Friday, November 4, 2011

SNAP Program: $68 Billion in 2010

Federal spending for USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reached $68.2 billion in fiscal year 2010, and an average of 40.3 million people per month participated, the largest number of participants ever.

ERS has added 2008 participation counts and 2009 benefit amounts to its historical State and county-level data file and interactive maps, allowing analysis of program growth over time or of geographic variation in program reach. For example, in about half of all U.S. counties, total SNAP benefits issued in 2009 exceeded $5 million, up from about 40 percent of counties in 2008.

source