As U.S. home prices reach historic highs and proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) are underway, the health of some rural residents living on low incomes is becoming a cause for concern. Meeting nutritional needs is already a challenge in many rural areas, which tend to have higher food prices, less variety, and lower quality fresh meat and produce.  How will changes to food assistance alongside rising housing costs impact the health of rural communities?

While housing insecurity and food insecurity are often discussed separately, they are deeply connected. When housing costs rise, some rural residents with limited incomes are forced to cut back on food spending to make ends meet. In rural areas, this trade-off is even harder because healthy, affordable food is often less available and/or harder to access.

This tradeoff is more common among lower-income rural households facing tighter budget constraints. Figure 1 shows that, nationally, for households with annual income below $35,000, housing stress (household spending roughly a third of their income on housing) ranges from 68 to 96%.

This high housing stress among low-income households is prevalent across most regions of the U.S., except in a few low-cost-of-living pockets such as the Midwest, Appalachia, and the Delta region (Figure 2). For lower-income households, housing stress is almost unavoidable, which leaves them to make tough choices between shelter, nutrition, and other necessities.

Health Impacts of Some Rural Residents Choosing Shelter Over Nutrition

In a study by the Rural Livability Project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a national pattern shows that housing stress negatively affects rural health in high-poverty rural places, with higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease. When rural residents face dual stress, the two constraints–housing financial stress and food insecurity–amplify each other’s negative effects on health (Figure 3).

Interviews with rural residents in Wisconsin reveal how these trade-offs play out in everyday life and potential long-term health implications. Many residents described prioritizing rent or mortgage payments first, often at the expense of their diet.

Read the full article about rural residents trading nutrition for shelter by Erin Gaede, Yang Cheng, and Tessa Conroy at The Daily Yonder.