Impact of USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Rural and Urban Economies in the Aftermath of the Great Recession

by Stephen Vogel, Cristina Miller, and Katherine Ralston

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as a safety net for low-income households and an automatic stabilizer during economic downturns. This report addresses the question: during the aftermath of the Great Recession, 2009-14, what were the impacts of the increase in SNAP benefits on employment, output, and household incomes for the rural economy compared to the urban economy?

Keywords: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Great Recession, social accounting matrix (SAM) multiplier, food-at-home expenditures, rural economy, rural and urban demand spillovers, rural and urban employment impacts

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