On SNAP (food stamp) adequacy along the rural-urban continuum: 4 of 5 counties hurting most are nonmetro

The Urban Institute has released a study of the efficacy of the increased SNAP benefit, which rose in August, 2021. The title is "Persistent Gaps in SNAP Benefit Adequacy across the Rural-Urban Continuum." Here's a summary of the findings by Olivia Fiol, Elaine Waxman, and Craig Gunderson:  

In August 2021, the USDA announced a landmark development in the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), changing the way benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are determined for more than 42 million people. The TFP represents the federal government’s assessment of a minimal-cost, nutritionally adequate diet and serves as the basis for determining SNAP benefits. On October 1, 2021, the value of the maximum SNAP benefit increased 21 percent, and the TFP will be reevaluated every five years. This increase in maximum SNAP benefits exceeds even the temporary 15 percent increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Before the temporary increase during the pandemic, the maximum SNAP benefit did not cover the cost of a meal in 96 percent of US counties (Waxman, Gundersen, and Fiol 2021). After this permanent increase, SNAP benefits fall short of the cost of a meal in only 21 percent of US counties, a dramatic decline. Although this is a very significant improvement, SNAP benefits are still inadequate for many families in both metropolitan (urban) and nonmetropolitan (rural) counties. In fact, counties with the largest remaining gaps between the cost of a meal and the maximum value of SNAP benefits include both the most rural and most urban counties.

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Gaps in SNAP benefits remain largely an urban problem, and policymakers should continue to give these counties attention because of the numbers of SNAP participants in those areas. Nevertheless, some of the largest gaps in benefit adequacy persist in rural areas. This analysis allows us to see that the rural experience varies widely. In fact, after the 21 percent increase in maximum SNAP benefits, four of the top five counties with the largest percent gap in benefits are nonmetropolitan. This indicates that families in areas across the rural-urban continuum, including in rural areas, will continue to struggle with SNAP benefit adequacy.  (emphasis added)

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Although high food prices are often viewed as an urban challenge, this analysis shows that they occur in a variety of geographic locations, including the most rural areas, which are often left out of conversations about benefit adequacy.