Bismarck, N.D. (AP) The number of North Dakotans using food stamps to buy groceries has dropped just over 2 percent, even as the state's population has risen to an all-time high.
Data show North Dakota had 52,862 people who used food stamps for the fiscal year that ended in October. That's down from 54,025 for the same period one year ago.
Arlene Dura is the director of the state's food assistance program. She says the decrease in the number of people using food stamps in North Dakota is a result of the state's strong economy.
Dura says about 38 percent of people who received food stamps in the state last year were employed.