Food-stamp use declined less in rural areas in 2016

University of New Hampshire chart; click on the image to enlarge it.

Rates of food-stamp use held steadier in rural areas in 2016 as the rate for urban and suburban areas declined more, reports Jessica Carson of the University of New Hampshire's Carsey School of Public Policy.

In 2016, 12.4 percent of households nationwide received food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Among rural households, the share was 14.8 percent. Urban households had a slightly higher share than rural households in 2016, but a decrease in urban SNAP usage from 2015 narrowed the gap considerably, Carson reports.

Carson also found that 79.1 percent of SNAP households nationwide have at least one person employed, and that SNAP households in rural areas have a lower median income than those in suburban or urban areas.

"Rural America’s food-stamp usage rate mirrors other national economic trends," Tim Marena reports for The Daily Yonder. "Non-metropolitan counties’ job growth has been anemic compared to metropolitan areas (especially compared to major metro areas). Rural counties have yet to return to pre-recession job numbers, while metropolitan counties have more jobs now than before the recession."