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Friday, September 12, 2025

Number of Wapello County households relying on food stamps shrank over last decade

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Cory Turner, State-Operated Facilities Director of the Iowa Health u0026 Human Services | LinkedIn

Cory Turner, State-Operated Facilities Director of the Iowa Health u0026 Human Services | LinkedIn

Wapello County saw a 25.8% decrease in the number of households relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since 2015, according to Iowa's Department of Human Services.

Data shows that there were 2,539 households that relied on food stamps in 2024, in comparison to 3,422 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 $10,191,130 in 2024, compared to $9,088,157 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 households relying on SNAP, amounting to 24,656 in 2024.

Overall, there were 4,954 people who received SNAP aid in 2024, in comparison to 6,748 registered in 2015.

Since 2015, $95,662,042 has been allocated for Wapello County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Wapello County Households Participating in SNAP (2015-2024)
201520162017201820192020202120222023202434223,42233093,30931483,14829942,99428492,84928312,83126622,66226412,64125702,57025392,539

SNAP Funding Among Iowa Counties in 2024
CountyTotal Households (2015)Total Households (2024)% Change
Adair355238-33%
Adams167138-17.4%
Allamakee621385-38%
Appanoose1,046706-32.5%
Audubon238185-22.3%
Benton993786-20.8%
Black Hawk10,0847,287-27.7%
Boone1,187696-41.4%
Bremer630469-25.6%
Buchanan817609-25.5%
Buena Vista1,053861-18.2%
Butler587389-33.7%
Calhoun398323-18.8%
Carroll838632-24.6%
Cass845650-23.1%
Cedar581382-34.3%
Cerro Gordo2,8962,061-28.8%
Cherokee514337-34.4%
Chickasaw416245-41.1%
Clarke619379-38.8%
Clay875646-26.2%
Clayton629465-26.1%
Clinton4,2882,846-33.6%
Crawford831546-34.3%
Dallas1,7531,515-13.6%
Davis316231-26.9%
Decatur622386-37.9%
Delaware605438-27.6%
Des Moines3,5832,599-27.5%
Dickinson619508-17.9%
Dubuque5,2693,650-30.7%
Emmet509345-32.2%
Fayette1,238938-24.2%
Floyd960682-29%
Franklin461300-34.9%
Fremont422280-33.6%
Greene568406-28.5%
Grundy287256-10.8%
Guthrie473309-34.7%
Hamilton722431-40.3%
Hancock337258-23.4%
Hardin851599-29.6%
Harrison766556-27.4%
Henry1,163842-27.6%
Howard360276-23.3%
Humboldt424271-36.1%
Ida300211-29.7%
Iowa465337-27.5%
Jackson1,064735-30.9%
Jasper2,1001,518-27.7%
Jefferson1,213856-29.4%
Johnson5,2644,499-14.5%
Jones779604-22.5%
Keokuk526401-23.8%
Kossuth544456-16.2%
Lee2,9162,126-27.1%
Linn13,06010,571-19.1%
Louisa529322-39.1%
Lucas587380-35.3%
Lyon248174-29.8%
Madison554342-38.3%
Mahaska1,499984-34.4%
Marion1,382910-34.2%
Marshall2,7381,798-34.3%
Mills648450-30.6%
Mitchell302242-19.9%
Monona539380-29.5%
Monroe405241-40.5%
Montgomery819573-30%
Muscatine3,1892,184-31.5%
Osceola212176-17%
Page989656-33.7%
Palo Alto398296-25.6%
Plymouth682562-17.6%
Pocahontas373275-26.3%
Polk33,37224,656-26.1%
Pottawattamie7,9235,564-29.8%
Poweshiek687518-24.6%
Ringgold274205-25.2%
Sac395251-36.5%
Scott15,38610,086-34.4%
Shelby528348-34.1%
Sioux673467-30.6%
Story2,9262,075-29.1%
Tama812576-29.1%
Taylor358218-39.1%
Union875683-21.9%
Van Buren365285-21.9%
Wapello3,4222,539-25.8%
Warren1,5351,057-31.1%
Washington941658-30.1%
Wayne378268-29.1%
Webster3,0532,150-29.6%
Winnebago455302-33.6%
Winneshiek534346-35.2%
Woodbury8,2045,714-30.4%
Worth263204-22.4%
Wright686408-40.5%
Total for Iowa131,174182,695-28.2

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