This report presents the latest trends in Food Stamp Program participation rates. It adds one more year of information, 1995, to the series of reports on FSP participation rates based on March Current Population Survey data for eligibles and FSP administrative data for participants. Participation rates are calculated as the percentage of the total eligible population that participate in the FSP.
The fiscal year 1997 Supplemental Appropriations Act gave states the option of purchasing federal food stamps for use in state-funded food assistance programs that provide nutrition assistance to legal immigrants and childless, able-bodied adults ineligible for the Food Stamp Program because of the three-month food stamp time limit.
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.