisa1,239693-44.1%
Lucas1,362870-36.1%
Lyon630430-31.7%
Madison1,307647-50.5%
Mahaska3,1651,922-39.3%
Marion3,0521,857-39.2%
Marshall6,3193,989-36.9%
Mills1,467941-35.9%
Mitchell651471-27.6%
Monona1,153788-31.7%
Monroe900515-42.8%
Montgomery1,7941,163-35.2%
Muscatine6,9954,374-37.5%
Osceola480358-25.4%
Page2,1761,339-38.5%
Palo Alto871583-33.1%
Plymouth1,6361,184-27.6%
Pocahontas888588-33.8%
Polk69,78250,973-27%
Pottawattamie16,33210,634-34.9%
Poweshiek1,440989-31.3%
Ringgold605405-33.1%
Sac906524-42.2%
Scott31,58720,114-36.3%
Shelby1,116743-33.4%
Sioux1,6801,102-34.4%
Story5,8524,065-30.5%
Tama1,9201,250-34.9%
Taylor811443-45.4%
Union1,8381,351-26.5%
Van Buren802605-24.6%
Wapello6,7484,954-26.6%
Warren3,4742,109-39.3%
Washington2,1641,330-38.5%
Wayne829550-33.7%
Webster6,2054,199-32.3%
Winnebago1,017600-41%
Winneshiek1,076665-38.2%
Woodbury18,62812,190-34.6%
Worth605443-26.8%
Wright1,595837-47.5%
Total for Iowa387,782266,349-31.3%

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