Iowa City Today

Johnson County saw a 1.8 percent increase in the number of households participating in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Johnson County Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 4,920 households (10,208 residents) in Johnson County participated in the Program compared to 4,832 households (10,202 residents) in 2020.

Overall, $19,665,591 in food assistance payments were allocated to Johnson County households in 2021.

In 2020, $13,857,764 was allocated for Johnson County households in the Program.

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.

Johnson County Households Participating in Iowa's Food Assistance Program 2020-2021

Year	Number of households
2012	5,828
2013	5,914
2014	5,487
2015	5,264
2016	5,158
2017	5,102
2018	4,997
2019	4,832
2020	4,920
2021	4,634