This report provides a comprehensive picture of individuals’ patterns of participation in the Food Stamp Program during 2001-2003, a period of steady caseload growth. Based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the research explores reasons that individuals enter and leave the FSP, how long they stay on the program, whether they return to the program after exiting, and what factors distinguish those who make greater use of the FSP than others. The research also examines whether participation patterns in 2001-2003 changed from patterns in the 1990s.

This report – the latest in an annual series – presents estimates of the percentage of eligible persons, by state, who participated in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) in an average month in fiscal year 2005 and in the 2 previous fiscal years. This report also presents estimates of state participation rates for eligible “working poor” individuals (persons in households with earnings) over the same period. 

This report is the latest in a series on food stamp participation rates based on the March Current Population Survey, and presents national participation rates for fiscal year 2005.

In this report we discuss our progress in deriving state participation rates for the working poor. We build upon recent studies examining national participation rates for socioeconomic and demographic subgroups and rates for states among the entire eligible population.

This report presents estimated participation rates for 2002 and revised estimates of rates for 1999, 2000, and 2001.

This report is the latest in a series of publications presenting estimates of the percentage of eligible persons, by state, who participate in the Food Stamp Program. This issue presents food stamp participation rates for states in an average month in fiscal year 2001 and for the two previous fiscal years. These estimates differ slightly from those reported last year because of the change in the reference period from the month of September to the average month across the fiscal year, and improvements in data and methods.