Interactive map shows how much each county relies on SNAP; 85 of 100 highest-ranking counties are rural

SNAP enrollment as a percentage of county population (Daily Yonder map; click the image to enlarge it)

Use of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, once known as food stamps, is declining nationwide as the economy improves, but it remains more of a lifeline in rural areas. When U.S. counties are ranked by the percentage of population on SNAP, 85 of the top 100 are rural, according to 2015 census data. Rural counties are likely to rely on it at a higher rate for the foreseeable future, since most haven't yet reached pre-recession job levels. The counties most reliant on SNAP tend to be in Indian Country, Appalachia and the Black Belt, Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder.

"SNAP is in the news because of a dust-up in the House of Representatives," Marema reports. "Republicans on the Agriculture Committee have passed a farm bill that could cut as much as $9 billion from SNAP. This maneuver appears to be shattering the classic coalition of lawmakers that normally makes the Farm Bill a bipartisan exercise." The cuts are not expected to pass the Senate.

Click here for a list of the top 100 counties by population percentage reliant on SNAP.

Click here for an interactive map of each U.S. county's reliance on SNAP.