Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2007
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No.: FNS-03-030-TMN / 43-3198-3-3724 MPR Reference No.: 6044-511 Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2007 Final Report September 2008 Kari Wolkwitz Joshua Leftin Submitted to: Submitted by: U.S. Department of Agriculture Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Food and Nutrition Service 600 Maryland Avenue, SW 3101 Park Center Drive Suite 550 Room 1014 Washington, DC 20024-2512 Alexandria, VA 22302 Project Officer: Project Director: Jenny Genser Carole Trippe The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communications of program information (Braille, large point, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. This report was prepared by Kari Wolkwitz and Joshua Leftin of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research, Nutrition, and Analysis. Many individuals made important contributions to the report. The authors thank Carole Trippe, Karen Cunnyngham, Jacqueline Kauff, and Joel Smith for providing guidance and reviewing the report; Daisy Ewell and Katherine Bencio for providing programming support; and Jackie McGee for preparing the manuscript. The authors also thank Jenny Genser, Steven Carlson, Bob Dalrymple, Michael DePiro, Art Foley, Kristen Hyatt, Carol Olander, and Celeste Perkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service for providing guidance and program information. Authors: Kari Wolkwitz and Joshua Leftin MPR Project Director: Carole Trippe MPR Project Number: 6044-511 FNS Project Officer: Jenny Genser FNS Contract Number: FNS-03-030-TMN / 43-3198-3-3724 September 2008 iii This page has been intentionally left blank for double-sided copying. CONTENTS Chapter Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................... xv 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM.................................. 3 PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ............................................... 3 The Household............................................................................................. 3 Categorical Eligibility.................................................................................. 4 Income Eligibility Standards........................................................................ 4 Resources ..................................................................................................... 6 Nonfinancial Eligibility Standards............................................................... 6 APPLICATION PROCEDURES...................................................................... 8 BENEFIT COMPUTATION............................................................................. 8 MFIP and SSI-CAP Households.................................................................. 9 FSP BENEFIT ISSUANCE............................................................................... 9 PROGRAM CHANGES SINCE THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR ............... 10 FSP PARTICIPATION AND COSTS............................................................... 10 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF FSP HOUSEHOLDS AND PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................... 13 THE POVERTY STATUS OF FSP HOUSEHOLDS....................................... 14 HOUSEHOLDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ...................................................... 14 Households with Children............................................................................ 17 Households with Elderly People.................................................................. 17 Households with Disabled Nonelderly People ............................................ 20 Other Households Served by the FSP.......................................................... 20 Single-Person Households........................................................................... 21 CHARACTERISTICS OF FSP PARTICIPANTS ............................................ 21 v CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 3 (continued) CHANGES IN THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF FSP HOUSEHOLDS................................................................................................. 21 ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS ................................................................................... 25 APPENDIX A: DETAILED TABLES OF FSP HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS....................................................................... 31 APPENDIX B: DETAILED TABLES OF FSP HOUSEHOLDS BY STATE ........................................................................................ 63 APPENDIX C: FISCAL YEAR 2007 FSP PARAMETERS AND MAXIMUM BENEFIT AMOUNTS ...................................................................... 81 APPENDIX D: SOURCE AND RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES........................... 89 APPENDIX E: SAMPLING ERROR OF ESTIMATES ........................................... 97 APPENDIX F: DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT ......................................... 107 APPENDIX G: PREVIOUS REPORTS IN THIS SERIES..................................... .113 INDEX ...............................................................................................................................117 . vi TABLES Text Tables Page 2.1 Major Economic Indicators, Calendar Years 1994–2007.................................... 12 3.1 Distribution of Households and Their Benefits by Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline, Fiscal Year 2007 ............................................ 15 3.2 Effect of FSP Benefits on the Poverty Status of FSP Households, Fiscal Year 2007............................................................................................................. 16 3.3 Household Composition and Selected Characteristics of Participating Households, Fiscal Year 2007 ............................................................................. 18 3.4 Average Values of Selected Characteristics by Household Composition, Fiscal Year 2007 .................................................................................................. 19 3.5 FSP Benefits of Participants by Selected Demographic Characteristics, Fiscal Year 2007 .................................................................................................. 22 3.6 Nominal and Real Values of Selected Characteristics, Fiscal Year 2006 and Fiscal Year 2007 ........................................................................................... 23 APPENDIX A TABLES Summary Characteristics A-1 Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits by Household Composition, Locality, Countable Income Source, and FSP Benefit Amount..................................................................................................... 33 A-2 Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Total Deduction, Countable Resources, FSP Benefit, Household Size, and Certification Period of Participating Households by Household Composition, Locality, Countable Income Source, and FSP Benefit Amount ............................................................ 34 Income, Poverty Status, and Resources A-3 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Amount of Gross and Net Countable Income, Countable Resources, and Gross and Net Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline..................................... 35 vii TABLES (continued) APPENDIX A TABLES (continued) Page A-4 Distribution of Participating Households by Household Size and Amount of Countable Gross and Net Income, Resources, and Gross and Net Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline ...................................................... 36 A-5 Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Average Gross and Net Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline, Average Countable Resources, and Average Monthly Benefit of Participating Households by Household Composition and Size ................................................ 37 A-6 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Type of Countable Income................................................................................................................... 38 A-7 Average Income, Total Deduction, FSP Benefit, and Household Size of Participating Households by Type of Countable Income ..................................... 39 A-8 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Countable Earned and Unearned Income Amounts............................................................................ 40 FSP Deductions A-9 Distribution of Participating Households by Type of Deduction