Rates of Participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Vary by State

Contact: Cheryl Pedersen, (609) 275-2258

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 2, 2009)— A new policy brief from Mathematica Policy Research detailing participation rates for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, shows that, overall, 66 percent of all eligible people and 56 percent of the eligible working poor participated in SNAP in 2007. The participation rate—the percentage of the eligible population that participates in the program—is a widely used standard for assessing how well the program reaches its target population.

Mathematica’s study shows that state rates vary widely. Some states, like Maine, Missouri, and Tennessee, have consistently high participation rates, while others, like California, Colorado, and Wyoming, have consistently low participation rates. Regionally, the Western Region’s participation rate of 56 percent was significantly lower than the rates for all other regions. The Midwest Region had the highest participation rate in 2007—77 percent—significantly higher than the rates for all other regions.

“Reaching Those in Need: State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2007,” by Karen E. Cunnyngham and Laura A. Castner, is available at www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/redirect_pubsdb.asp?strSite=pdfs/nutrition/fns07rates.pdf. Call Publications at (609) 275-2350 for printed copies.

Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan research firm, provides a full range of research and data collection services, including program evaluation and policy research, survey design and data collection, research assessment and interpretation, and  program performance/data management, to improve public well-being. Its clients include federal and state governments, foundations, and private-sector and international organizations. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, N.J., Ann Arbor, Mich., Cambridge, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Oakland, Calif., and Washington, D.C., has conducted some of the most important studies of nutrition, health care, education, family support, employment, and early childhood policies and programs.