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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Polk County has seen 27% decrease in number of people relying on SNAP since 2015

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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

Polk County saw a 27% 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 50,973 people relying on food stamps in 2024, in comparison to 69,782 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 $106,299,625 in 2024, compared to $98,363,692 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.

Polk County stood out in Iowa with the highest number of people relying on SNAP, amounting to 50,973 in 2024.

Overall, families relying on the program in 2024 lived across 24,656 households, in comparison to 33,372 in 2015.

Since 2015, $1,037,320,867 has been allocated for Polk County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of SNAP Participants in Polk County (2015-2024)
201520162017201820192020202120222023202469,78269,78269,73369,7336821668,2166471764,7176123461,2346008460,0845514255,1425357553,5755004250,0425097350,973

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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