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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Number of Polk County households 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

Polk County saw a 29.6% decrease in the number of households relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since 2014, according to Iowa's Department of Human Services.

Data shows that there were 24,448 households that relied on food stamps in 2023, in comparison to 34,724 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 $101,313,004 in 2023, compared to $100,198,349 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.

Polk County stood out in Iowa with the highest number of households relying on SNAP, amounting to 24,448 in 2023.

Overall, there were 50,042 people who received SNAP aid in 2023, in comparison to 70,982 registered in 2014.

Since 2014, $1,031,219,591 has been allocated for Polk County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Polk County Households Participating in SNAP (2014-2023)
201420152016201720182019202020212022202334,72434,7243337233,3723295332,9533230232,3023085930,8592924729,2472946729,4672657926,5792590025,9002444824,448

SNAP Funding Among Iowa Counties in 2023
CountyTotal Households (2014)Total Households (2023)% Change
Adair382260-31.9%
Adams183139-24%
Allamakee687406-40.9%
Appanoose1,080732-32.2%
Audubon252198-21.4%
Benton1,024801-21.8%
Black Hawk10,3897,442-28.4%
Boone1,252722-42.3%
Bremer654489-25.2%
Buchanan853594-30.4%
Buena Vista1,100776-29.5%
Butler574403-29.8%
Calhoun428336-21.5%
Carroll861641-25.6%
Cass897671-25.2%
Cedar616387-37.2%
Cerro Gordo3,0712,124-30.8%
Cherokee521324-37.8%
Chickasaw428252-41.1%
Clarke660393-40.5%
Clay923650-29.6%
Clayton654486-25.7%
Clinton4,5332,955-34.8%
Crawford869554-36.2%
Dallas1,8021,401-22.3%
Davis337231-31.5%
Decatur656391-40.4%
Delaware625440-29.6%
Des Moines3,9012,666-31.7%
Dickinson660496-24.8%
Dubuque5,4303,703-31.8%
Emmet526344-34.6%
Fayette1,273965-24.2%
Floyd981717-26.9%
Franklin486319-34.4%
Fremont447293-34.5%
Greene588413-29.8%
Grundy308250-18.8%
Guthrie496343-30.8%
Hamilton768447-41.8%
Hancock374284-24.1%
Hardin921636-30.9%
Harrison801548-31.6%
Henry1,312894-31.9%
Howard408274-32.8%
Humboldt456292-36%
Ida300210-30%
Iowa510349-31.6%
Jackson1,143771-32.5%
Jasper2,2141,577-28.8%
Jefferson1,314874-33.5%
Johnson5,4874,549-17.1%
Jones810623-23.1%
Keokuk569426-25.1%
Kossuth558479-14.2%
Lee3,1922,228-30.2%
Linn13,15210,444-20.6%
Louisa598333-44.3%
Lucas623399-36%
Lyon262174-33.6%
Madison560341-39.1%
Mahaska1,6031,012-36.9%
Marion1,407918-34.8%
Marshall2,9331,768-39.7%
Mills674451-33.1%
Mitchell325247-24%
Monona558392-29.7%
Monroe417257-38.4%
Montgomery884590-33.3%
Muscatine3,5062,229-36.4%
O'Brien539360-33.2%
Osceola217170-21.7%
Page1,029677-34.2%
Palo Alto388281-27.6%
Plymouth714546-23.5%
Pocahontas402268-33.3%
Polk34,72424,448-29.6%
Pottawattamie8,1045,695-29.7%
Poweshiek743572-23%
Ringgold279208-25.4%
Sac412270-34.5%
Scott15,97410,326-35.4%
Shelby552365-33.9%
Sioux693468-32.5%
Story3,2362,102-35%
Tama870593-31.8%
Taylor374240-35.8%
Union906709-21.7%
Van Buren393298-24.2%
Wapello3,6042,570-28.7%
Warren1,6581,025-38.2%
Washington1,012705-30.3%
Wayne389257-33.9%
Webster3,1872,254-29.3%
Winnebago483336-30.4%
Winneshiek543365-32.8%
Woodbury8,5275,610-34.2%
Worth323214-33.7%
Wright741442-40.4%
Total for Iowa133,097191,062-30.3

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