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Political Explorer: Counties with largest increases in food stamps since 2010 went for Trump in 2020
FRIDAY, AUG 02, 2024
Almost 4 of every 5 U.S. counties that have seen an increase in the percentage of households receiving food stamps since 2010 are in places that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, according to a Political Explorer analysis.
Among the 3,131 U.S. counties analyzed, 2,021 reported an increase in households receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. Only 1,107 counties reported a decline in the percentage of households that needed help putting food on the table.
Statistically speaking, Trump-leaning counties were more likely to be heavier users of food stamps since Trump won more counties in total numbers in the 2020 election – 2,585 compared to Biden’s 546 – despite losing both the popular vote and Electoral College votes, since counties that Biden carried were far more populous on average.
Despite his disproportionate support from counties relying more heavily on food stamps, however, Trump still sought to cut as many as 700,000 Americans from receiving the benefits. His plan was blocked by a federal court, and the Biden administration dropped an appeal of the decision shortly after taking office in 2021.
Among the 2,021 counties registering an increase in food stamp use, 78.7 percent favored Trump and only 21.3 percent cast a majority of votes for President Biden, highlighting the disproportionate reliance on food stamps among Republican-leaning counties. Among the 1,107 counties reporting a decrease, 78.9 percent voted for the Republican, while 10.5 percent went for Biden.
While the bulk of counties across the US showing increases between 2010 and 2022 heavily favored Trump, the counties with the largest increases were more evenly divided between the candidates, including:
● Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska (+23.5 percent, Biden)
● Randolph County, Ga. (+23.2 percent, Biden)
● Esmeralda County, Nev. (+22.7 percent, Trump)
● Liberty County, Fla. (+21.6 percent, Trump)
● San Miguel County, N.M. (+18.5 percent, Biden).
Counties registering the largest decreases over the same period were
● La Salle County, Texas (-20.1 percent, Trump)
● Camas County, Idaho (-15.4 percent, Trump)
● Elliott County, Ky. (-14.1 percent, Trump)
● Martin County, Ky. (-14 percent, Trump)
● Lincoln County, Ark. (-13.1 percent, Trump).
Although the trend clearly points to an increasing reliance on food stamps among Republican-leaning counties, it should be noted that Trump won far more counties than Biden, despite losing both the popular and Electoral College votes. It’s also important to note, however, that the trend of increased food stamp use in Republican-leaning counties has been occurring for more than a decade and was even an issue in the 2012 presidential election, when GOP nominee Mitt Romney argued that he was unlikely to prevail among 47 percent of voters because of their reliance on government benefits
