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Food
Stamp Program Participation Rates:
January 1994
SUMMARY
This
report, part of the Food and Consumer
Service’s series "Current
Perspectives on Food Stamp Program
Participation," presents the latest
participation rates for the Food Stamp
Program (FSP). The participation rate --
the proportion of those eligible for
food stamps who actually apply for and
receive benefits -- is a valuable policy
tool that shows whether the program is
reaching the intended population and
which groups of the eligible population
participate at higher or lower rates
than other groups. Estimates of rates
are based on Survey of Income and
Program Participation (SIPP) data for
eligibles and FSP administrative data
for participants.
The
current report shows that in January
1994, rates remained at or near their
highest point since the beginning of the
series in 1985. Between January 1992 and
January 1994, the FSP participation rate
for eligible households held steady at
69 percent. Participating households
received 81 percent of total potential
food stamp benefits in January 1994,
similar to the 82 percent in January
1992. Although the overall household
participation rate did not change, the
participation rate for one-person
households increased while the rate for
larger households fell. Consequently,
the person participation rate declined
slightly, from 74 percent in 1992 to 71
percent in 1994.
Other
findings include:
Almost
all eligible children participated, but
only one in three eligible elderly
persons participated. The FSP served
almost every eligible child under the
age of 5 (93 percent) and most children
under age 18 (80 percent), but it served
only 35 percent of eligible elderly.
African
Americans participated at higher rates
than other racial/ethnic groups.
Eligible households headed by African
Americans were more likely to
participate (94 percent) than households
headed by Hispanics (63 percent) or
white non-Hispanics (60 percent).
Single-parent
households participated at a higher rate
than other types of households.
Households containing a single parent
with children were more likely to
participate (97 percent) than households
containing multiple adults and children
(73 percent).
The
lower the income, the higher the
participation rate. The FSP
participation rate for households with
monthly income below the poverty line
was 87 percent, compared to 21 percent
for households with income above the
poverty line.
The
higher the benefit, the higher the
participation rate. Only 23 percent
of households eligible for the minimum
benefit of $10 participated, compared
with 89 percent of those eligible for
more than $150.
Households
receiving AFDC were more likely to
participate than those with earnings or
unemployment compensation.
Among
the 29 percent of all eligible
individuals who did not participate,
most were elderly persons, lived in
households headed by a white
non-Hispanic, lived in households with
income above the poverty line, and/or
were in households eligible for the
lowest benefits. Over half of
eligible nonparticipating households had
earned income, compared with only 21
percent of participating households.
Last modified:
02/17/2012
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