As inflation continues to erode spending power for families across the United States, it’s likely that a growing number of households will seek help via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as food stamps. In 2020, 11.4 percent of all U.S. households received help buying food; a Social Explorer analysis of 2016-20 American Community Survey data finds 6.2 percent of those households – more than half — made more than the federal poverty limit.

The largest share of households above the poverty line and receiving food stamps were located mostly in rural areas and Alaska. Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, had the greatest percentage of households above the poverty line that received food stamp benefits at 24.4 percent. It was followed by Bethel Census Area, Alaska (21.4 percent), Kenedy County, Texas (20.9 percent), Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska (20.6 percent), and Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska (19.4 percent).

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Income in the Past 12 Months at or Above the Poverty Level, 2020. Click here to explore further.

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Author: Frank Bass