This post is an update to previous posts concerning food stamps. The program is officially called “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” or SNAP. As stated on the SNAP website, “As of Oct. 1, 2008, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program.”
The data was last updated April 29, 2011, reflecting February 2011 levels.
Here is a table showing various monthly statistics with regard to National Level participation and costs going back to FY2008. As seen in this table, the number of people participating as of February 2011 is 44,199,391, up 11.64% from year-ago (February 2010) levels. As a reference point, the figure as of June 2009 (the official end of the recession as defined by the NBER) was 34,882,031. Longer-term annual data is also available.
As I wrote in the April 12, 2010 post, “Of course, what is particularly disconcerting is not only the extent of participation in these programs, but the fact that this is yet another notable statistic that is getting worse well after the purported end of the recession.”
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The Special Note summarizes my overall thoughts about our economic situation
SPX at 1347.32 as this post is written