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Thursday, September 11, 2025

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

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Sarah Reisetter, Chief of Compliance of the Iowa Health u0026 Human Services | LinkedIn

Sarah Reisetter, Chief of Compliance of the Iowa Health u0026 Human Services | LinkedIn

Clay County saw a 35.8% 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 1,249 people relying on food stamps in 2023, in comparison to 1,946 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 $2,223,142 in 2023, compared to $2,262,698 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 650 households, in comparison to 923 in 2014.

Since 2014, $22,649,011 has been allocated for Clay County as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of SNAP Participants in Clay County (2014-2023)
20142015201620172018201920202021202220231,9461,94618341,83417291,72916951,69516341,63414481,44814001,40013091,30913141,31412491,249

SNAP Funding Among Iowa Counties in 2023
CountyTotal Recipients (2014)Total Recipients (2023)% Change
Adair849508-40.2%
Adams442281-36.4%
Allamakee1,664909-45.4%
Appanoose2,1811,368-37.3%
Audubon577414-28.2%
Benton2,2521,572-30.2%
Black Hawk20,58114,412-30%
Boone2,6461,407-46.8%
Bremer1,424990-30.5%
Buchanan1,8841,143-39.3%
Buena Vista2,9731,726-41.9%
Butler1,285825-35.8%
Calhoun955698-26.9%
Carroll1,8901,225-35.2%
Cass1,9581,324-32.4%
Cedar1,437820-42.9%
Cerro Gordo5,9473,880-34.8%
Cherokee1,121653-41.7%
Chickasaw942515-45.3%
Clarke1,430840-41.3%
Clay1,9461,249-35.8%
Clayton1,438900-37.4%
Clinton8,8885,747-35.3%
Crawford2,1251,181-44.4%
Dallas4,1883,144-24.9%
Davis764471-38.4%
Decatur1,392758-45.5%
Delaware1,330843-36.6%
Des Moines8,2115,353-34.8%
Dickinson1,335936-29.9%
Dubuque11,1477,394-33.7%
Emmet1,202733-39%
Fayette2,7041,894-30%
Floyd2,2381,456-34.9%
Franklin1,171718-38.7%
Fremont1,046627-40.1%
Greene1,410895-36.5%
Grundy727578-20.5%
Guthrie1,150727-36.8%
Hamilton1,717874-49.1%
Hancock874591-32.4%
Hardin2,1811,323-39.3%
Harrison1,7131,068-37.7%
Henry2,9011,883-35.1%
Howard921524-43.1%
Humboldt989569-42.5%
Ida685458-33.1%
Iowa1,106700-36.7%
Jackson2,5411,542-39.3%
Jasper4,7803,052-36.2%
Jefferson2,3361,502-35.7%
Johnson11,2919,609-14.9%
Jones1,8871,207-36%
Keokuk1,276895-29.9%
Kossuth1,230903-26.6%
Lee6,6084,405-33.3%
Linn26,57721,206-20.2%
Louisa1,418706-50.2%
Lucas1,476878-40.5%
Lyon714421-41%
Madison1,327642-51.6%
Mahaska3,4141,910-44.1%
Marion3,0841,799-41.7%
Marshall6,7943,926-42.2%
Mills1,560933-40.2%
Mitchell710492-30.7%
Monona1,234820-33.5%
Monroe920534-42%
Montgomery1,9431,205-38%
Muscatine7,6854,529-41.1%
O'Brien1,214688-43.3%
Osceola485352-27.4%
Page2,2711,354-40.4%
Palo Alto862517-40%
Plymouth1,7261,122-35%
Pocahontas946573-39.4%
Polk70,98250,042-29.5%
Pottawattamie16,88210,847-35.7%
Poweshiek1,5531,089-29.9%
Ringgold611415-32.1%
Sac919537-41.6%
Scott32,38320,459-36.8%
Shelby1,172749-36.1%
Sioux1,7071,080-36.7%
Story6,4154,094-36.2%
Tama2,0721,298-37.4%
Taylor865518-40.1%
Union1,8431,379-25.2%
Van Buren876621-29.1%
Wapello7,2024,873-32.3%
Warren3,7602,032-46%
Washington2,2941,387-39.5%
Wayne858494-42.4%
Webster6,4964,358-32.9%
Winnebago1,056647-38.7%
Winneshiek1,089721-33.8%
Woodbury19,41711,911-38.7%
Worth726463-36.2%
Wright1,679901-46.3%
Total for Iowa403,103267,741-33.6%

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