Since it began more than 50 years ago, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has provided nutrition assistance to millions of low-income individuals and families nationwide. Mathematica Policy Research has studied nutrition policies and programs for more than two decades and, with funding from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), recently completed the largest-ever survey of SNAP participants on the topic of food security (defined as reliable access to enough food to lead a healthy, active life). We put these findings into context in our new interactive tool, which provides an overview of SNAP, the results of our study, and SNAP participation and eligibility rates by state. Navigate through each module by clicking on a circle below. (This tool is best viewed in IE10+, Chrome, or Mozilla.)
Sources
Methodology
The participation estimates presented here were derived using shrinkage estimation.
Drawing on data from the Current Population Survey, the American Community Survey, and administrative records, the shrinkage estimator was used to find the average of
(1) direct sample estimates of participation rates and (2) predictions from a regression model.
We obtained the other sample estimates by applying SNAP eligibility rules to households in the Current Population Survey to estimate the number of eligible people.
The estimates for all eligible people include individuals in households (1) that pass all applicable federal SNAP tests regarding income and assets or (2) in which all members receive cash public assistance. Our estimates do not include people eligible solely through state categorical eligibility policies.
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