Dubuque Times

Dubuque County saw a 3.6 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Dubuque Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 8,890 recipients (4,267 households) in Dubuque County participated in the Program compared to 9,224 recipients (4,356 households) in 2020.

Overall, $16,898,587 in food assistance payments were allocated to Dubuque County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $12,345,005 was allocated for Dubuque County program participants.

Qualified recipients in the Program are eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which then can be used to buy groceries. The Program is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's larger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of Food Assistance Program Participants in Dubuque County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	10,868
2013	11,221
2014	11,147
2015	10,984
2016	10,798
2017	10,440
2018	9,647
2019	9,224
2020	8,890
2021	8,155