National WIC Eligibility and Participation, 2007-2018

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Hover over data points to see the number of eligibles for each year

Number
Eligible Number of
Participants Coverage
Rate Eligibility
Rate
Infants 1-year-old children 2-year-old children 3-year-old children 4-year-old children Pregnant
women Postpartum
women All
eligible Download data

Sources: 2008-2019 Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC) for US estimate, 2007-2018 Puerto Rico Community Survey and census for territories, WIC administrative data, and WIC participant and program characteristics report.
Note on years: Because of processing changes to the 2019 CPS-ASEC used to produce the 2018 estimates, the 2018 WIC eligibility estimates are not completely consistent with estimates based on data using the earlier processing system. To create a clearer picture of recent trends in WIC eligibility, the historical 2016 and 2017 estimates were updated using alternate versions of the 2017 and 2018 CPS-ASEC files the U.S. Census Bureau had created to test the new processing procedures. The 2016 and 2017 estimates in this graphics will not match estimates in previous versions of this graphics series. The point in time that the estimates begin to use data based on the newer processing system is shown in this graphic by the dotted line between 2015 and 2016.
Definitions: All estimates are in average monthly terms. State-level estimates of eligibility and coverage rates are subject to greater statistical uncertainty than national-level estimates, and some apparent year-to-year changes may be due entirely to sampling variability, especially in smaller states. See chapter 6 of the full report for more information on measures of statistical uncertainty for the eligibility estimates.

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Hover over data points to see total US population, click on data points to see eligibility and coverage rates

Infants 1-year-old children 2-year-old children 3-year-old children 4-year-old children Pregnant
women Postpartum
women All Download data

Sources: 2008-2019 Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC) for US estimate, 2007-2018 Puerto Rico Community Survey and census for territories, WIC administrative data, and WIC participant and program characteristics report.
Note on years: Because of processing changes to the 2019 CPS-ASEC used to produce the 2018 estimates, the 2018 WIC eligibility estimates are not completely consistent with estimates based on data using the earlier processing system. To create a clearer picture of recent trends in WIC eligibility, the historical 2016 and 2017 estimates were updated using alternate versions of the 2017 and 2018 CPS-ASEC files the U.S. Census Bureau had created to test the new processing procedures. The 2016 and 2017 estimates in this graphics will not match estimates in previous versions of this graphics series. The point in time that the estimates begin to use data based on the newer processing system is shown in this graphic by the dotted line between 2015 and 2016.
Definitions: All estimates are in average monthly terms. State-level estimates of eligibility and coverage rates are subject to greater statistical uncertainty than national-level estimates, and some apparent year-to-year changes may be due entirely to sampling variability, especially in smaller states. See chapter 6 of the full report for more information on measures of statistical uncertainty for the eligibility estimates.