On the Map: SNAP Redemptions Per Store Grew Most in Nonmetro Counties

The economic hardships of the recent recession increased the number of Americans needing food assistance. The average number of participants in USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) grew from 28.2 million per month in 2008 to 33.5 million per month in 2009. Of the 2,887 U.S. counties with stores authorized to accept SNAP benefits in 2008-09, 1,391 counties experienced 25- to 50-percent increases in average redemptions per store. In another 813 counties, average per store SNAP redemptions rose more than 50 percent. Two-thirds of the 813 counties were nonmetro counties.