[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/Article\/ID\/162\/what-is-food-stamps-usage-like-across-the-country#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/Article\/ID\/162\/what-is-food-stamps-usage-like-across-the-country","headline":"What is Food Stamps Usage Like Across the Country?","name":"What is Food Stamps Usage Like Across the Country?","description":"Ever wonder what food stamp usage looks like across the country? Learn which states are above the national average.","datePublished":"2018-07-06","dateModified":"2018-07-26","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin#Person","name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FoodStamps.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":100,"height":100},"url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/Article\/ID\/162\/what-is-food-stamps-usage-like-across-the-country","about":["SNAP Facts","SNAP News"],"wordCount":746,"keywords":["162"],"articleBody":"There are roughly one in seven Americans on food stamps, but that number is going down. However, that 14% average isn\u2019t the same in every state, with some states going well into the 20s and others falling below the national average. Let\u2019s take a look at how the numbers break down across the nation.HighestHere are\u00a0five states\u00a0where food stamps is far above the\u00a0national average, each topping 20%. It\u2019s\u00a0a troubling sign\u00a0for sure, and points to an imbalance where not enough people have access to the resources that can help them live independently and contribute to the economy. 1. Oregon:\u00a0Just over one in five Oregonians is on food stamps (21.1%), for a total of 814,318 people. The state briefly dipped in food stamps usage around 1999, but has been steadily climbing ever since. Its most dramatic increase was from 2010 to 2012, with the line taking more of a spike than a gentle upwards slope.2. New Mexico:\u00a0Between 20.5% to 21% of the state\u2019s citizens are on food stamps, or a grand total of 443,784. This state\u2019s reliance on food stamps has been generally increasing, although the line looks more like a kid\u2019s rollercoaster than one straight line up. After an up-down-up curve from 1990 to 1997, there was a small, sharp decrease in 1998. But since then, New Mexico\u2019s been gradually climbing up, sharing a similar 2008 to 2011 spike as Oregon.3. Louisiana:\u00a0Almost one million Louisianans (917,053) are on food stamps, or 20% of the state\u2019s population. Their upward growth resembles a bad EKG scree, showing small spikes on a regular basis with two\u00a0huge\u00a0ones in 2006 and 2009.4. Mississippi:\u00a0There seemed to be good news in this southern state from 1990 to 2005, as food stamps usage went primarily down, with the exception of a gentle rise from 2000 to 2005 (although 2005 was still lower than 1990). But once Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Mississippi took a gigantic spike upwards that year and has been climbing ever since. It now sits at 22%, or 667,267.5. Tennessee:\u00a0The lowest food stamps usage has been was in 2000, when around 8% of the state\u2019s population were recipients. While it\u2019s avoided any big, one-time increases and drops in numbers, usage has been going up since 2000 except for a gentle lull in 2008. Right now, 21% of Tennesseans are on food stamps, or 1,350,184 people. LowestSomething\u2019s going really well in each of these four states, with the total food stamps usage in the single figures. Some of the reasons have to do with the local economy, some have to do with their being relatively more self-sustainable than other states, and some have to do with low populations. 1. Utah:\u00a0There are only 244,726 people on food stamps here, or 9% of the state\u2019s population. It hasn\u2019t strayed over the double-digit line at all, and has only climbed to its high of 9% because of the recession in 2008.2. Wyoming:\u00a0This really low-density state \u2014 and also low-populated \u2014 has only 37,965 people on food stamps for a total of 7%. Wyoming is one of the rare states that\u2019s rich in resources and can manage fairly well on its own with too much help from the federal government, which is a big reason for staying in the single digits when it comes to food stamps.3. North Dakota:\u00a0This border state has a meager 8% of its population on food stamps, which comes out to a scant 55,721. They also weathered the recession really well, rising to a high of about 9% and being one of the few states to actually lower its numbers in the last few years.4. New Hampshire:\u00a0New England boasts fairly low numbers when it comes to food stamps usage, but none can beat this tiny coastal state where only 9% of its population (116,098) are on food stamps. From 1998 to 2004, they just about eradicated food stamps entirely, but have crept up steadily since then with the biggest increase coming between 2008 to 2010. Dishonourable MentionsThe following five states have seen their food stamps usage\u00a0double\u00a0since 2008: NevadaUtahIdahoFloridaRhode Island "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Article","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/\/Article\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"ID","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/\/Article\/\/ID\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"162","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/\/Article\/\/ID\/\/162\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"What is Food Stamps Usage Like Across the Country?","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Articles\/Article\/ID\/162\/what-is-food-stamps-usage-like-across-the-country#breadcrumbitem"}]}]