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Reaching Rural Students with School Breakfast: Strategies for Increasing Participation

Learn strategies to increase rural school breakfast participation, such as serving breakfast at no charge to students, implementing breakfast after the bell, and partnering with local farmers. Passcode: SBrural1118

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Check Out These Fact Sheets on Rural Hunger

Millions of working families, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, and children in rural communities cannot always afford and access enough food for an active, healthy life.

Quick Facts

  • Paradoxically, in rural areas that grow most of our nation’s food, households face considerably deeper struggles with hunger than those in metropolitan areas.
  • 12.1% of rural households faced food insecurity in 2020, compared to 10.3% of households in metropolitan areas.
  • Food insecurity is linked to a wide range of negative health outcomes, and rural Americans are at higher risk for poor health outcomes than their urban counterparts.
  • SNAP participation nationally was highest among households in rural (16 percent) and small town (15 percent) counties compared to households in metro counties (13 percent) (American Community Survey 2016 five-year estimates – 2012–2016).
  • Rural residents who are eligible for SNAP often miss out on benefits because they lack information and disproportionately lack access to apply and recertify for benefits.

Interactive Data Tool

SNAP Map by County
This interactive mapping tool provides household participation rates for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), by county in each state. Each county is grouped into one of three census categories: Metro, Small Town, and Rural.