Agriculture Series

State SNAP Participation Rates

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• SNAP participation rates are a measure of the percentage of people who are estimated to be eligible to receive SNAP benefits but do not claim them.
• With an overall participation rate of about 78%, this means that approximately 9.3 million eligible individuals in the U.S. are missing out on benefits that they are eligible for.
• Wyoming has the highest percentage of eligible individuals not claiming SNAP benefits, with over half (52%) of benefits left unclaimed.
• Nearly 20% of the national total of unclaimed SNAP benefits is from California alone, equating to around 1.8 million people.
• States like New Mexico, Oregon, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Pennsylvania show very high participation rates, calculated at 100%. While this doesn’t necessarily mean every eligible person received benefits, it does indicate these states have significantly higher participation compared to the rest of the country.
• More information on how USDA calculates participation rates can be found here: Reaching Those in Need: Estimates of State SNAP Participation Rates in 2020 | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)

Rural Communities

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• The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) classifies U.S. counties into different economic typologies based on the primary economic activities that dominate those counties.
• Recreation-dependent rural counties outpaced others in 2022 across all key economic indicators, including poverty rates, unemployment rates, and population change.
• Recreation-dependent counties saw the most significant population increase, with a 1.56% average growth between 2020 and 2022, largely driven by migration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In contrast, nearly 40% of government-dependent counties experienced high poverty rates, with an average of 17.50%, the highest among all rural county types.
• Mining-dependent counties saw a population decline of -0.92% on average, indicating economic challenges compared to other rural county types.

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Agricultural Trade Deficit

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• 2023 marks the first time in over 10 years that the U.S. is in an agricultural trade deficit, meaning we are importing more agricultural goods than we are exporting.
• U.S. agricultural imports have steadily increased over the past decade, driven significantly by consumer demand for year-round produce.
• Horticultural products, including fruits, vegetables, spirits, and tree nuts, have been the primary contributors to this rise, accounting for 62% of the increase in agricultural imports since 2013.
• The growing reliance on imported horticultural products suggests shifts in domestic agricultural production and supply chain strategies to meet year-round demand.
• More information about U.S. agricultural trade data can be found here: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/foreign-agricultural-trade-of-the-united-states-fatus/u-s-agricultural-trade-data-update/.

Farmer Demographics

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• The percentage of U.S. farmers over the age of 65 has increased, with nearly 40% of farmers now in this age group, highlighting the ongoing trend of an aging agricultural workforce.
• The total number of farmers has slightly declined from 3.40 million in 2017 to 3.37 million in 2022.
• The average age of farmers has increased slightly, from 57.5 years in 2017 to 58.1 years in 2022, underscoring the difficulty in attracting younger individuals to the profession.
• Despite numerous USDA initiatives aimed at supporting young and beginning farmers, including financial assistance and educational programs, the number of farmers under 35 has only seen a modest increase of 3.7% over the past five years.
• There has been a significant 9.9% decrease in farmers aged 55 to 64, suggesting that as farmers age, fewer individuals in this age bracket are remaining in or entering the profession.