In 2020, 2,308 Marion County residents participated in Iowa’s Food Assistance Program compared to 2,909 residents in 2011, according to Marion County Guide analysis of data from the Iowa Department of Human Services.
This equates to in resident participation over eight years.
As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s larger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, qualified Iowans receive financial assistance in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that can be used to buy groceries.
Since 2011, $35,128,589 has been allocated for Marion County as part of the Iowa Food Assistance Program.
The following table shows the Iowa counties that saw the biggest resident participation change in the Iowa Food Assistance Program from 2011 to 2019:
| County | Number of Residents (2011) | Number of Residents (2019) | Percent change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisa | 1,585 | 875 | -44.8% |
| Decatur | 1,634 | 903 | -44.7% |
| Howard | 1,024 | 573 | -44% |
| Hamilton | 1,741 | 1,003 | -42.4% |
| Mahaska | 3,901 | 2,326 | -40.4% |
Source: Iowa Department of Human Services
