The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 specifies that the annual welfare indicators reports shall include analyses of families and individuals receiving assistance under three means-tested benefit programs: the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program authorized under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (replaced with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996), the Food Stamp Program under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, as amended, and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program under title XVI of the Social Security Act. This chapter includes information on these three programs, derived primarily from administrative data reported by state and federal agencies instead of the national survey data presented in previous chapters. National caseloads and expenditure trend information on each of the three programs is included, as well as state-by-state trend tables on each program and information on the characteristics of participants in each program.
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Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
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Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was established by the Social Security Act of 1935 as a grant program to enable states to provide cash welfare payments for needy children who had been deprived of parental support or care because their father or mother is absent from the home, incapacitated, deceased, or unemployed. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands operated an AFDC program. States defined “need,” set their own benefit levels, established (within federal limitations) income and resource limits, and administered the program or supervised its administration. States were entitled to unlimited federal funds for reimbursement of benefit payments, at “matching” rates which were inversely related to state per capita income. States were required to provide aid to all persons who were in classes eligible under federal law and whose income and resources were within state-set limits.
During the 1990s, the federal government increasingly used its authority under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act to waive portions of the federal requirements under AFDC. This allowed states to test such changes as expanded earned income disregards, increased work requirements and stronger sanctions for failure to comply with them, time limits on benefits, and expanded access to transitional benefits such as child care and medical assistance. As a condition of receiving waivers, states were required to conduct rigorous evaluations of the impacts of these changes on the welfare receipt, employment, and earnings of participants.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) replaced AFDC, the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program and the Emergency Assistance (EA) program with a cash welfare block grant called the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Key elements of TANF include a lifetime limit of five years (60 months) on the amount of time a family with an adult can receive assistance funded with federal funds, increasing work participation rate requirements which states must meet, and broad state flexibility on program design. Spending through the TANF block grant is capped and funded at $16.4 billion per year, slightly above fiscal year 1995 federal expenditures for the four component programs. States must also meet a “maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement” by spending on needy families at least 75 percent of the amount of state funds used in FY 1994 on these programs (80 percent if they fail work participation rate requirements).
TANF gives states wide latitude in spending both Federal TANF funds and state MOE funds. Subject to a few restrictions, TANF funds may be used in any way that supports one of the four statutory purposes of TANF: to provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for at home; to end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage; to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
Data Issues Relating to the AFDC-TANF Transition
States had the option of beginning their TANF programs as soon as PRWORA was enacted in August 1996, and a few states began TANF programs as early as September 1996. All states were required to implement TANF by July 1, 1997. Because states implemented TANF at different times, the FY 1997 data reflects a combination of the AFDC and TANF programs. In some states, limited data are available for FY 1997 because states were given a transition period of six months after they implemented TANF before they were required to report data on the characteristics and work activities of TANF participants.
Because of the greatly expanded range of activities allowed under TANF, a substantial portion of TANF funds will be spent on activities other than cash payments to families. When tracking overall expenditure trends, the tables in this Appendix (e.g., Table TANF 3) include only those TANF funds spent on “cash and work-based assistance” and “administrative costs,” not on work activities, supportive services, or other allowable uses of funds. Spending on these other activities is detailed in Table TANF 5. Note that TANF administrative costs include funds spent administering all activities, not just cash and work-based assistance. (Administrative costs under AFDC had included a small amount of funds for administering AFDC child care programs; such programs, and the costs of administering them, have now been transferred to the Child Care and Development Fund as part of PRWORA).
There also is potential for discontinuity between the AFDC and the TANF caseload figures. One program change is that there is no longer a separate “Unemployed Parent” program under TANF. While a separate work participation rate is calculated for two-parent families, this population is not identical to the UP caseload under AFDC. Moreover, it is possible that a limited number of families will be considered recipients of TANF assistance, even if they do not receive a monthly cash benefit. At present, the vast majority of families receiving “assistance”[1] are, in fact, receiving cash payments; however, this may change over time.
AFDC/TANF Program Data
The following tables and figures present data on caseloads, expenditures, recipient characteristics of the AFDC and TANF programs. Trends in national caseloads and expenditures are shown in Figure TANF 1 and the first set of tables (Tables TANF 1-6). These are followed by information on characteristics of AFDC/TANF families (Table TANF 7) and a series of tables presenting state-by-state data on trends in the AFDC/TANF program (Tables TANF 8-13). These data complement the data on trends in AFDC recipiency and participation rates shown in Tables IND 4a and IND 5a in Chapter II.
AFDC/TANF Caseload Trends (Figure TANF 1, Tables TANF 1-2). Welfare caseloads have declined dramatically during the past several years. Welfare caseloads peaked at record highs in 1994, when 14.2 million recipients in over 5 million families received AFDC benefits each month. Since then, the welfare caseload has fallen by 8.3 million recipients to 5.8 million recipients in June 2000, a drop of 59 percent. This is the largest welfare caseload decline in history and the smallest number of people on welfare since 1968, and the lowest percentage of the population on welfare since 1965.
As shown in Figure TANF 1, AFDC caseloads generally tended to increase in times of economic recession and decline in times of economic growth. The recent decline, however, has far outstripped that experienced in any previous period.
Several studies have attempted to explain the unprecedented decline in caseloads, and specifically, to disentangle the effects of PRWORA and welfare reform from the simultaneous growth in the U.S. economy. Separating these effects is difficult, because PRWORA was enacted at a time when the economy was expanding dramatically, offering a uniquely conducive environment within which to move many welfare recipients off the rolls and into the labor market. Other policy changes, most notably expansions in the Earned Income Tax credit, add further complexity.
In general, studies have found that both economic conditions and welfare reform policies have played important roles in the recent caseload decline. A review of a dozen studies concluded that roughly 15 to 30 percent of the caseload decline prior to 1996 was attributed by most studies to welfare policies under waivers to the AFDC rules with approximately 30 to 45 percent of the decline explained by economic conditions (Schoeni and Blank, 2000). A study by the Council of Economic Advisors (1999) of the post-PRWORA period finds that just over one-third of caseload decline can be explained by welfare reform policy, while 8 to 10 percent is due to the economy. In addition to general labor market conditions, the effects of economic policy post-1996 (namely increases in the minimum wage) explain another 10 to 16 percent of the caseload drop. In both periods, a large portion of the welfare decline is not explained by the examined variables. Possible factors that could account for this additional decline include the expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and changing cultural perceptions of welfare receipt.
Recent studies using different modeling techniques and a wider range of outcomes find that the economy may be even more important in the post-1996 period than previously thought. For example, one study finds that while TANF does have a very strong effect on post-1996 caseload decreases, the economy has a stronger effect than does TANF on trends in work, hours and earnings during the same period.
The full effect of a robust economy is difficult to capture, partly because most econometric models cannot measure the true interaction between welfare reform and concurrent economic conditions. The existing models also do not measure precisely the separate effects of additional policy enhancements to make work pay -- such as expansions in EITC, SCHIP/Medicaid, child care, transportation and housing subsidies -- which have occurred over the same period.
AFDC/TANF Expenditures (Tables TANF 3-6 and Figure TANF 2). Tables TANF 3, 4 and 5 show trends in expenditures on AFDC and TANF. Table TANF 3 tracks both programs, breaking out the costs of benefits and administrative expenses. It also shows the division between federal and state spending. Table TANF 4 breaks out the benefits paid under the single parent or “basic” program and the Unemployed Parent (UP) program, and also nets out the value of child support collected on behalf of recipient children, but retained by the state to reimburse welfare expenditures. This table presents data through 1996 only, because the TANF data reporting requirements do not require that caseload data be separated into “basic” and “UP” components. Table TANF 5 shows the variety of activities funded under the TANF program.
Figure TANF 2 and Table TANF 6 shows that inflation has had a significant effect in eroding the value of the average monthly AFDC/TANF benefit. In real dollars, the average monthly benefit per recipient in 1998 was only 65 percent of what it was at its peak in the late 1970s. The benefit per person increased in 1999, however, reaching $156 per month. This level was $20 higher than in 1998, but still below the real value of benefits in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.
AFDC/TANF Recipient Characteristics (Table TANF 7). With the dramatic declines in the welfare rolls since the implementation of TANF, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding how the composition of the caseload has changed. Two striking trends are the increases in the proportion of child-only cases and in employment among adult recipients.
One of the most dramatic trends is the recent jump in the proportion of adult recipients who are working. In FY 1999, 28 percent of TANF adult recipients were employed, up from 11 percent in FY 1996 and 7 percent in FY 1990. Similar trends are shown in data on income from earnings. These trends likely reflect positive effects of welfare-to-work programs, the strong economy, and the fact that, with larger earnings disregards, families with earnings do not exit welfare as rapidly. In addition, the increased employment of welfare recipients is consistent with broader trends in labor force participation among mothers with young children. Among single mothers with children under six and family income below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level, for example, the employment rate increased from 35 percent in 1992 to 55 percent in 1999. In addition, employment rates for white, black, and Hispanic women ages 18 to 65 with no more than a high school education were at all-time highs in 1999 (as shown in WORK 2 in Chapter III).
Another dramatic change in the caseload is the increasing fraction of child-only cases. Child only cases have climbed from 11.6 percent of the caseload in FY 1990 to 29.1 percent in FY 1999. This dramatic growth has been due to both the overall decline in the number of adult-present cases as well as an increase in the number of child-only cases. Child-only cases are generally not subject to the work requirements or time limits under TANF.
In other areas, the administrative data show fewer changes in composition than might have been expected. There has been widespread anecdotal evidence that the most job ready recipients -- those with the fewest barriers to employment -- have already exited the welfare caseload and have stopped coming onto the welfare rolls, leaving a more disadvantaged population remaining. However, as the expectations for welfare recipients have increased, and fewer recipients are totally exempted from work requirements, others have speculated that the most disadvantaged recipients may also have been sanctioned off the rolls or terminated for failure to comply with administrative requirements. In fact, analyses of program data have not found much evidence of an increase or decline in readily observed barriers to employment in the current caseload.
The question of whether the caseload has become more disadvantaged cannot be answered simply through administrative data provided by the states, which do not contain detailed information on such barriers to employment as lack of basic skills, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and disabilities. A few recent studies have found very high levels of these barriers among the TANF population. These studies have also found that the effects of these barriers are interactive; while any one barrier to employment can often be overcome, the more barriers a recipient faces, the less likely she is to find a job and maintain consistent employment over a period of time.
AFDC/TANF State-by-State Trends (Tables TANF 8-14). There is a great deal of state-to-state variation in the trends discussed above. For example, as shown in Table TANF 10, while every state has experienced a caseload decline since 1993, the percentage change between the state’s caseload peak and June 2000 ranges from 92 percent (Wyoming) to 29 percent (Rhode Island). Seven states have experienced caseload declines of 75 percent or more. Table TANF 10 also shows that states reached their peak caseloads as early as May 1990 (Louisiana) and as late as May 1995 (Maryland).
Figure TANF 1. AFDC/TANF Families Receiving Income Assistance
Note: “Basic families” are single-parent families and “UP families” are two-parent cases receiving benefits under AFDC Unemployed Parent programs that operated in certain states before FY 1991 and in all states after October 1, 1990. The AFDC Basic and UP programs were replaced by TANF as of July 1, 1997 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Shaded areas indicate periods of recession from peak to trough as designated by the National Bureau for Economic Research. The decrease in number of families receiving assistance during the 1981-82 recession stems from changes in eligibility requirements and other policy changes mandated by OBRA 1981. Last data point plotted is June 2000.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation.
Figure TANF 2. Average Monthly AFDC/TANF Benefit per Recipient in Constant Dollars
Note: See Table TANF 6 for underlying data.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Quarterly Public Assistance Statistics, 1992 & 1993, and unpublished data.
Table TANF 1. Trends in AFDC/TANF Caseloads, 1962 – 1999
Average Monthly Number (In thousands) Children as a Percent of Total Recipients Average Number of Children per Family Fiscal Year Total Families 1 Total Recipients Unemployed Parent Families Unemployed Parent Recipients Total Children 1962........... 924 3,593 49 224 2,778 77.3 3.0 1963........... 950 3,834 54 291 2,896 75.5 3.0 1964........... 984 4,059 60 343 3,043 75.0 3.1 1965........... 1,037 4,323 69 400 3,242 75.0 3.1 1966........... 1,074 4,472 62 361 3,369 75.3 3.1 1967........... 1,141 4,718 58 340 3,561 75.5 3.1 1968........... 1,307 5,348 67 377 4,011 75.0 3.1 1969........... 1,538 6,147 66 361 4,591 74.7 3.0 1970........... 1,909 7,429 78 420 5,494 74.0 2.9 1971........... 2,532 9,556 143 726 6,963 72.9 2.8 1972........... 2,918 10,632 134 639 7,698 72.4 2.6 1973........... 3,124 11,038 120 557 7,965 72.2 2.5 1974........... 3,170 10,845 95 434 7,824 72.1 2.5 1975........... 3,357 11,067 101 451 7,928 71.6 2.4 1976........... 3,575 11,339 135 593 8,156 71.9 2.3 1977........... 3,593 11,108 149 659 7,818 70.4 2.2 1978........... 3,539 10,663 128 567 7,475 70.1 2.1 1979........... 3,496 10,311 114 506 7,193 69.8 2.1 1980........... 3,642 10,597 141 612 7,320 69.1 2.0 1981........... 3,871 11,160 209 881 7,615 68.2 2.0 1982........... 3,569 10,431 232 976 6,975 66.9 2.0 1983........... 3,651 10,659 272 1,144 7,051 66.1 1.9 1984........... 3,725 10,866 287 1,222 7,153 65.8 1.9 1985........... 3,692 10,813 261 1,131 7,165 66.3 1.9 1986........... 3,748 10,995 254 1,102 7,300 66.4 1.9 1987........... 3,784 11,065 236 1,035 7,381 66.7 2.0 1988........... 3,748 10,920 210 929 7,325 67.1 2.0 1989........... 3,771 10,935 193 856 7,370 67.4 2.0 1990........... 3,974 11,460 204 899 7,755 67.7 2.0 1991........... 4,374 12,592 268 1,148 8,513 67.6 1.9 1992........... 4,768 13,625 322 1,348 9,226 67.7 1.9 1993........... 4,981 14,143 359 1,489 9,560 67.6 1.9 1994........... 5,046 14,226 363 1,510 9,611 67.6 1.9 1995........... 4,879 13,659 335 1,384 9,280 67.9 1.9 1996........... 4,552 12,644 301 1,241 8,671 68.6 1.9 1997 2 ......... 3,947 10,954 275 3 1,158 3 7,781 3 71.0 3 2.0 3 1998........... 3,179 8,770 179 753 4 6,273 71.5 2.0 1999........... 2,643 7,188 NA NA 5,319 74.0 2.0 1 Includes unemployed parent families.
2 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation act of 1996 repealed the AFDC program as of July 1, 1997 and replaced it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.
3 Based on data from the old AFDC reporting system which was available only for the first 9 months of the fiscal year.
4 Estimated based on the ratio of Unemployed Parent recipients to Unemployed Parent families in 1997.Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, (Available online at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/).
Table TANF 2. Number of AFDC/TANF Recipients, and Recipients as a Percentage of Various population Groups, 1970 – 1999
Calendar 1 Year Total Recipients in the States & DC (in thousands) Child Recipients in the States & DC (in thousands) Recipients as a Percent of Total Population 2 Recipients as a Percent of Poverty Population 3 Recipients as a Percent of Pretransfer Poverty Population 4 Child Recipients as a Percent of Total Child Population 2 Child Recipients as a Percent of Children in Poverty 3 1970........... 8,303 6,104 4.1 32.7 NA 8.8 58.5 1971........... 10,043 7,303 4.9 39.3 NA 10.5 69.2 1972........... 10,736 7,766 5.1 43.9 NA 11.2 75.5 1973........... 10,738 7,763 5.1 46.7 NA 11.3 80.5 1974........... 10,621 7,637 5.0 45.4 NA 11.3 75.2 1975........... 11,131 7,928 5.2 43.0 NA 11.8 71.4 1976........... 11,098 7,850 5.1 44.4 NA 11.8 76.4 1977........... 10,856 7,632 4.9 43.9 NA 11.7 74.2 1978........... 10,387 7,270 4.7 42.4 NA 11.2 73.2 1979........... 10,140 7,057 4.5 38.9 53.1 11.0 68.0 1980........... 10,599 7,295 4.7 36.2 49.2 11.4 63.2 1981........... 10,893 7,397 4.7 34.2 47.1 11.7 59.2 1982........... 10,161 6,767 4.4 29.5 40.6 10.8 49.6 1983........... 10,569 6,967 4.5 29.9 41.9 11.1 50.1 1984........... 10,644 7,017 4.5 31.6 43.6 11.2 52.3 1985........... 10,672 7,073 4.5 32.3 45.0 11.3 54.4 1986........... 10,851 7,206 4.5 33.5 46.6 11.5 56.0 1987........... 10,842 7,240 4.5 33.6 46.7 11.5 55.9 1988........... 10,728 7,201 4.4 33.8 47.7 11.4 57.8 1989........... 10,799 7,286 4.4 34.3 47.6 11.5 57.9 1990........... 11,497 7,781 4.6 34.2 47.1 12.1 57.9 1991........... 12,728 8,601 5.0 35.6 49.1 13.2 60.0 1992........... 13,571 9,189 5.3 35.7 50.8 13.9 60.1 1993........... 14,007 9,460 5.4 35.7 48.5 14.1 60.2 1994........... 13,970 9,448 5.4 36.7 50.0 13.9 61.8 1995........... 13,241 9,013 5.0 36.4 50.1 13.1 61.5 1996........... 12,156 8,355 4.6 33.3 46.4 12.1 57.8 1997........... 10,235 7,3405 3.8 28.8 40.7 10.5 52.0 1998........... 8,250 5,791 3.1 23.9 34.6 8.3 43.0 1999........... 8,250 4,850 2.5 20.9 31.1 6.9 40.1 1 Total recipients are calculated here as the monthly average for the calendar year in order to compare with the calendar year counts of the poverty populations used to compute the recipiency rates. See Table IND 3a for fiscal year recipiency rates.
2 Population numbers used as denominators are resident population. See Current Population Reports, Series P25-1106.
3 For poverty population data see Current Population Reports, Series P60-210 and Resident Population Estimates of the United States by Age and Sex, April 1, 1990 to July 1, 2000, Internet release date January 2, 2001.
4 The pretransfer poverty population used as denominator is the number of all persons in families with related children under 18 years of age whose income (cash income plus social insurance plus Social Security but before taxes and means-tested transfers) falls below the appropriate poverty threshold. See Appendix J, Table 20, 1992 Green Book;data for subsequent years are unpublished Congressional Budget Office tabulations.
5 Average for January through June of 1997.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for children and Families, Office of Family Assistance and U.S. Bureau of the Census, "Poverty in the United States: 1999," Current Population reports, Series P60-210 and earlier years, (Available online at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html).Table TANF 3. Total, Federal, and State AFDC/TANF Expenditures, 1970 – 1999 [In millions of dollars]
Federal Funds
(Current Dollars)State Funds
(Current Dollars)Total
(Current Dollars)Total
(Constant ‘99 Dollars 1 )Fiscal Year Benefits Administrative Benefits Administrative Benefits Administrative Benefits Administrative 1970.............. $2,187 $572 2 $1,895 $309 $4,082 $881 2 $16,722 $3,609 1971.............. 3,008 271 2,469 254 5,477 525 21,480 2,059 1972.............. 3,612 240 3 2,942 241 6,554 481 3 24,821 NA 1973................ 3,865 313 3,138 296 7,003 610 25,473 2,219 1974.............. 4,071 379 3,300 362 7,371 740 24,694 2,479 1975.............. 4,625 552 3,787 529 8,412 1,082 25,686 3,304 1976.............. 5,258 541 4,418 527 9,676 1,069 27,658 3,056 1977.............. 5,626 595 4,762 583 10,388 1,177 27,640 3,132 1978.............. 5,724 631 4,898 617 10,621 1,248 26,513 3,115 1979.............. 5,825 683 4,954 668 10,779 1,350 24,742 3,099 1980.............. 6,448 750 5,508 729 11,956 1,479 24,672 3,052 1981.............. 6,928 835 5,917 814 12,845 1,648 24,103 3,092 1982.............. 6,922 878 5,934 878 12,857 1,756 22,541 3,079 1983.............. 7,332 915 6,275 915 13,607 1,830 22,816 3,069 1984.............. 7,707 876 6,664 822 14,371 1,698 23,114 2,731 1985.............. 7,817 890 6,763 889 14,580 1,779 22,636 2,762 1986.............. 8,239 993 6,996 967 15,235 1,960 23,069 2,968 1987.............. 8,914 1,081 7,409 1,052 16,323 2,133 24,034 3,141 1988.............. 9,125 1,194 7,538 1,159 16,663 2,353 23,570 3,328 1989.............. 9,433 1,211 7,807 1,206 17,240 2,417 23,273 3,263 1990.............. 10,149 1,358 8,390 1,303 18,539 2,661 23,840 3,422 1991.............. 11,165 1,373 9,191 1,300 20,356 2,673 24,918 3,272 1992.............. 12,258 1,459 9,993 1,378 22,250 2,837 26,435 3,371 1993.............. 12,270 1,518 10,016 1,438 22,286 2,956 25,703 3,409 1994.............. 12,512 1,680 10,285 1,621 22,797 3,301 25,614 3,709 1995.............. 12,019 1,770 10,014 1,751 22,032 3,521 24,083 3,849 1996.............. 11,065 1,633 9,346 1,633 20,411 3,266 21,709 3,474 1997 4 ........... 9,746 1,271 7,902 1,128 17,648 2,399 18,278 2,484 1998.............. 7,168 1,125 7,096 1,028 14,264 2,154 14,536 2,195 1999.............. 6,475 1,407 6,975 884 13,449 2,291 13,449 2,291 Note: Benefits do not include emergency assistance payments and have not been reduced by child support collections. Foster care payments are included from 1971 to 1980. Beginning in fiscal year 1984, the cost of certifying AFDC households for food stamps is shown in the food stamp program’s appropriation under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Administrative costs include: Work Program, ADP, FAMIS, Fraud Control, Child Care administration (through 1996), SAVE and other State and local administrative expenditures.
1 Constant dollar adjustments to 1999 level were made using a CPI-U-X1 fiscal year price index.
2 Includes expenditures for services.
3 Administrative expenditures only.
4 The Personal Responsibility and Work opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 repealed the AFDC program as of July1, 1997 and replaced it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)program. Under PRWORA, spending categories are not entirely equivalent to those under AFDC: for example administrative expenses under TANF do not include IV-A child care administration (which accounted for 4 percent of1996 administrative expense).
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Financial Systems.Table TANF 4. Federal and State AFDC Benefit Payments Under the single Parent and Unemployed Parent Programs, Fiscal Years 1970 to1996 [In millions of current and 1996 dollars]
Cash & Work Based Assistance Work Activities Child Care Adminis tration Systems Transitional Services Other Expenditures Total Expenditures Federal TANF Grants 1997 7,708 467 14 872 109 0 862 10,032 1998 7,168 763 252 938 224 6 1,136 10,487 1999 6,475 1,225 604 1,070 337 17 1,595 11,323 State Maintenance of Effort Expenditures in the TANF Program 1997 5,955 311 752 704 101 9 926 8,758 1998 6,879 520 890 883 138 11 1,301 10,623 1999 6,541 503 1,135 743 118 23 1,334 10,397 State Maintenance of Effort Expenditures in Separate State Programs 1997 69 12 111 0 0 – 18 210 1998 216 3 137 6 1 – 28 391 1999 434 26 257 22 0 0 126 865 Total Expenditures 1997 13,731 790 877 1,577 211 9 1,805 19,000 1998 14,264 1,286 1,280 1,828 362 17 2,465 21,502 1999 13,449 1,754 1,995 1,835 456 40 3,055 22,585 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Financial services.
Table TANF 6. Trends in AFDC/TANF Average Monthly Payments, 1962 – 1999
Monthly Benefit per Recipient Average Number of Persons per Family
Monthly per Fa(not reduced by CBenefit mily hild Support) Weighted Average1 Maximum Benefit
(per 3-person Family)Fiscal Year Current Dollars 1999 Dollars Current Dollars 1999 Dollars Current Dollars 1999 Dollars 1962........... $31 $158 3.9 $121 $614 NA NA 1963........... 31 156 4.0 126 630 NA NA 1964........... 32 157 4.1 131 649 NA NA 1965........... 34 164 4.2 140 683 NA NA 1966........... 35 167 4.2 146 694 NA NA 1967........... 36 168 4.1 150 694 NA NA 1968........... 40 177 4.1 162 723 NA NA 1969........... 43 186 4.0 173 742 186 2 802 1970........... 46 188 3.9 178 730 194 2 796 1971........... 48 187 3.8 180 707 201 2 788 1972........... 51 195 3.6 187 709 205 2 778 1973........... 53 192 3.5 187 680 213 2 774 1974........... 57 190 3.4 194 649 229 2 766 1975........... 63 193 3.3 209 638 243 742 1976........... 71 202 3.2 226 645 257 734 1977........... 78 207 3.1 241 641 271 721 1978........... 83 207 3.0 249 624 284 710 1979........... 87 200 2.9 257 590 301 690 1980........... 94 194 2.9 274 564 320 660 1981........... 96 180 2.9 277 519 326 611 1982........... 103 180 2.9 300 526 331 579 1983........... 106 178 2.9 311 521 336 564 1984........... 110 177 2.9 321 517 352 565 1985........... 112 174 2.9 329 511 369 573 1986........... 116 175 2.9 339 513 383 580 1987........... 123 181 2.9 359 529 393 579 1988........... 127 180 2.9 370 524 404 572 1989........... 131 177 2.9 381 514 412 557 1990........... 135 173 2.9 389 500 421 541 1991........... 135 165 2.9 388 475 425 520 1992........... 136 162 2.9 389 462 419 498 1993........... 131 151 2.8 373 430 414 478 1994........... 134 150 2.8 376 423 420 467 1995........... 134 147 2.8 377 411 418 457 1996........... 135 143 2.8 374 397 422 449 1997 3 ........ 134 139 2.8 373 386 420 435 1998........... 136 138 2.8 374 381 431 439 1999........... 156 156 2.7 424 424 450 450 1 The maximum benefit for a 3-person family in each state is weighted by that state’s share of total AFDC families.
2 Estimated based on the weighted average benefit for a 4-person family.
3 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 repealed the AFDC program as of July 1, 1997 and replaced it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy families (TANF) program.
Note: AFDC benefit amounts have not been reduced by child support collections. Constant dollar adjustments to 1999 level were made using a CPI-U-X1 fiscal year price index.Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance,Quarterly Public Assistance Statistics, 1992 & 1993 and earlier years along with unpublished data.
Table TANF 7. Characteristics of AFDC/TANF Families, Selected Years 1969 – 1999
Fiscal year1 May 1969 May 1975 March 1979 1983 1988 1990 1992 1996 1998 1999 Avg. Family Size (persons) 4.0 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 Number of Child Recipients One 26.6 37.9 42.3 43.4 42.5 42.2 42.5 43.9 42.4 42.3 Two 23.0 26.0 28.1 29.8 30.2 30.3 30.2 29.9 29.6 29.0 Three 17.7 16.1 15.6 15.2 15.8 15.8 15.5 15.0 15.7 15.9 Four or More 32.5 20.0 13.9 10.1 9.9 9.9 10.1 9.2 10.6 11.0 Unknown NA NA NA 1.5 1.7 1.4 0.7 1.3 1.8 1.9 Child-Only Families 10.1 12.5 14.6 8.3 9.6 11.6 14.8 21.5 23.4 29.1 Families with Non-Recipients 33.1 34.8 NA 36.9 36.8 37.7 38.9 49.9 – – Median Months on AFDC/TANF Since Most Recent Opening 23.0 31.0 29.0 26.0 26.3 23.0 22.5 23.6 – – Presence of Assistance Living in Public Housing 12.8 14.6 NA 10.0 9.6 9.6 9.2 8.8 NA 12.6 Part icipating in Food Stamp Or Donated Food Program 52.9 75.1 75.1 83.0 84.6 85.6 87.3 89.3 83.5 80.7 Presence of Income With Earnings NA 14.6 12.8 5.7 8.4 8.2 7.4 11.1 20.6 4 25.2 4 No Non-AFDC/TANF Income 56.0 71.1 80.6 86.8 79.6 80.1 78.9 76.0 73.0 4 69.9 4 Adult Employment Status (percent of adults) Employed – – – – – 7.0 6.6 11.3 22.8 27.6 Unemployed – – – – – – – – 45.0 43.9 Not in Labor Force – – – – – – – – 28.3 25.5 Unknown – – – – – – – – 4.0 3.0 Adult Women's employment status (percent of adult female recipients):3 Full-time job 8.2 10.4 8.7 1.5 2.2 2.5 2.2 4.7 – – Part -time job 6.3 5.7 5.4 3.4 4.2 4.2 4.2 5.4 – – Marital Status (percent of adults) Single – – – – – – – – 52.5 58.1 Married – – – – – – – – 16.4 18.4 Separated – – – – – – – – 11.7 12.3 Widowed – – – – – – – – 0.7 0.8 Divorced – – – – – – – – 8.8 8.3 Unknown – – – – – – – – 9.9 2.0 Basis for Child's Eligibility (percent children): Incapacitated 11.7 2 7.7 5.3 3.4 3.7 3.6 4.1 4.3 – – Unemployed 4.6 2 3.7 4.1 8.7 6.5 6.4 8.2 8.3 – – Death 5.5 2 3.7 2.2 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.6 – – Divorce or Separation 43.3 2 48.3 44.7 38.5 34.6 32.9 30.0 24.3 – – Absent, No Marriage Tie 27.9 2 31.0 37.8 44.3 51.9 54.0 53.1 58.6 – – Absent, Other Reason 3.5 2 4.0 5.9 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.0 2.4 – – Unknown – – – 1.7 – – 0.9 0.6 – – Note: Figures are percentages of families/cases unless noted otherwise.
1 Percentages are based on the average monthly caseload during the year. Hawaii and the territories are not included in1983.
Data after 1986 include the territories and Hawaii.
2 Calculated on the basis of total number of families.
3 For years prior to 1983, data are for mothers only.
4 Presence of income is measured as a percentage of adult recipients,not families, in 1998 and subsequent years.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation,Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients: Fiscal year 1999 and earlier years, (Current data available online at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/opre/characteristics/fy98/sum.htm).Table TANF 8. AFDC/TANF Benefits by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1978 – 1999 [Millions of dollars]
1978 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 Alabama $78 $72 $74 $68 $62 $62 $85 $92 $75 $35 Alaska 17 32 37 46 54 60 96 113 107 64 Arizona 30 49 67 79 103 138 243 266 228 122 Arkansas 51 34 39 48 53 57 61 57 52 24 California 1,813 2,734 3,207 3,574 4,091 4,955 5,828 6,088 5,908 4,290 Colorado 74 87 107 107 125 137 163 158 129 55 Connecticut 168 210 226 223 218 295 377 397 323 187 Delaware 28 28 28 25 24 29 37 40 35 23 Dist. of Columbia 91 86 75 77 76 84 102 126 121 80 Florida 145 207 251 261 318 418 733 806 680 285 Georgia 103 172 149 223 266 321 420 428 385 207 Guam 3 4 5 4 3 5 8 12 14 NA Hawaii 83 88 83 73 77 99 125 163 173 100 Idaho 21 20 21 19 19 20 24 30 30 4 Illinois 699 802 845 886 815 839 883 914 833 540 Indiana 118 139 153 148 167 170 218 228 153 85 Iowa 107 127 159 170 155 152 164 169 131 92 Kansas 73 81 87 91 97 105 119 123 98 46 Kentucky 122 123 135 104 143 179 213 198 191 120 Louisiana 97 127 145 162 182 188 182 168 130 67 Maine 51 59 69 84 80 101 118 108 99 61 Maryland 166 213 229 250 250 296 333 314 285 156 Massachusetts 476 468 406 471 558 630 751 730 560 331 Michigan 780 1,064 1,214 1,248 1,231 1,211 1,162 1,132 779 435 Minnesota 164 235 287 322 338 355 387 379 333 234 Mississippi 33 55 58 74 85 86 89 82 68 27 Missouri 152 175 196 209 215 228 274 287 254 165 Montana 15 19 27 37 41 40 46 49 45 25 Nebraska 38 49 56 62 56 59 65 62 54 68 Nevada 8 12 10 16 20 27 41 48 48 28 New Hampshire 21 25 16 20 21 32 54 62 50 36 New Jersey 489 513 485 509 459 451 527 531 462 301 New Mexico 32 45 49 51 56 61 106 144 153 108 New York 1,689 1,641 1,916 2,099 2,140 2,259 2,944 2,913 2,929 2,105 North Carolina 138 143 149 138 206 247 335 353 300 176 North Dakota 14 14 16 20 22 24 28 26 21 22 Ohio 441 606 725 804 805 877 984 1,016 763 380 Oklahoma 74 74 85 100 119 132 169 165 122 58 Oregon 148 100 101 120 128 145 200 197 155 177 Pennsylvania 726 740 724 389 747 798 906 935 822 530 Puerto Rico 25 65 38 33 67 72 75 74 63 NA Rhode Island 59 70 71 79 82 99 128 136 125 110 South Carolina 52 76 75 103 91 96 119 115 101 39 South Dakota 18 17 17 15 21 22 25 25 22 11 Tennessee 77 74 83 100 125 168 206 215 190 110 Texas 122 118 229 281 344 416 517 544 496 233 Utah 41 47 52 55 61 64 76 77 64 40 Vermont 21 38 40 40 40 48 67 65 56 52 Virgin Islands 2 3 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 NA Virginia 136 166 165 179 169 177 225 253 199 117 Washington 175 240 294 375 401 438 606 610 585 317 West Virginia 53 56 75 109 107 110 120 126 101 33 Wisconsin 260 406 519 444 506 440 453 425 291 91 Wyoming 6 9 13 16 19 19 27 21 17 10 United States $10,621 $12,857 $14,371 $15,236 $16,663 $18,543 $22,250 $22,798 $20,411 $13,016 Note: Benefits refers to total cash benefits paid (see Table TANF 3) but does not include emergency assistance payments.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Program Support, Office of Management services, data from the ACF-196 TANF Report and ACF-231 AFDC Line by Line report.Table TANF 9. Comparison of Federal Funding for AFDC and Related Programs and 1999 Family Assistance Grants Awarded Under PRWORA [In millions]
State FY 1996 Grants for AFDC, EA & JOBS 1 FY 1999 State Family Assistance Grant 2 Increase from FY 1996 Level Percent Increase from FY 1996 Level
Alabama $75.9 $118.7 $42.8 56 Alaska 58.7 64.5 5.9 10 Arizona 197.8 230.6 32.9 17 Arkansas 51.9 59.8 7.9 15 California 3,622.8 3,751.1 128.4 4 Colorado 158.3 142.7 -15.6 -10 Connecticut 215.3 266.8 51.5 24 Delaware 35.2 32.3 -2.9 -8 Dist of Columbia 70.8 92.6 21.8 31 Florida 497.5 591.8 94.3 19 Georgia 288.4 348.9 60.5 21 Hawaii 97.9 98.9 1.0 1 Idaho 31.3 33.1 1.8 6 Illinois 601.1 585.1 -16.0 -3 Indiana 133.1 206.8 73.7 55 Iowa 128.9 131.5 2.7 2 Kansas 89.8 101.9 12.2 14 Kentucky 157.2 181.3 24.0 15 Louisiana 114.3 172.3 58.0 51 Maine 74.8 78.1 3.3 4 Maryland 214.3 229.1 14.8 7 Massachusetts 353.1 479.4 126.3 36 Michigan 632.2 795.4 163.1 26 Minnesota 220.8 267.4 46.5 21 Mississippi 70.3 91.2 20.8 30 Missouri 195.4 217.1 21.7 11 Montana 40.4 45.5 5.1 13 Nebraska 56.0 58.0 2.0 4 Nevada 41.4 45.8 4.4 11 New Hampshire 34.7 38.5 3.8 11 New Jersey 383.2 404.0 20.9 5 New Mexico 132.1 132.7 0.5 0 New York 2,160.7 2,442.9 282.3 13 North Carolina 312.6 319.8 7.2 2 North Dakota 25.7 26.4 0.7 3 Ohio 543.7 728.0 184.3 34 Oklahoma 118.2 147.6 29.4 25 Oregon 142.0 166.8 24.8 17 Pennsylvania 770.1 719.5 -50.6 -7 Rhode Island 89.5 95.0 5.5 6 South Carolina 94.4 100.0 5.6 6 South Dakota 20.2 21.3 1.1 5 Tennessee 137.4 202.0 64.6 47 Texas 419.0 512.0 92.9 22 Utah 64.7 81.1 16.4 25 Vermont 42.4 47.4 5.0 12 Virginia 121.4 158.3 36.9 30 Washington 415.4 403.3 -12.1 -3 West Virginia 87.7 110.2 22.5 26 Wisconsin 276.4 317.5 41.1 15 Wyoming 15.0 20.8 5.8 39 United States $14,931 $16,713 $1,782 12 1 Excludes IV-A child care. AFDC benefits include the Federal share of child support collections to be comparable to the Family Assistance Grant; 1996 expenditures as reported through February 25, 1997.
2 The awards include State Family Assistance Grants (SFAG) and supplemental Grants for Population Increases. AZ, CA, OK, OR, SD WI, and WY cumulative totals have been adjusted for Tribes operating TANF within the State.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,Administration for Children and Families, Office of Financial Services.Table TANF 10. AFDC/TANF Caseload by State, October 1989 to June2000Peak [In thousands]
State Peak Caseload Oct ‘89 to June 2000 Date Peak Occurred Oct ’89 to June 2000 August ‘96 Caseload June 2000 Caseload Percent Decline 1 August ’96 to June 2000 Percent Decline Peak to June 2000 Alabama 52.3 Mar-93 41.0 18.7 54 64 Alaska 13.4 Apr-94 12.2 7.5 38 44 Arizona 72.8 Dec-93 62.4 31.9 49 56 Arkansas 27.1 Mar-92 22.1 12.0 45 56 California 933.1 Mar-95 880.4 489.1 44 48 Colorado 43.7 Dec-93 34.5 10.8 69 75 Connecticut 61.9 Mar-95 57.3 27.1 53 56 Delaware 11.8 Apr-94 10.6 5.8 45 51 Dist. of Columbia 27.5 Apr-94 25.4 22.4 12 18 Florida 259.9 Nov-92 200.9 62.8 69 76 Georgia 142.8 Nov-93 123.3 51.2 58 64 Guam 2.8 Sep-99 2.2 2.8 -23 1 Hawaii 23.4 Jun-97 21.9 14.9 32 36 Idaho 9.5 Mar-95 8.6 1.4 84 85 Illinois 243.1 Aug-94 220.3 85.8 61 65 Indiana 76.1 Sep-93 51.4 35.1 32 54 Iowa 40.7 Apr-94 31.6 20.1 36 51 Kansas 30.8 Aug-93 23.8 12.4 48 60 Kentucky 84.0 Mar-93 71.3 37.5 47 55 Louisiana 94.7 May-90 67.5 25.5 62 73 Maine 24.4 Aug-93 20.0 10.7 47 56 Maryland 81.8 May-95 70.7 28.9 59 65 Massachusetts 115.7 Aug-93 84.7 41.7 51 64 Michigan 233.6 Apr-91 170.0 70.9 58 70 Minnesota 66.2 Jun-92 57.7 39.3 32 41 Mississippi 61.8 Nov-91 46.4 15.0 68 76 Missouri 93.7 Mar-94 80.1 45.9 43 51 Montana 12.3 Mar-94 10.1 4.5 56 64 Nebraska 17.2 Mar-93 14.4 10.1 30 41 Nevada 16.3 Mar-95 13.7 6.9 50 58 New Hampshire 11.8 Apr-94 9.1 5.8 36 51 New Jersey 132.6 Nov-92 101.7 50.1 51 62 New Mexico 34.9 Nov-94 33.4 22.7 32 35 New York 463.7 Dec-94 418.3 248.1 41 46 North Carolina 134.1 Mar-94 110.1 44.7 59 67 North Dakota 6.6 Apr-93 4.8 2.9 40 57 Ohio 269.8 Mar-92 204.2 95.8 53 64 Oklahoma 51.3 Mar-93 36.0 7.3 80 86 Oregon 43.8 Apr-93 29.9 17.1 43 61 Pennsylvania 212.5 Sep-94 186.3 88.0 53 59 Puerto Rico 61.7 Jan-92 49.9 31.3 37 49 Rhode Island 22.9 Apr-94 20.7 16.3 21 29 South Carolina 54.6 Jan-93 44.1 15.5 65 72 South Dakota 7.4 Apr-93 5.8 2.8 52 62 Tennessee 112.6 Nov-93 97.2 55.5 43 51 Texas 287.5 Dec-93 243.5 128.3 47 55 Utah 18.7 Mar-93 14.2 8.2 43 56 Vermont 10.3 Apr-92 8.8 5.9 33 43 Virgin Islands 1.4 Dec-95 1.4 0.8 43 46 Virginia 76.0 Apr-94 61.9 30.1 51 60 Washington 104.8 Feb-95 97.5 54.8 44 48 West Virginia 41.9 Apr-93 37.0 10.7 71 75 Wisconsin 82.9 Jan-92 51.9 16.4 68 80 Wyoming 7.1 Aug-92 4.3 0.6 87 92 United States 5,098 Mar-94 4,409 2,208 50 57 1 Negative values denote percent increase.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Division of Data Collection and Analysis.Table TANF 11. Average Monthly AFDC/TANF Recipients by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1965 –1999 [In thousands]
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1989 1994 1999 Percent Change 1989-94 1994-99 Alabama 78 123 160 180 151 129 132 48 2 -64 Alaska 5 8 12 15 16 19 38 26 96 -32 Arizona 40 51 71 51 72 105 201 90 91 -55 Arkansas 30 45 101 85 64 70 69 29 -0 -58 California 528 1,148 1,362 1,387 1,619 1,763 2,639 1,791 50 -32 Colorado 42 66 96 77 79 97 119 38 22 -68 Connecticut 59 83 125 139 122 106 166 84 56 -50 Delaware 12 20 31 32 24 19 27 15 43 -44 Dist. of Columbia 20 40 103 85 58 48 74 51 55 -31 Florida 106 204 265 256 271 327 669 198 105 -70 Georgia 71 198 354 221 239 266 393 156 48 -60 Guam 1 2 3 5 6 4 7 9 67 27 Hawaii 14 25 47 60 51 43 62 45 45 -28 Idaho 10 16 19 21 17 17 23 3 38 -88 Illinois 262 368 777 672 735 632 712 368 13 -48 Indiana 48 73 162 157 165 147 216 108 47 -50 Iowa 44 64 85 104 123 98 110 59 13 -46 Kansas 36 53 67 68 67 74 87 33 17 -62 Kentucky 81 129 159 167 160 156 208 99 34 -52 Louisiana 104 202 235 213 230 277 248 109 -10 -56 Maine 19 36 80 60 57 51 64 35 27 -45 Maryland 80 131 216 212 195 176 222 88 26 -60 Massachusetts 94 208 347 350 235 242 307 133 27 -57 Michigan 162 253 641 685 691 640 666 261 4 -61 Minnesota 51 76 124 135 152 164 187 123 14 -34 Mississippi 83 115 186 173 155 179 159 39 -11 -76 Missouri 107 140 260 199 197 203 263 132 30 -50 Montana 7 13 22 19 22 28 35 14 26 -60 Nebraska 16 30 38 35 44 41 45 33 10 -26 Nevada 5 12 14 12 14 20 38 20 89 -47 New Hampshire 4 9 26 22 14 13 30 15 139 -49 New Jersey 104 286 440 459 367 298 335 165 13 -51 New Mexico 30 51 61 53 51 59 102 79 74 -22 New York 517 1,052 1,210 1,100 1,112 979 1,255 812 28 -35 North Carolina 111 124 170 198 166 200 333 135 66 -59 North Dakota 8 11 14 13 12 15 16 8 8 -50 Ohio 183 266 535 513 673 629 685 276 9 -60 Oklahoma 73 95 97 89 82 103 131 56 27 -57 Oregon 31 75 99 102 74 87 114 44 31 -61 Pennsylvania 303 426 627 629 561 523 620 298 19 -52 Puerto Rico 202 223 232 168 173 185 183 107 -2 -41 Rhode Island 24 38 52 52 44 42 63 50 50 -21 South Carolina 30 52 135 153 120 107 140 44 30 -69 South Dakota 11 16 25 20 16 19 19 8 1 -57 Tennessee 76 129 201 162 155 195 300 150 53 -50 Texas 91 214 394 308 363 540 788 309 46 -61 Utah 22 33 34 37 38 44 50 29 14 -41 Vermont 5 12 21 23 22 20 28 18 41 -35 Virgin Islands 1 2 4 3 4 3 4 3 11 -11 Virginia 46 87 174 166 154 146 195 89 34 -54 Washington 71 109 143 154 178 219 292 172 33 -41 West Virginia 116 93 69 77 106 109 114 32 5 -72 Wisconsin 45 79 161 213 288 245 226 47 -8 -79 Wyoming 4 5 7 7 10 14 16 2 19 -90 United States 4,323 7,415 11,094 10,597 10,813 10,934 14,226 7,188 30 -49 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Program, Third Annual Report to Congress, August 2000.
Table TANF 12. AFDC/TANF Recipiency Rates for Total Population by State Selected Fiscal Years 1965 – 1999 [In percent]
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1989 1994 1999 Percent Change 1989-94 1994-99 Alabama 2.2 3.6 4.3 4.6 3.8 3.2 3.1 1.1 -3 -65 Alaska 1.8 2.6 3.1 3.7 3.0 3.5 6.3 4.2 78 -34 Arizona 2.6 2.9 3.1 1.9 2.3 2.9 4.8 1.9 66 -61 Arkansas 1.5 2.3 4.7 3.7 2.8 3.0 2.8 1.1 -5 -60 California 2.9 5.7 6.3 5.8 6.1 6.0 8.4 5.4 40 -36 Colorado 2.2 3.0 3.7 2.6 2.5 3.0 3.3 0.9 10 -71 Connecticut 2.1 2.7 4.1 4.5 3.8 3.2 5.1 2.5 57 -50 Delaware 2.4 3.6 5.4 5.4 3.9 2.9 3.9 2.1 33 -47 Dist. of Columbia 2.5 5.3 14.6 13.3 9.2 7.7 13.1 9.9 71 -25 Florida 1.8 3.0 3.1 2.6 2.4 2.6 4.8 1.3 85 -73 Georgia 1.6 4.3 7.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 5.6 2.0 35 -64 Hawaii 1.9 3.2 5.4 6.2 4.9 3.9 5.3 3.8 35 -28 Idaho 1.4 2.2 2.3 2.2 1.7 1.7 2.0 0.2 21 -89 Illinois 2.5 3.3 6.9 5.9 6.4 5.5 6.0 3.0 9 -50 Indiana 1.0 1.4 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.8 1.8 41 -52 Iowa 1.6 2.3 3.0 3.6 4.3 3.5 3.9 2.1 11 -47 Kansas 1.6 2.4 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.4 1.2 13 -64 Kentucky 2.5 4.0 4.6 4.6 4.3 4.2 5.4 2.5 28 -54 Louisiana 2.9 5.6 6.1 5.0 5.2 6.5 5.8 2.5 -11 -57 Maine 1.9 3.6 7.5 5.4 4.9 4.2 5.2 2.8 25 -46 Maryland 2.2 3.3 5.2 5.0 4.4 3.7 4.4 1.7 19 -62 Massachusetts 1.8 3.7 6.0 6.1 4.0 4.0 5.1 2.2 27 -58 Michigan 2.0 2.9 7.0 7.4 7.6 6.9 6.9 2.6 0 -62 Minnesota 1.4 2.0 3.2 3.3 3.6 3.8 4.1 2.6 9 -37 Mississippi 3.6 5.2 7.8 6.9 6.0 6.9 6.0 1.4 -14 -77 Missouri 2.4 3.0 5.4 4.0 3.9 4.0 5.0 2.4 25 -52 Montana 1.0 1.9 2.9 2.4 2.7 3.5 4.1 1.6 18 -61 Nebraska 1.1 2.0 2.5 2.2 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.0 7 -28 Nevada 1.2 2.4 2.3 1.5 1.4 1.8 2.6 1.1 48 -57 New Hampshire 0.7 1.2 3.1 2.4 1.4 1.2 2.7 1.3 133 -52 New Jersey 1.5 4.0 6.0 6.2 4.9 3.9 4.2 2.0 10 -52 New Mexico 3.0 5.0 5.3 4.1 3.5 3.9 6.2 4.6 59 -26 New York 2.9 5.8 6.7 6.3 6.2 5.4 6.9 4.5 27 -35 North Carolina 2.2 2.4 3.1 3.4 2.6 3.1 4.7 1.8 54 -63 North Dakota 1.2 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.8 2.4 2.6 1.3 9 -49 Ohio 1.8 2.5 5.0 4.8 6.3 5.8 6.2 2.4 6 -60 Oklahoma 3.0 3.7 3.5 2.9 2.5 3.3 4.0 1.7 24 -59 Oregon 1.6 3.6 4.3 3.9 2.8 3.1 3.7 1.3 18 -64 Pennsylvania 2.6 3.6 5.3 5.3 4.8 4.4 5.1 2.5 17 -52 Rhode Island 2.7 4.0 5.5 5.5 4.5 4.2 6.3 5.0 51 -20 South Carolina 1.2 2.0 4.6 4.9 3.6 3.1 3.8 1.1 23 -70 South Dakota 1.6 2.4 3.6 2.9 2.3 2.7 2.6 1.1 -3 -58 Tennessee 2.0 3.3 4.7 3.5 3.3 4.0 5.8 2.7 44 -53 Texas 0.9 1.9 3.1 2.1 2.2 3.2 4.3 1.5 34 -64 Utah 2.2 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.6 1.4 1 -47 Vermont 1.4 2.6 4.4 4.4 4.2 3.5 4.8 3.0 36 -37 Virginia 1.0 1.9 3.4 3.1 2.7 2.4 3.0 1.3 25 -56 Washington 2.4 3.2 4.0 3.7 4.0 4.6 5.5 3.0 18 -45 West Virginia 6.4 5.3 3.7 4.0 5.5 6.0 6.3 1.8 4 -72 Wisconsin 1.1 1.8 3.5 4.5 6.1 5.0 4.4 0.9 -12 -80 Wyoming 1.1 1.5 1.8 1.4 2.0 3.0 3.4 0.4 15 -90 United States 2.1 3.5 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.4 5.4 2.6 24 -52 Note: Recipiency rate refers to the average monthly number of AFDC recipients in each State during the given fiscal year expressed as a percent of the total resident population as of July 1 of that year. The numerators are from Table TANF 11.
Sources: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Bureau of the Census, (Resident population by state available on line at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/).
Table TANF 13. Average Number of AFDC/TANF Child Recipients By State, Selected Fiscal Years1965 – 1999 [In thousands]
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1989 1994 1999 Percent 1989-94 Change 1994-99 Alabama 62 96 119 129 105 92 96 38 4 -60 Alaska 4 6 9 10 10 13 24 17 90 -28 Arizona 31 39 54 38 50 74 136 43 85 -69 A rkansas 23 34 75 62 45 50 49 22 -0 -57 California 391 816 943 932 1,070 1,186 1,804 1,381 52 -23 Colorado 33 50 68 53 53 66 80 30 22 -63 Connecticut 43 62 92 97 82 71 111 60 56 -46 Delaware 9 15 23 22 16 13 19 13 41 -32 Dist. of Columbia 16 31 75 59 43 38 51 40 33 -21 Florida 85 160 200 184 191 235 463 155 97 -66 Georgia 54 150 261 161 166 187 274 116 47 -58 Guam 1 1 2 4 4 3 5 7 63 39 Hawaii 10 18 33 40 33 28 41 31 45 -23 Idaho 7 11 14 14 11 11 16 2 36 -86 Illinois 202 283 562 473 493 432 486 277 12 -43 Indiana 36 55 119 111 111 100 145 78 45 -47 Iowa 32 46 59 69 77 63 72 40 13 -44 Kansas 28 41 50 49 45 50 59 24 17 -59 Kentucky 58 93 113 118 107 105 137 72 31 -47 Louisiana 79 157 177 156 163 195 180 105 -8 -42 Maine 14 26 56 40 36 32 40 24 25 -39 Maryland 61 100 157 145 126 117 151 64 28 -57 Massachusetts 71 153 242 228 152 154 197 96 28 -51 Michigan 119 190 454 460 441 414 439 201 6 -54 Minnesota 39 58 89 91 95 105 124 89 18 -28 Mississippi 66 93 144 128 112 129 116 33 -10 -71 Missouri 82 106 193 135 129 134 176 102 31 -42 Montana 6 10 16 13 15 18 23 9 28 -60 Nebraska 12 23 28 25 29 28 31 23 10 -25 Nevada 4 9 10 8 9 14 27 15 89 -43 New Hampshire 3 7 18 15 9 8 19 11 130 -45 New Jersey 79 209 316 318 247 205 228 125 11 -45 New Mexico 23 39 45 35 34 41 66 53 64 -20 New York 380 759 862 759 729 648 813 568 26 -30 North Carolina 83 94 125 141 113 136 223 102 63 -54 North Dakota 6 8 10 9 8 10 11 6 6 -43 Ohio 136 198 373 348 424 411 455 210 11 -54 Oklahoma 55 71 74 65 57 71 90 37 27 -59 Oregon 23 52 67 65 49 58 76 31 30 -60 Pennsylvania 217 307 430 432 369 348 417 212 20 -49 Puerto Rico 161 166 170 118 116 126 124 78 -2 -37 Rhode Island 18 27 37 36 28 28 41 29 50 -31 South Carolina 24 40 100 109 84 77 102 34 33 -67 South Dakota 8 12 18 15 11 13 14 6 3 -54 Tennessee 58 99 150 115 105 133 203 111 53 -45 Texas 68 162 292 225 256 378 549 220 45 -60 Utah 16 23 23 24 24 28 33 19 17 -44 Vermont 4 8 14 14 14 12 17 12 39 -32 Virgin Islands 1 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 9 -2 Virginia 35 66 125 116 103 100 134 64 34 -52 Washington 50 76 95 97 113 141 187 121 32 -35 West Virginia 80 65 47 58 64 67 72 21 7 -71 Wisconsin 34 60 116 142 181 161 153 36 -5 -77 Wyoming 3 4 5 5 7 9 11 1 22 -88 United States 3,242 5,483 7,952 7,320 7,165 7,370 9,611 5,319 30 -45 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and evaluation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Program, Third annual Report to Congress, August 2000.
Table TANF 14. AFDC/TANF Recipiency Rates for Children by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1965– 1999 [In percent]
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1989 1994 1999 Percent Change 1989-94 1994-99 Alabama 4.6 7.7 9.9 11.1 9.7 8.6 8.9 3.6 4 -60 Alaska 3.1 5.0 6.2 8.0 5.9 7.3 12.8 8.8 76 -31 Arizona 4.8 6.0 7.2 4.8 5.9 7.6 12.1 3.2 60 -74 Arkansas 3.1 5.2 10.9 9.3 7.1 7.9 7.7 3.3 -3 -58 California 6.0 12.3 14.6 14.6 15.6 15.6 20.8 15.5 33 -26 Colorado 4.4 6.4 8.4 6.5 6.1 7.6 8.3 2.8 10 -66 Connecticut 4.4 6.1 9.8 11.8 10.8 9.5 14.2 7.2 49 -49 Delaware 4.7 7.5 12.3 13.4 10.2 8.1 10.5 6.9 30 -34 Dist. of Columbia 6.0 13.8 41.1 40.9 33.9 30.7 44.5 42.1 45 -5 Florida 4.3 7.6 8.4 7.8 7.6 8.4 14.1 4.4 68 -69 Georgia 3.2 9.1 15.5 9.8 10.1 10.8 14.6 5.6 35 -61 Hawaii 3.6 6.5 11.7 14.5 11.6 10.1 13.6 10.9 35 -20 Idaho 2.7 4.2 4.8 4.7 3.6 3.7 4.6 0.6 22 -87 Illinois 5.3 7.5 16.0 14.6 16.1 14.5 15.7 8.7 8 -45 Indiana 2.0 3.0 6.9 6.9 7.5 6.9 9.8 5.1 43 -48 Iowa 3.2 4.7 6.6 8.4 10.2 8.8 9.9 5.6 12 -44 Kansas 3.5 5.4 7.3 7.5 6.9 7.6 8.5 3.4 12 -60 Kentucky 4.9 8.3 10.2 10.9 10.5 10.9 14.1 7.4 29 -47 Louisiana 5.5 11.3 13.2 11.8 12.2 15.5 14.6 8.8 -6 -40 Maine 3.9 7.7 16.4 12.5 11.7 10.4 13.1 8.4 26 -36 Maryland 4.6 7.3 11.9 12.4 11.4 10.2 12.0 4.9 18 -59 Massachusetts 3.8 8.1 14.2 15.3 11.2 11.4 13.9 6.6 22 -53 Michigan 3.7 5.8 15.0 16.7 17.7 16.9 17.4 7.8 3 -55 Minnesota 2.9 4.2 7.0 7.7 8.5 9.2 10.1 7.0 10 -30 Mississippi 7.0 11.1 17.3 15.7 14.0 17.1 15.3 4.4 -10 -71 Missouri 5.2 6.9 13.2 9.9 9.8 10.2 12.9 7.3 26 -43 Montana 2.0 4.0 6.6 5.7 6.1 7.9 9.7 4.1 22 -58 Nebraska 2.3 4.4 5.8 5.5 6.8 6.5 7.0 5.2 8 -26 Nevada 2.5 5.2 5.4 3.8 3.9 5.0 7.1 3.1 40 -56 New Hampshire 1.4 2.6 6.9 5.8 3.7 3.1 6.6 3.5 118 -47 New Jersey 3.4 8.8 14.1 16.0 13.5 11.3 11.7 6.2 3 -47 New Mexico 5.2 9.5 10.9 8.5 7.8 9.0 13.5 10.7 50 -21 New York 6.3 13.0 16.3 16.2 16.7 15.1 18.0 12.8 19 -29 North Carolina 4.4 5.3 7.2 8.5 7.1 8.5 12.6 5.3 49 -58 North Dakota 2.3 3.6 4.9 4.7 4.3 5.7 6.3 3.9 12 -39 Ohio 3.6 5.3 10.9 11.2 14.7 14.6 16.0 7.4 9 -54 Oklahoma 6.4 8.5 8.7 7.6 6.3 8.3 10.4 4.2 24 -60 Oregon 3.3 7.4 9.6 9.0 6.9 8.2 9.7 3.7 18 -62 Pennsylvania 5.5 8.0 12.3 13.8 12.9 12.4 14.4 7.4 16 -48 Rhode Island 5.9 9.1 13.3 14.7 12.6 12.1 17.5 11.9 44 -32 South Carolina 2.3 4.2 10.4 11.6 9.1 8.3 10.8 3.5 30 -67 South Dakota 3.1 5.0 8.2 7.1 5.7 6.7 6.6 3.2 -1 -52 Tennessee 4.2 7.5 11.3 8.9 8.6 10.9 15.7 8.3 44 -47 Texas 1.7 4.1 7.1 5.2 5.4 7.9 10.4 3.9 32 -63 Utah 3.7 5.4 5.0 4.4 4.0 4.5 4.9 2.6 9 -47 Vermont 2.7 5.4 9.3 9.9 9.9 8.8 11.7 8.4 33 -28 Virginia 2.2 4.1 7.9 7.9 7.1 6.7 8.4 3.9 26 -54 Washington 4.7 6.5 8.5 8.5 9.7 11.5 13.3 8.1 16 -39 West Virginia 12.2 11.2 8.4 10.4 12.6 14.8 16.8 5.1 13 -70 Wisconsin 2.2 3.8 7.8 10.5 14.2 12.6 11.4 2.7 -9 -77 Wyoming 2.1 3.2 4.1 3.4 4.1 6.6 8.1 1.0 24 -87 United States 4.4 7.6 11.6 11.3 11.2 11.4 14.0 7.5 22 -47 Note: Recipiency rate refers to the average monthly number of AFDC child recipients in each State during the given fiscal year as a percent of the resident population under 18 years of age as of july 1 of that year. The numerators are from Table TANF 13.
Sources: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Bureau of the Census, (Resident population by state available on line at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/).
Endnotes
[1] States are allowed to use TANF funds on a variety of services, including employment and training services, domestic violence services, and child care, transportation, and other support services. Families receiving such services, however, should generally not be counted as recipients of TANF ‘assistance.” Under the final regulations for TANF, “assistance” includes primarily payments directed at ongoing basic needs. It includes payments when individuals are participating in community service and work experience (or other work activities) as a condition of receiving payments (e.g., workfare). In addition to cash assistance, the definition also includes certain child care and transportation benefits (provided the families are not employed). It excludes, however, such things as: non-recurrent, short-term benefits; services without a cash value, such as education and training, case management, job search, and counseling; and benefits such as child care and transportation when provided to employed families.
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Food Stamp Program
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The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, is the largest food assistance program in the country, reaching more poor individuals over the course of a year than any other public assistance program. Unlike many other public assistance programs, the Food Stamp Program has few categorical requirements for eligibility, such as the presence of children, elderly or disabled individuals in a household. As a result, the program offers assistance to a large and diverse population of needy persons, many of whom are not eligible for other forms of assistance.
The Food Stamp Program was designed primarily to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households to the point where they can buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet. Participating households are expected to be able to devote 30 percent of their counted monthly cash income (after adjusting for various deductions) to food purchases. Food stamp benefits then make up the difference between the household’s expected contribution to its food costs and an amount judged to be sufficient to buy an adequate low-cost diet. This amount, the maximum food stamp benefit level, is derived from USDA’s lowest-cost food plan, the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP).
The Federal government is responsible for virtually all of the rules that govern the program, and, with limited variations, these rules are nationally uniform, as are the benefit levels. Nonetheless, States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, through their local welfare offices, have primary responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the program. They determine eligibility, calculate benefits, and issue food stamp allotments. The Food Stamp Act provides 100 percent federal funding of food stamp benefits. States and other jurisdictions have responsibility for about half the cost of state and local food stamp agency administration.
In addition to the regular Food Stamp Program, the Food Stamp Act authorizes alternative programs in Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The largest of these, the Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico, had an average of 1.2 million participants in 1999, funded under a Federal block grant of $1.2 billion. Unless noted otherwise, the food stamp caseload and expenditure data in this Appendix include costs for the Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico. Prior to 1982, the regular Food Stamp Program operated in Puerto Rico, under modified eligibility and benefit rules.
The Food Stamp Program has financial, employment/training-related and “categorical” tests for eligibility. The basic food stamp beneficiary unit is the “household.” Generally, individuals living together constitute a single food stamp household if they customarily purchase food and prepare meals together. Members of the same household must apply together, and their income, expenses, and assets normally are aggregated in determining food stamp eligibility and benefits. Except for households composed entirely of TANF, SSI, or general assistance recipients (who generally are automatically eligible for food stamps), monthly cash income is the primary food stamp eligibility determinant. Unless exempt, adult applicants for food stamps must register for work, typically with the welfare agency or a state employment service office. To maintain eligibility, they must accept a suitable job if offered one and fulfill any work, job search, or training requirements established by the administering welfare agencies.
Food stamp benefits are a function of a household’s size, its net monthly income, its assets, and maximum monthly benefit levels. Allotments are not taxable and food stamp purchases may not be charged sales taxes. Receipt of food stamps does not affect eligibility for or benefits provided by other welfare programs, although some programs use food stamp participation as a “trigger” for eligibility and others take into account the general availability of food stamps in deciding what level of benefits to provide.
Recent Legislative and Regulatory Changes.
Title IV and Subtitle A of title VIII of the PRWORA contains major and extensive revisions to the Food Stamp Program, including strong work requirements on able-bodied adults without dependents, restricted benefits for legal immigrants, and a reduction in maximum benefits. These three provisions, and subsequent amendments, are discussed below; their impact on program participation and expenditures begins to appear in food stamp administrative data for 1997, with the fuller impact shown in data for 1998.
First, a new work requirement was added for able-bodied adult food stamp recipients without dependents (ABAWDs). Unless exempt, ABAWDs between the ages of 18 and 50 are not eligible for benefits for more than 3 months in every 36-month period unless they are (1) working at least 20 hours a week; (2) participating in and complying with a work program for at least 20 hours a week; or (3) participating in and complying with a workfare program. Under the original legislation, the Department of Agriculture was authorized to waive application of the work requirement to any group of individuals at the request of the state agency, if a determination is made that the area where they reside has an unemployment rate over 10 percent or does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide them employment. The provision was further moderated under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33), which allowed states to exempt up to 15 percent of the ABAWD caseload (beyond those subject to waivers) and which increased funds for the Food Stamp employment and training program for the creation of job slots for able-bodied adults subject to time limits.
Separately, title IV of PRWORA made significant changes in the eligibility of noncitizens for Food Stamp benefits. As first enacted, most qualified aliens (including legal immigrants -- illegal aliens are already ineligible) were barred from Food Stamps until citizenship. Subsequently, the Agriculture Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-185] restored food stamp eligibility to certain groups of qualified aliens who were legally residing in the United States before passage of PRWORA (August 22, 1996). Specifically, the ban on food stamp eligibility was lifted for children, the disabled and people who were 65 on August 22, 1996.
Finally, the 1996 legislation restrained growth in future program expenditures by making changes in the benefit structure for eligible participants, including a reduction in the maximum food stamp allotment. Other provisions of the 1996 act disqualified from eligibility those convicted of drug-related felonies and gave states the option to disqualify individuals, both custodial and noncustodial parents, from food stamps when they do not cooperate with child support agencies or are in arrears in their child support.
Recent regulatory and legislative changes have been made to increase access to food stamps among working poor families. Regulatory changes announced in July 1999 and expanded in November 2000 allow states to reduce reporting requirements and make it easier for working families to report income changes on a semi-annual basis. Under the November 2000 regulations, states also have the option of providing a three-month transitional food stamp benefit to most families leaving TANF. In addition, the Agriculture Appropriations Bill for 2001 (P.L. 106-387) provides states with the option of liberalizing the treatment of vehicle assets to align with the states’ TANF rules on vehicle eligibility. These changes were intended to address concerns that some of the decline in food stamp caseloads may be leaving poor families without nutritional assistance as they make the transition from welfare dependence to full self-sufficiency.
Food Stamp Program Data.
The following six tables and accompanying figure provide information about the Food Stamp Program, including information about the Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico:
- Tables FSP 1-2 and Figure FSP 1 present national caseload and expenditure trend data on the Food Stamp program, as discussed below;
- Table FSP 3 presents some demographic characteristics of the food stamp caseload; and
- Tables FSP 4-6 present some state-by-state trend data on the Food Stamp program through fiscal year 1999.
Food Stamp Caseload Trends (Tables FSP 1-2). Average monthly food stamp participation (including participants in Puerto Rico’s block grant) has continued to fall from its peak of 28.9 million in an average month in 1994 to an average of 19.3 million persons in 1999. Both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the population, food stamp recipiency is lower than at any point in the past twenty years. See also Table IND 3b and Table IND 4b in Chapter II for further data on the recent decline in food stamp recipiency and participation rates.
Considerable research has demonstrated that the Food Stamp program is responsive to economic changes, with participation increasing in times of economic downturns and decreasing in times of economic growth (see Figure FSP 1). Economic conditions alone did not explain the caseload growth in the late 1980s and early 1990s, however. A Congressionally mandated study in 1990 concluded that a variety of factors contributed to this caseload growth, including expansions in Medicaid eligibility, and changes in immigration laws, particularly the legalization of undocumented aliens, as well as a rise in unemployment (McConell, 1991). Longer spells of participation also contributed to the caseload increase, according to an analysis of longitudinal data from the Survey on Income and Program Participation. (Gleason, 1998).
Economic conditions were a significant factor in explaining the drop in food stamp caseload since 1994, according to an Economic Research Service review of recent research (ERS, 2000). Several econometric models suggest that economic variables explain between 25 and 44 percent of the decline in caseload. The full effect of the economy may be even higher, to the extent that some of the unexplained variation in the models reflects local economic conditions not captured in state-level economic variables.
Policy changes, most notably the enactment of the Personal Responsibility Act of 1996, have also contributed to the recent decline in food stamp caseload. The most direct impact was the elimination of eligibility for most legal immigrants and for many childless adults aged 18-50. Participation for these two groups fell sharply between 1994 and 1998 (Genser, 1999). In addition, changes in TANF policy may have affected food stamp participation, although these effects are less certain. Many studies of families leaving TANF cash assistance have found that many families leave the Food Stamp Program as well, despite appearing eligible for food stamp benefits. Econometric studies of the effects of specific changes in TANF policy, however, have found that only a small share of the decline in state food stamp caseloads was associated with waviers to AFDC policies. Increased stigma about welfare use and unintentional diversion from the Food Stamp Program may be additional factors affecting food stamp participation. Finally, a study of trends in Food Stamp Program Participation rates (USDA, 2000) found that the program is reaching a smaller percentage of eligible individuals in 1998 than it did during the three previous years.
Food Stamp Expenditures. Total program costs, shown in Table FSP 2, have declined in recent years, along with the decline in caseloads. In fiscal year 1999, total program costs (including Puerto Rico) were $19 billion, reaching their lowest levels since 1980, after adjusting for inflation. (Average monthly participation in fiscal year 1999 was 21.0 million). Average monthly benefits per person have also declined in recent years after adjusting for inflation. Benefits were $72 per person in fiscal year 1999, considerably lower than the $82 per person benefit (in constant dollars) paid in 1992, but higher than the $68 per person paid in 1987.
Food Stamp Household Characteristics. As shown in FSP 3, the proportion of food stamp households with earnings has increased, from about 20 percent for most of the 1980s and early 1990s, to 26 percent in 1998 and 27 percent in 1999. At the same time, the proportion of households with income from AFDC/TANF has declined, from 42 percent in 1982 to 27 percent in 1999, following the dramatic decline in AFDC/TANF caseloads. Over half of all food stamp households have children, although the proportion has declined somewhat from over 60 percent in most of the 1980s and 1990s to 56 percent in 1999. The vast majority (89 percent) of households have incomes below the federal poverty guidelines.
Figure FSP 1. Persons Receiving Food Stamps
Note: Shaded areas are periods of recession.
Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, National Data Bank.Table FSP 1. Trends in Food Stamp Caseloads, Selected Years 1962 – 1999
FoodStamp Participants 1 Participants as a Percent of: Child Participants As a Percent of: Fiscal Year Including Territories2(in thousands) Excluding Territories (in thousands) Children Excld Terr. (in thousands) Total Population3 All Poor Persons3 Pre-transfer Poverty Population4 Total Child Population3 Children in Poverty3 1962 6,554 6,554 NA 3.5 17.0 NA NA NA 1965 5,166 5,166 NA 2.7 15.5 NA NA NA 1970 8,277 8,277 NA 4.1 32.6 NA NA NA 1971 13,042 13,042 NA 6.3 51.0 NA NA NA 1972 14,102 14,102 NA 6.7 57.7 NA NA NA 1973 14,641 14,641 NA 6.9 63.7 NA NA NA 1974 14,784 14,765 NA 6.9 63.2 NA NA NA 1975 5 18,308 17,217 NA 8.0 66.2 NA NA NA 1976 18,240 16,733 9,126 7.7 66.7 NA 13.8 88.8 1977 17,014 15,579 NA 7.1 62.7 NA NA NA 1978 15,988 14,503 NA 6.5 58.9 NA NA NA 1979 6 17,682 15,976 NA 7.1 60.9 57.1 NA NA 1980 21,082 19,253 9,493 8.5 65.5 60.7 15.5 85.6 1981 22,430 20,654 9,674 9.0 64.6 60.8 15.5 78.4 1982 22,055 20,392 9,545 8.8 59.0 56.3 15.3 70.3 1983 23,195 21,667 10,783 9.3 61.1 58.5 17.4 78.4 1984 22,384 20,796 10,372 8.8 61.7 58.5 16.8 78.2 1985 21,379 19,847 9,824 8.3 60.0 56.6 15.8 76.1 1986 20,909 19,381 9,846 8.1 59.9 56.2 15.7 76.5 1987 20,583 19,072 9,765 7.9 59.2 55.6 15.5 75.4 1988 20,095 18,613 9,363 7.6 58.6 55.2 14.8 75.1 1989 20,266 18,778 9,429 7.6 59.6 55.6 14.9 74.9 1990 21,547 20,038 10,127 8.0 59.7 55.7 15.8 75.4 1991 24,115 22,599 11,952 9.0 63.3 59.3 18.4 83.3 1992 26,886 25,369 13,349 9.9 66.7 64.0 20.2 87.3 1993 28,422 26,952 14,196 10.5 68.6 63.8 21.2 90.3 1994 28,879 27,434 14,391 10.5 72.2 66.9 21.2 94.1 1995 27,989 26,579 13,860 10.1 73.0 67.6 20.2 94.5 1996 26,872 25,494 13,189 9.6 69.9 64.7 19.1 91.2 1997 24,148 22,820 11,847 8.5 64.3 60.0 17.0 83.9 1998 20,970 19,746 10,524 7.3 57.4 57.9 15.1 78.1 1999 19,322 18,149 9,354 6.7 56.4 52.6 13.3 77.2 1 Total participants includes all participating States, the District of Columbia, and the territories (including Puerto Rico). The number of child participants includes only the participating States and D.C. (the territories are not included). From 1962 to 1983 the number of participants includes the Family Food Assistance Program (FFAP) which was largely replaced by the Food Stamp program in 1975. The FFAP participants (as of December) for the seven years shown during the period from 1962 to 1974 were respectively: 6,411; 4,742; 3,977; 3,642; 3,002; 2,441; and 1,406 (all in thousands). From 1975 to 1983 the number of FFAP participants averaged only 88 thousand. The monthly average number of participants for 1970-76 is computed as an average from October of the prior calendar year to September, the span of the fiscal year since 1977.
2 Participation figures in column 1 from 1982 on include enrollment in Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (averaging 1.2 to 1.5 million persons a month under the nutrition assistance grant and higher figures in earlier years under Food Stamps) as shown in Table FSP 5.
3 Includes all participating States and the District of Columbia only — the territories are excluded from both numerator and denominator. Population numbers used as denominators are the resident population — see Current Population Reports, Series P25-1106. For the persons living in poverty used as denominators, see Current Population Reports, Series P60-210.
4 The pretransfer poverty population used as denominator is the number of all persons in families or living alone whose income (cash income plus social insurance plus Social Security but before taxes and means-tested transfers) falls below the appropriate poverty threshold. See Appendix J, Table 20, 1992 Green Book; data for subsequent years are unpublished Congressional Budget Office tabulations.
5 The first fiscal year in which food stamps were available nationwide.
6 The fiscal year in which the food stamp purchase requirement was eliminated, on a phased in basis.
Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, National Data Bank, the 1996 Green Book, and U.S. Bureau of the Census, “Poverty in the United States: 1999,” Current Population Reports, Series P60-210 and earlier years.Table FSP 2.Trends in Food Stamp Expenditures, Selected Years 1975 – 1999
Fiscal Year Total Federal Cost Benefits2
(Federal)Administration1 Total
CostAverage Monthly
Benefit per PersonCurrent Dollars 1999 Dollars3 Federal State & Local Current Dollars 1999 Dollars3 [In millions] [In millions] [In millions] [In millions] [In millions] [In millions] 1975....................... $5,037 $15,379 $4,798 $238 $180 $5,217 $19.60 $59.80 1976....................... 5,641 16,124 5,276 365 275 5,934 23.90 68.30 1977....................... 5,463 14,536 5,061 402 300 5,775 24.00 63.90 1978....................... 5,546 13,844 5,112 434 325 5,883 25.70 64.20 1979 4..................... 6,965 15,988 6,450 515 388 7,388 30.10 69.10 1980....................... 9,224 19,034 8,721 503 375 9,633 34.30 70.80 1981....................... 11,308 21,218 10,630 678 504 11,906 39.50 74.10 1982....................... 11,117 19,491 10,408 709 557 11,697 39.20 68.70 1983....................... 12,708 21,309 11,930 778 612 13,343 43.10 72.30 1984....................... 12,446 20,018 11,475 971 5 805 13,251 42.90 69.00 1985....................... 12,573 19,520 11,530 1,043 871 13,444 45.10 70.00 1986....................... 12,510 18,943 11,397 1,113 935 13,445 45.60 69.00 1987....................... 12,512 18,423 11,317 1,195 996 13,508 45.90 67.60 1988....................... 13,281 18,787 11,991 1,290 1,080 14,361 49.90 70.60 1989....................... 13,904 18,769 12,572 1,332 1,101 15,005 51.90 70.10 1990....................... 16,503 21,221 15,081 1,422 1,174 17,677 59.00 75.90 1991....................... 19,790 24,225 18,274 1,516 1,247 21,037 63.90 78.20 1992....................... 23,535 27,961 21,879 1,656 1,375 24,910 68.70 81.60 1993....................... 24,733 28,525 23,017 1,716 1,572 26,305 68.00 78.40 1994....................... 25,587 28,748 23,798 1,789 1,643 27,230 69.10 77.60 1995....................... 25,776 28,177 23,859 1,917 1,748 27,524 71.40 78.00 1996....................... 25,527 27,152 23,543 1,984 1,842 27,369 73.40 78.10 1997....................... 22,750 23,562 20,692 2,058 1,904 24,654 71.40 73.90 1998....................... 20,224 20,610 18,055 2,169 1,988 22,212 71.30 72.70 1999....................... 19,045 19,045 16,945 2,100 1,874 22,919 72.40 72.40 1 Amounts include the Federal share of state administrative and employment and training costs (including administrative costs of Puerto Rico's block grant) and certain direct Federal administrative costs. They do not generally include approximately $60 million in food-stamp related federal administrative costs budgeted under a separate appropriation account (although estimates prior to 1989 do include estimates of food stamp related Federal administrative expenses paid out of other Agriculture Department accounts). State and local costs are estimated based on the known Federal shares and represent an estimate of all administrative expenses of participating states (including Puerto Rico).
2 Benefit costs include the Food Stamp Program and Puerto Rico's nutritional assistance program and are based on unpublished data from the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, National Data Bank (see Table FSP 4).
3 Constant dollar adjustments to 1999 level were made using a CPI-U-X1 fiscal year average price index.
4 The fiscal year in which the food stamp purchase requirement was eliminated, on a phased in basis.
5 Beginning 1984 USDA took over from DHHS the administrative cost of certifying public assistance households for food stamps.
Note: Total federal cost includes food stamps in Puerto Rico (1975-1981) and funding for Puerto Rico's nutrition assistance grant (1982-present). Average benefit figures, however, do not reflect the lower benefits in Puerto Rico under either the food stamp program from 1975 to 1981 or its nutrition assistance program since 1982.
Source: USDA, Food and Nutrition Service unpublished data from the National Data Bank; and the 2000 Green Book.Table FSP 3. Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, 1980 - 1999 [In percent]
Year 1 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 With Gross Monthly Income: Below the Federal Poverty Levels..... 87 93 92 92 92 90 91 91 90 89 Between the Poverty Levels and 130 Percent of the Poverty Levels............ 10 6 8 8 8 9 8 8 9 10 Above 130 Percent of Poverty........... 2 1 * * * 1 1 1 1 1 With Earnings........................................ 19 19 20 19 21 21 23 24 26 27 With Public Assistance Income 2........... 65 71 72 73 66 69 67 67 65 63 With AFDC/TANF Income............... NA 42 42 43 40 38 37 35 31 27 With SSI Income............................... 18 18 20 19 19 23 24 26 28 30 With Children........................................ 60 61 61 61 62 61 60 58 58 56 And Female Heads of Household...... NA 47 50 51 51 51 50 49 47 46 With No Spouse Present ............ NA NA 39 37 44 43 43 42 41 40 With Elderly Members 3...................... 23 22 19 18 15 16 16 18 18 20 With Elderly Female Heads of Household 3..................................... NA 16 14 11 9 11 NA NA NA NA Average Household Size........................ 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 1 Data were gathered in August in the years 1980-84 and during the summer in the years from 1986 to 1994. Reports from 1995 to the present are based on fiscal year averages.
2 Public assistance income includes AFDC, SSI, and general assistance.
3 Elderly members and heads of household include those of age 60 or older.
* Less than 0.5 percent.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1999 and earlier years.Table FSP 4. Value of Food Stamps Issued by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1975 – 1999 [Millions of dollars]
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1997 1998 1999 Alabama $108 $246 $318 $328 $441 $393 $357 $346 Alaska 7 27 25 25 50 52 50 49 Arizona 45 97 121 239 414 316 253 233 Arkansas 78 122 126 155 212 214 206 210 California 374 530 639 968 2,473 2,372 2,020 1,796 Colorado 48 71 94 156 217 182 157 145 Connecticut 38 59 62 72 169 170 161 150 Delaware 8 21 22 25 47 41 34 32 Dist. of Columbia 32 41 40 43 92 91 85 82 Florida 236 421 368 609 1,307 1,061 845 813 Georgia 144 264 290 382 700 597 538 514 Guam 3 15 18 15 24 27 34 31 Hawaii 26 60 93 81 177 189 178 180 Idaho 12 29 36 40 59 53 47 45 Illinois 259 394 713 835 1,056 933 844 767 Indiana 64 154 242 226 382 293 263 255 Iowa 29 54 107 109 142 125 109 103 Kansas 13 38 64 96 144 112 83 80 Kentucky 138 211 332 334 413 372 345 337 Louisiana 149 243 365 549 629 512 467 463 Maine 36 60 62 63 112 103 100 89 Maryland 79 140 171 203 365 319 282 237 Massachusetts 104 171 173 207 315 262 222 205 Michigan 132 263 541 663 806 678 588 515 Minnesota 43 62 105 165 240 193 181 172 Mississippi 115 199 264 352 383 313 254 232 Missouri 85 142 212 312 488 401 345 348 Montana 11 18 31 41 57 55 52 52 Nebraska 12 25 44 59 77 72 68 66 Nevada 11 15 22 41 91 74 63 56 New Hampshire 14 22 15 20 44 35 30 31 New Jersey 136 226 260 289 506 449 384 346 New Mexico 49 81 88 117 196 168 144 144 New York 233 726 938 1,086 2,065 1,778 1,505 1,464 North Carolina 139 234 237 282 495 478 421 435 North Dakota 5 9 16 25 32 29 25 26 Ohio 268 382 697 861 1,017 744 613 535 Oklahoma 40 73 134 186 315 256 231 221 Oregon 58 80 142 168 254 216 198 190 Pennsylvania 190 373 547 661 1,006 865 764 704 Puerto Rico 366 828 786 894 1,095 1,142 1,166 1,190 Rhode Island 19 31 35 42 82 70 57 61 South Carolina 126 181 194 240 297 281 264 251 South Dakota 8 18 26 35 40 39 37 37 Tennessee 126 282 280 372 554 475 437 425 Texas 319 514 701 1,429 2,246 1,765 1,425 1,255 Utah 13 22 40 71 90 78 75 73 Vermont 10 18 20 22 46 40 34 34 Virgin Islands 9 19 23 18 28 25 22 22 Virginia 70 158 189 247 450 379 307 282 Washington 71 90 140 229 417 386 308 260 West Virginia 57 87 159 192 253 239 224 208 Wisconsin 33 68 148 180 220 158 130 124 Wyoming 3 6 15 21 28 23 21 19 United States $4,798 $8,721 $11,530 $15,081 $23,859 $20,692 $18,055 $16,945 Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, unpublished data from the Food Stamp National Data Bank.
Table FSP 5. Average Number of Food Stamp Recipients by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1977 – 1999 [In thousands]
1977 1981 1985 1989 1992 1994 1996 1999 Percent Change 1989-94 1994-99 Alabama 316 605 588 436 550 545 509 405 25 -26 Alaska 11 32 22 26 38 46 46 41 76 -10 Arizona 140 210 206 264 457 512 427 257 94 -50 Arkansas 213 305 253 227 277 283 274 253 24 -10 California 1,345 1,605 1,615 1,776 2,558 3,155 3,143 2,027 78 -36 Colorado 147 175 170 211 260 268 244 173 27 -35 Connecticut 178 175 145 114 202 223 223 178 96 -20 Delaware 26 56 40 30 51 59 58 39 99 -35 Dist. of Columbia 98 101 72 58 82 91 93 84 55 -7 Florida 728 957 630 668 1,404 1,474 1,371 933 121 -37 Georgia 459 654 567 485 754 830 793 617 71 -26 Guam 22 25 20 13 20 15 18 20 21 30 Hawaii 108 104 99 78 94 115 130 125 47 9 Idaho 33 64 59 61 72 82 80 57 34 -30 Illinois 922 984 1,110 990 1,156 1,189 1,105 820 20 -31 Indiana 196 405 406 285 448 518 390 298 82 -42 Iowa 108 163 203 168 192 196 177 129 16 -34 Kansas 62 108 119 128 175 192 172 115 50 -40 Kentucky 394 519 560 447 529 522 486 396 17 -24 Louisiana 425 574 644 725 779 756 670 516 4 -32 Maine 101 140 114 84 133 136 131 109 61 -20 Maryland 255 346 287 249 342 390 375 264 57 -32 Massachusetts 579 437 337 314 429 442 374 261 40 -41 Michigan 635 942 985 874 994 1,031 935 683 18 -34 Minnesota 158 202 228 245 309 318 295 208 30 -35 Mississippi 333 514 495 493 536 511 457 288 4 -44 Missouri 221 378 362 404 549 593 554 408 47 -31 Montana 27 47 58 56 66 71 71 61 28 -15 Nebraska 40 75 94 92 107 111 102 92 20 -17 Nevada 18 37 32 41 80 97 97 62 134 -36 New Hampshire 44 54 28 22 58 62 53 37 182 -39 New Jersey 493 608 464 353 494 545 540 385 54 -29 New Mexico 118 183 157 151 221 244 235 178 62 -27 New York 1,646 1,851 1,834 1,463 1,885 2,154 2,099 1,541 47 -28 North Carolina 428 605 474 390 597 630 631 505 61 -20 North Dakota 15 29 33 39 46 45 40 33 17 -26 Ohio 803 976 1,133 1,068 1,251 1,245 1,045 640 17 -49 Oklahoma 158 206 263 261 346 376 354 271 44 -28 Oregon 153 232 228 213 265 286 288 224 34 -22 Pennsylvania 843 1,071 1,032 916 1,137 1,208 1,124 835 32 -31 Puerto Rico 1,472 1,805 1,480 1,460 1,480 1,410 1,330 1,139 -3 -19 Rhode Island 79 88 69 57 87 94 91 76 65 -19 South Carolina 280 443 373 272 369 385 358 309 42 -20 South Dakota 26 46 48 50 55 53 49 44 6 -17 Tennessee 392 677 518 500 702 735 638 511 47 -30 Texas 823 1,226 1,263 1,634 2,454 2,726 2,372 1,401 67 -49 Utah 36 65 75 95 123 128 110 88 34 -31 Vermont 46 48 44 34 54 65 56 44 90 -31 Virgin Islands 25 34 32 16 16 20 31 17 23 -15 Virginia 240 432 360 333 495 547 538 362 65 -34 Washington 212 271 281 321 431 468 478 307 46 -34 West Virginia 199 252 278 259 310 321 300 247 24 -23 Wisconsin 175 269 363 291 334 330 283 182 13 -45 Wyoming 9 15 27 27 33 34 33 23 25 -31 United States 17,014 22,430 21,379 20,266 26,886 28,879 26,872 19,322 42 -33 Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, unpublished data from the National Data Bank.
Table FSP 6. Food Stamp Recipiency Rates by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1977 – 1999 [In percent]
1977 1981 1985 1989 1992 1994 1996 1999 Percent Change
1989-94 1994-99 Alabama 8.4 15.4 14.8 10.8 13.3 12.9 11.9 9.3 19 -28 Alaska 2.7 7.7 4.1 4.8 6.4 7.6 7.6 6.7 60 -13 Arizona 5.8 7.5 6.5 7.3 11.8 12.3 9.6 5.4 69 -56 Arkansas 9.7 13.3 10.9 9.7 11.6 11.5 10.9 9.9 19 -14 California 6.0 6.6 6.1 6.1 8.3 10.1 9.9 6.1 66 -39 Colorado 5.5 5.9 5.3 6.5 7.5 7.3 6.4 4.3 14 -42 Connecticut 5.8 5.6 4.5 3.5 6.2 6.8 6.8 5.4 97 -20 Delaware 4.5 9.3 6.5 4.5 7.3 8.4 8.0 5.1 85 -39 Dist. of Columbia 14.5 15.9 11.4 9.4 14.1 16.0 17.2 16.2 71 1 Florida 8.2 9.4 5.5 5.3 10.4 10.6 9.5 6.2 100 -42 Georgia 8.8 11.7 9.5 7.6 11.2 11.8 10.8 7.9 56 -33 Hawaii 11.8 10.6 9.5 7.1 8.2 9.8 11.0 10.6 37 8 Idaho 3.8 6.7 5.9 6.1 6.7 7.2 6.7 4.6 17 -36 Illinois 8.1 8.6 9.7 8.7 10.0 10.1 9.3 6.8 16 -33 Indiana 3.6 7.4 7.4 5.2 7.9 9.0 6.7 5.0 75 -44 Iowa 3.7 5.6 7.2 6.1 6.9 6.9 6.2 4.5 14 -35 Kansas 2.7 4.5 4.9 5.2 6.9 7.5 6.6 4.3 44 -42 Kentucky 11.0 14.2 15.2 12.1 14.1 13.7 12.3 10.0 13 -27 Louisiana 10.6 13.4 14.6 17.0 18.2 17.6 15.4 11.8 3 -33 Maine 9.2 12.4 9.8 6.9 10.7 11.0 10.6 8.7 59 -21 Maryland 6.1 8.1 6.5 5.3 7.0 7.8 7.4 5.1 49 -35 Massachusetts 10.1 7.6 5.7 5.2 7.2 7.3 6.1 4.2 40 -42 Michigan 6.9 10.2 10.8 9.4 10.5 10.8 9.6 6.9 14 -36 Minnesota 4.0 4.9 5.5 5.7 6.9 7.0 6.3 4.4 23 -37 Mississippi 13.5 20.3 19.1 19.1 20.5 19.2 16.9 10.4 0 -46 Missouri 4.5 7.7 7.2 7.9 10.6 11.2 10.3 7.5 42 -34 Montana 3.6 5.9 7.1 7.0 8.1 8.3 8.1 6.9 20 -17 Nebraska 2.6 4.7 5.9 5.9 6.7 6.8 6.2 5.5 17 -19 Nevada 2.7 4.4 3.4 3.6 6.0 6.6 6.0 3.4 83 -49 New Hampshire 5.1 5.8 2.8 2.0 5.2 5.4 4.6 3.1 174 -43 New Jersey 6.7 8.2 6.1 4.6 6.3 6.9 6.8 4.7 51 -31 New Mexico 9.7 13.7 10.9 10.0 14.0 14.7 13.8 10.3 47 -30 New York 9.2 10.5 10.3 8.1 10.4 11.9 11.6 8.5 46 -29 North Carolina 7.5 10.2 7.6 5.9 8.7 8.9 8.6 6.6 50 -26 North Dakota 2.4 4.4 4.9 6.0 7.2 7.1 6.2 5.3 19 -26 Ohio 7.5 9.1 10.6 9.9 11.4 11.2 9.4 5.7 14 -49 Oklahoma 5.5 6.7 8.0 8.3 10.8 11.6 10.7 8.1 40 -30 Oregon 6.3 8.7 8.5 7.6 8.9 9.3 9.0 6.8 21 -27 Pennsylvania 7.1 9.0 8.8 7.7 9.5 10.0 9.3 7.0 30 -31 Rhode Island 8.3 9.3 7.2 5.7 8.7 9.4 9.2 7.7 66 -18 South Carolina 9.4 13.9 11.3 7.9 10.3 10.5 9.6 7.9 34 -24 South Dakota 3.8 6.6 6.9 7.2 7.6 7.3 6.6 6.0 2 -18 Tennessee 8.9 14.6 11.0 10.3 14.0 14.2 12.0 9.3 38 -35 Texas 6.2 8.3 7.8 9.7 13.9 14.8 12.5 7.0 53 -53 Utah 2.7 4.3 4.6 5.6 6.8 6.6 5.4 4.1 19 -37 Vermont 9.4 9.4 8.2 6.1 9.4 11.1 9.6 7.5 83 -33 Virginia 4.6 7.9 6.3 5.4 7.8 8.4 8.1 5.3 54 -37 Washington 5.6 6.4 6.4 6.8 8.4 8.8 8.6 5.3 30 -39 West Virginia 10.4 12.9 14.6 14.3 17.1 17.7 16.5 13.7 23 -23 Wisconsin 3.8 5.7 7.6 6.0 6.7 6.5 5.5 3.5 8 -46 Wyoming 2.1 3.0 5.4 6.0 7.2 7.2 6.9 4.9 20 -32 United States 7.1 9.0 8.3 7.6 9.9 10.5 9.6 6.7 39 -37 Note: Recipiency rate refers to the average monthly number of food stamp recipients in each State during the particular fiscal year expressed as a percent of the total resident population as of July 1 of that year. The numerator is from Table A-18.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, unpublished data from the National Data Bank and U.S. Bureau of the Census, (Resident population by state available online at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/).
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program is a means tested, federally administered income assistance program authorized by title XVI of the Social Security Act. Established in 1972 (Public Law 92-603) and begun in 1974, SSI provides monthly cash payments in accordance with uniform, nationwide eligibility requirements to needy aged, blind and disabled persons. To qualify for SSI payments, a person must satisfy the program criteria for age, blindness or disability. Children may qualify for SSI if they are under age 18, unmarried, and meet the applicable SSI disability or blindness, income and resource requirements. Individuals and couples are eligible for SSI if their countable incomes fall below the Federal maximum monthly SSI benefit levels, which were $532 for an individual and $789 for a couple in fiscal year 2000. SSI eligibility is restricted to qualified persons who have countable resources/assets of not more than $2,000, or $3,000 for a couple.
SSI law requires that SSI applicants file for all other money benefits for which they may be entitled. Since its inception, SSI has been viewed as the “program of last resort”-- after evaluating all other income, SSI pays what is necessary to bring an individual to the statutorily prescribed income “floor.” (The Social Security Administration, which administers the SSI program, works with recipients and helps them get any other benefits for which they are eligible.) As of December 1999, 36 percent of all SSI recipients also received Social Security benefits; Social Security benefits are the single highest source of income for SSI recipients.
No individual could receive both SSI payments and AFDC benefits; if eligible for both, the individual was required to choose which benefit to receive. Generally, the AFDC agency encouraged individuals to file for SSI and, once the SSI payments had started, the individual was removed from the AFDC filing unit. The PRWORA does not specifically prohibit an individual’s receipt of both TANF benefits and SSI; states have complete authority to set TANF eligibility standards and benefit levels.
Except in California, which converted food stamp benefits to cash that is included in the State supplementary payment, SSI recipients may be eligible to receive food stamps. If all household members receive SSI, they do not need to meet the Food Stamp Program financial eligibility standards to participate in the program because they are categorically eligible. If SSI beneficiaries live in households where other household members do not receive SSI benefits, the household must meet the net income eligibility standard of the Food Stamp Program to be eligible for food stamp benefits.
Recent Legislative Changes
Several legislative changes made in the 104th Congress are likely to affect Supplemental Security Income (SSI) participation and expenditures. Public Law 104-121, the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996, prohibits SSI eligibility to individuals whose drug addiction and/or alcoholism (DAA) is a contributing factor material to the finding of disability. This provision applied to individuals who filed for benefits on or after the date of enactment (March 29, 1996) and to individuals whose claims were finally adjudicated on or after the date of enactment. It applied to current beneficiaries on January 1, 1997.
The PRWORA made several changes designed to maintain the SSI program’s goal of providing benefits for severely disabled children while preventing children without serious impairments from receiving benefits. First, the act replaced the former law “comparable severity” test with a new definition of childhood disability based on a medically determinable physical or mental impairment. Second, it discontinued use of the Individualized Functional Assessment (IFA) which authorized subjective judgment to determine children’s eligibility for SSI. Third, it eliminated references to “maladaptive behavior” in the Listings of Impairments (among medical criteria for evaluation of mental and emotional disorders in the domain of personal/behavioral function). The latter two provisions were effective for all new and pending applications upon enactment (August 22, 1996). Current beneficiaries receiving benefits due to an IFA or maladaptive behavior listing received notice no later than January 1, 1997, that their benefits might end when their case is redetermined. All currently receiving benefits are subject to redetermination using the new eligibility criteria by February 28, 1998 (per P.L. 105-33, enacted August 5, 1997).
Title IV of PRWORA also made significant changes in the eligibility of noncitizens for SSI benefits. Essentially, qualified aliens (including legal immigrants) are barred from SSI. Some of the restrictions were subsequently moderated, most notably by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-33), which grandfathered immigrants who were receiving SSI at the time of enactment of the PRWORA.
Several provisions aimed at reducing SSI fraud and improving recovery of overpayments were enacted in 1999, as part of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (P. L. 106-169). Other legislation enacted in 1999 provides additional work incentives for disabled beneficiaries of SSI.
SSI Program Data
The following set of tables and figures provide SSI program data:
- Tables SSI-1 through SSI-4 present national caseload and expenditure trend data on the SSI program;
- Table SSI-5 presents some demographic characteristics of the SSI caseload; and
- Tables SSI 6-8 present some state-by-state trend data on the SSI program through fiscal year 1999.
From 1990 to 1995, the program increased from 4.8 million beneficiaries to 6.5 million beneficiaries, an average growth rate of over 6 percent per year. Since 1995, the number of beneficiaries has stabilized, fluctuating between 6.5 and 6.6 million persons. In December 1999, there were nearly 6.6 million beneficiaries. Table SSI 1 presents information on the number of persons receiving SSI payments in December of each year from 1974 through 1999. In addition to data on the total number of SSI recipients, Table SSI 1 also shows recipients by eligibility category (aged, blind and disabled) and by type of recipient (child, adult age 18-64, and adult age 65 or older). See also Table IND 9a and Table IND 9b in Chapter II for further data on trends in recipiency and participation rates.
The composition of the SSI caseload has been shifting over time, as shown in Table A-20. The number of beneficiaries eligible because of age has been declining steadily, from a high of 2.3 million persons in December 1975 to 1.3 million persons in December 1998. At the same time there has been a strong growth in disabled beneficiaries, from 1.6 million in December 1974 to 5.2 million in December 1999. Moreover, the number of disabled children has increased dramatically, particularly in the 1990s, when the number of disabled children receiving SSI increased from 340,000 in December 1990 to 955,000 in December 1996. The number of disabled children has fallen in the past three years, declining to 847,000 in December 1999.[1]
Several factors have contributed to the growth of the Supplemental Security Income program. Expansions in disability eligibility (particularly for mentally impaired adults and for children), increased outreach, overall growth in immigration, and transfers from state programs were among the key factors identified in a 1995 study by the General Accounting Office (GAO). GAO concluded that three groups – adults with mental impairments, children, and non-citizens – accounted for nearly 90 percent of the SSI program’s growth in the early 1990s. The growth in disabled children beneficiaries is generally believed to be due to outreach activities, the Supreme Court decision in the Zebley case[2], expansion of the medical impairment category, and reduction in reviews of continuing eligibility.
Figure SSI 1. SSI Recipients by Age, 1974 – 1999
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, (Data available online at http://www.ssa.gov/statistics/ores_home.html).
Table SSI 1. Number of Persons Receiving Federally Administered SSI Payments
1974 – 1999 [In thousands]Eligibility Category Type of Recipient Blind and Disabled Adults Date Total Aged Total Blind Disabled Children Age 18-64 65 or Older Dec 1974 3,996 2,286 1,710 75 1,636 71 1 1,503 2,422 Dec 1975 4,314 2,307 2,007 74 1,933 107 1,699 2,508 Dec 1976 4,236 2,148 2,088 76 2,012 125 1,714 2,397 Dec 1977 4,238 2,051 2,187 77 2,109 147 1,738 2,353 Dec 1978 4,217 1,968 2,249 77 2,172 166 1,747 2,304 Dec 1979 4,150 1,872 2,278 77 2,201 177 1,727 2,246 Dec 1980 4,142 1,808 2,334 78 2,256 190 1,731 2,221 Dec 1981 4,019 1,678 2,341 79 2,262 195 1,703 2,121 Dec 1982 3,858 1,549 2,309 77 2,231 192 1,655 2,011 Dec 1983 3,901 1,515 2,386 79 2,307 198 1,700 2,003 Dec 1984 4,029 1,530 2,499 81 2,419 212 1,780 2,037 Dec 1985 4,138 1,504 2,634 82 2,551 227 1,879 2,031 Dec 1986 4,269 1,473 2,796 83 2,713 241 2,010 2,018 Dec 1987 4,385 1,455 2,930 83 2,846 251 2,119 2,015 Dec 1988 4,464 1,433 3,030 83 2,948 255 2,203 2,006 Dec 1989 4,593 1,439 3,154 83 3,071 265 2,302 2,026 Dec 1990 4,817 1,454 3,363 84 3,279 309 2,450 2,059 Dec 1991 5,118 1,465 3,654 85 3,569 397 2,642 2,080 Dec 1992 5,566 1,471 4,095 85 4,010 556 2,910 2,100 Dec 1993 5,984 1,475 4,509 85 4,424 723 3,148 2,113 Dec 1994 6,296 1,466 4,830 85 4,745 841 3,335 2,119 Dec 1995 6,514 1,446 5,068 84 4,984 917 3,482 2,115 Dec 1996 6,614 1,413 5,201 82 5,119 955 3,568 2,090 Dec 1997 6,495 1,362 5,133 81 5,052 880 3,562 2,054 Dec 1998 6,566 1,332 5,234 80 5,154 887 3,646 2,033 Dec 1999 6,557 1,308 5,249 79 5,169 847 3,691 2,019 1 Includes students 18-21 in 1974 only.
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000, (Data available online at http://www.ssa.gov/statistics).
Table SSI 2. SSI Recipiency Rates, 1974 – 1999 [In percent]
Elderly Recipients (Persons 65 & Older) as a Percent of All Recipients as a Percent of Total Population1 Adults 18-64 as a Percent of 18-64 Population1 Child Recipients as a Percent of All Children1 All Persons 65 & Older1 All Elderly Poor2 Pretransfer Elderly Poor3 Dec 1974 1.9 1.2 0.1 10.8 78.5 NA Dec 1975 2.0 1.3 0.2 10.9 75.6 NA Dec 1976 1.9 1.3 0.2 10.2 72.4 NA Dec 1977 1.9 1.3 0.2 9.7 74.1 NA Dec 1978 1.9 1.3 0.3 9.3 71.5 NA Dec 1979 1.8 1.3 0.3 8.8 61.3 66.8 Dec 1980 1.8 1.2 0.3 8.6 57.5 64.7 Dec 1981 1.7 1.2 0.3 8.0 55.0 63.3 Dec 1982 1.7 1.2 0.3 7.4 53.6 62.3 Dec 1983 1.7 1.2 0.3 7.3 55.2 61.9 Dec 1984 1.7 1.2 0.3 7.2 61.2 66.3 Dec 1985 1.7 1.3 0.4 7.1 58.7 64.5 Dec 1986 1.8 1.3 0.4 6.9 57.9 63.4 Dec 1987 1.8 1.4 0.4 6.7 56.5 64.7 Dec 1988 1.8 1.5 0.4 6.6 57.6 64.3 Dec 1989 1.9 1.5 0.4 6.5 60.3 64.6 Dec 1990 1.9 1.6 0.5 6.5 56.3 63.3 Dec 1991 2.0 1.7 0.6 6.5 55.0 61.1 Dec 1992 2.2 1.9 0.8 6.5 53.5 59.8 Dec 1993 2.3 2.0 1.1 6.4 56.3 63.3 Dec 1994 2.4 2.1 1.2 6.4 57.9 65.6 Dec 1995 2.5 2.2 1.3 6.4 63.7 71.4 Dec 1996 2.5 2.2 1.4 6.2 61.0 69.3 Dec 1997 2.4 2.2 1.3 6.0 60.8 69.1 Dec 1998 2.4 2.2 1.3 5.9 60.0 69.1 Dec 1999 2.4 2.2 1.2 5.8 63.7 72.4 1 Population numbers used for the denominators are Census resident population estimates adjusted to the December date by averaging the July 1 population of the current year with the July 1 population of the following year; see Current Population Reports, Series P25-1106 and Resident Population Estimates of the United States by Age and Sex, April 1, 1990 to July 1, 2000, Internet release date January 2, 2001 (Available online at http://www.census.gov).
2 For the number of persons (65 years of age and older living in poverty) used as the denominator, see Current Population Reports, Series P60-210.
3 The pretransfer poverty population used as the denominator is the number of all elderly persons living in elderly-only units whose income (cash income plus social insurance plus Social Security but before taxes and means-tested transfers) falls below the appropriate poverty threshold. See Appendix J, Table 20, 1992 Green Book; data for subsequent years are unpublished Congressional Budget Office tabulations.
Notes: Numerators for these ratios are from Table A-20. Rates computed by DHHS.Source: 1994 Green Book and U.S. Bureau of the Census, “Poverty in the United States: 1999," Current Population Reports, Series P60-210, and earlier years, (Available online at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html).
Table SSI 3. Total, Federal, and State SSI Benefits and Administration, 1974 – 19991 [In millions of dollars]
Total Benefits Federal Payments State Supplementation Administrative
Costs (fiscal year)Calendar Year 19992 Dollars Current Dollars Total Federally Administered State Administered 1974............. $16,839 $5,246 $3,833 $1,413 $1,264 $149 $285 1975............. 17,425 5,878 4,314 1,565 1,403 162 399 1976............. 17,013 6,066 4,512 1,554 1,388 166 500 1977............. 16,623 6,306 4,703 1,603 1,431 172 NA 1978............. 16,171 6,552 4,881 1,671 1,491 180 539 1979............. 15,928 7,075 5,279 1,797 1,590 207 610 1980............. 16,074 7,941 5,866 2,074 1,848 226 668 1981............. 15,889 8,593 6,518 2,076 1,839 237 718 1982............. 15,651 8,981 6,907 2,074 1,798 276 779 1983............. 15,730 9,404 7,423 1,982 1,711 270 830 1984............. 16,631 10,372 8,281 2,091 1,792 299 864 1985............. 17,125 11,060 8,777 2,283 1,973 311 953 1986............. 18,364 12,081 9,498 2,583 2,243 340 1,022 1987............. 18,993 12,951 10,029 2,922 2,563 359 976 1988............. 19,415 13,786 10,734 3,052 2,671 381 975 1989............. 20,126 14,980 11,606 3,374 2,955 419 1,051 1990............. 21,158 16,599 12,894 3,705 3,239 466 1,075 1991............. 22,659 18,524 14,765 3,759 3,231 529 1,257 1992............. 26,400 22,233 18,247 3,986 3,435 550 1,538 1993............. 28,313 24,557 20,722 3,835 3,270 566 1,467 1994............. 29,089 25,877 22,175 3,701 3,116 585 1,775 1995............. 30,202 27,628 23,919 3,708 3,118 590 1,973 1996............. 30,572 28,792 25,265 3,527 2,988 539 1,949 1997............. 30,156 29,052 25,457 3,595 2,913 682 2,055 1998............. 30,884 30,216 26,405 3,812 3,003 808 2,304 1999............. 30,959 30,959 26,805 4,154 3,301 853 2,493 1 Payments and adjustments during the respective year but not necessarily accrued for that year.
2 Data adjusted for inflation by ASPE using the CPI-U-X1.Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000, (Data available online at http://www.ssa.gov/statistics).
Table SSI 4. Average Monthly SSI Benefit Payments, 1974 – 1999
Total 1 Federal Payments State Supplementation Calendar Year 1999 Dollars Current Dollars Total Federally Administered State Administered 1974............. $459 $135 $108 $64 $71 $35 1975............. 327 112 92 66 69 45 1980............. 310 158 133 89 91 76 1984............. 337 211 187 93 93 93 1985............. 338 219 193 99 99 102 1986............. 353 232 202 107 108 101 1987............. 353 242 208 117 118 110 1988............. 353 253 219 118 118 118 1989............. 357 267 230 126 126 127 1990............. 356 283 244 132 131 136 1991............. 362 297 260 125 122 143 1992............. 389 328 292 124 121 147 1993............. 389 337 306 112 107 150 1994............. 380 338 310 105 99 152 1995............. 384 350 322 110 103 164 1996............. 381 359 333 108 103 145 1997............. 385 369 342 99 102 86 1998............. 389 379 350 103 104 102 1999............. 388 388 356 111 113 105 1 Total is a weighted average of the Federal plus State average benefit, the Federal-only average benefit, and State-only average benefit.
Note: The numerators for these averages are given in Table SSI 3 and the denominators are given in Table SSI 5. Averages were computed by DHHS. Data adjusted for inflation using the monthly values of the CPI-U-X1 index.
Source: Number of persons receiving payments obtained from Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000.Table SSI 5. Number of Persons Receiving SSI Payments by Type of Payment, 1974 – 1999 (in thousands)
Calendar State Supplementation Total Federal Total Federally Administered State Administered Year Jan 1974...... 3,249 2,956 1,839 1,480 358 Dec 1975...... 4,360 3,893 1,987 1,684 303 Dec 1980...... 4,194 3,682 1,934 1,685 249 Dec 1984...... 4,094 3,699 1,875 1,607 268 Dec 1985...... 4,200 3,799 1,916 1,661 255 Dec 1986...... 4,347 3,922 2,003 1,723 279 Dec 1987...... 4,458 4,019 2,079 1,807 272 Dec 1988...... 4,541 4,089 2,155 1,885 270 Dec 1989...... 4,673 4,206 2,224 1,950 275 Dec 1990...... 4,888 4,412 2,344 2,058 286 Dec 1991...... 5,200 4,730 2,512 2,204 308 Dec 1992...... 5,647 5,202 2,684 2,372 313 Dec 1993...... 6,065 5,636 2,850 2,536 314 Dec 1994...... 6,377 5,965 2,950 2,628 322 Dec 1995...... 6,576 6,194 2,817 2,518 300 Dec 1996...... 6,677 6,326 2,732 2,421 310 Dec 1997...... 6,565 6,212 3,029 2,372 657 Dec 1998...... 6,649 6,289 3,072 2,412 661 Dec 1999...... 6,641 6,275 3,116 2,441 675 Source: Number of persons receiving payments obtained from Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000.
Table SSI 6. Characteristics of SSI Recipients, by Age, Sex, Earnings/Income, and Citizenship: Selected Years, 1980-1999
1980 1985 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 1999 Total Ages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 under 18 5.5 5.5 6.4 10.0 13.4 14.4 13.5 12.9 18-64 40.9 45.4 50.9 52.3 53.0 54.0 55.5 56.2 65 or older 53.6 49.1 42.7 37.7 33.7 31.6 31.0 30.9 Sex Male 34.4 35.2 37.2 39.0 41.3 41.9 41.3 41.4 Female 65.5 64.8 62.8 61.0 58.7 58.1 58.7 58.6 Selected Sources of Income Earnings 3.2 3.8 4.7 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.5 Social Security 51.0 49.4 45.9 42.1 39.1 37.0 36.5 36.3 No other income 34.8 34.5 36.4 38.7 43.6 46.2 47.3 47.5 Noncitizens NA 5.1 9.0 10.8 11.7 11.0 10.2 10.4 Eligibility Category Aged 43.6 36.4 30.2 26.4 23.3 21.4 20.3 20.0 Blind 1.9 2.0 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 Disabled 54.5 61.7 68.1 72.0 75.4 77.4 78.5 78.8 Aged Ages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 65-69 14.0 14.9 19.4 20.7 20.5 19.1 16.6 16.0 70-79 51.5 45.6 41.3 42.5 44.3 47.0 49.4 49.9 80 or older 34.5 39.5 39.2 36.8 35.1 33.9 34.1 34.0 Sex Male 27.3 25.5 25.1 25.6 26.8 27.6 28.2 28.6 Female 72.6 74.5 74.9 74.4 73.2 72.4 71.8 71.4 Noncitizens NA 9.7 19.4 25.4 30.0 29.5 27.4 28.2 Blind and Disabled Ages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 18-64 80.2 77.7 80.0 82.0 83.4 83.8 83.9 83.9 65 or older 19.8 22.3 20.0 18.0 16.6 16.2 16.1 16.1 Sex 1 Male 39.8 40.8 42.4 43.9 41.8 41.4 41.0 40.9 Female 60.2 59.2 57.6 56.1 58.2 58.6 59.0 59.1 Noncitizens NA 2.4 4.6 5.6 6.2 5.9 5.8 6.0 Children Ages 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Under 5 11.7 NA NA 16.0 15.8 14.5 14.8 15.1 5-9 20.9 NA NA 26.9 28.5 28.1 29.8 29.1 10-14 28.8 NA NA 30.6 32.7 32.8 35.4 35.9 15-17 21.7 NA NA 15.7 17.3 18.4 19.9 19.9 18-21 2 16.8 14.3 9.3 10.8 5.7 6.2 – – Sex Male NA NA NA 62.0 63.0 63.4 63.3 63.4 Female NA NA NA 38.0 37.0 36.6 36.7 36.6 Note: Data are for December of the year.
1 For 1980-1992 male-female classification reflects all blind and disabled, both children and adults; thereafter, it is based on adults only.
2 In this table, students 18-21 are classified as children prior to 1998.Source: Social Security Administration, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000 and prior years.
Table SSI 7. Total SSI Payments, Federal SSI Payments And State Supplementary Payments Calendar Year 1999 (In thousands)
State Supplementation State Total Total Federal Federal SSI Administered State Total $30,959,475 $30,106,532 $26,805,157 $3,300,975 $853,343 Alabama 659,976 659,321 659,321 – 655 Alaska 51,354 34,663 34,663 – 16,691 Arizona 340,568 340,318 340,318 – 250 Arkansas 339,065 339,065 339,065 – – California 6,167,642 6,167,642 3,900,708 2,266,934 – Colorado 301,021 229,519 229,519 – 71,502 Connecticut 301,672 210,934 210,934 – 90,738 Delaware 49,523 49,523 48,583 940 – District of Columbia 91,130 91,130 87,884 3,246 – Florida 1,588,501 1,564,230 1,564,220 10 24,271 Georgia 772,792 772,789 772,782 10 – Hawaii 97,546 97,546 84,722 12,824 – Idaho 83,951 73,216 73,216 – 10,735 Illinois 1,205,453 1,177,260 1,177,260 – 28,193 Indiana 384,576 380,000 380,000 – 4,576 Iowa 173,432 156,590 153,845 2,745 16,842 Kansas 150,723 150,723 150,723 – – Kentucky 736,917 719,935 719,935 – 16,982 Louisiana 727,754 727,238 727,238 – 516 Maine 119,450 110,690 110,690 – 8,760 Maryland 395,695 389,027 389,015 12 6,668 Massachusetts 788,296 788,296 623,107 165,189 – Michigan 1,077,231 982,648 953,887 28,761 94,583 Minnesota 336,541 266,246 266,246 – 70,295 Mississippi 517,090 517,090 517,081 9 – Missouri 488,832 463,435 463,435 – 25,397 Montana 55,593 55,593 54,810 783 – Nebraska 89,823 83,622 83,622 – 6,201 Nevada 100,977 100,977 96,147 4,830 – New Hampshire 58,190 46,972 46,972 – 11,218 New Jersey 665,113 665,113 586,359 78,754 – New Mexico 187,105 186,871 186,871 – 234 New York 3,118,358 3,118,358 2,573,094 545,264 – North Carolina 843,399 719,909 719,909 – 123,490 North Dakota 31,708 29,683 29,683 – 2,025 Ohio 1,124,699 1,124,699 1,124,684 15 – Oklahoma 334,708 297,354 297,354 – 37,354 Oregon 239,459 219,117 219,117 – 20,342 Pennsylvania 1,339,319 1,339,319 1,208,955 130,364 – Rhode Island 123,595 123,595 101,043 22,552 – South Carolina 436,684 423,301 423,301 – 13,383 South Dakota 50,961 48,660 48,653 7 2,301 Tennessee 666,082 666,082 666,080 2 – Texas 1,556,804 1,556,804 1,556,804 – – Utah 86,511 86,511 86,456 55 – Vermont 51,130 51,130 41,954 9,176 – Virginia 551,881 529,962 529,962 – 21,919 Washington 469,541 469,193 440,462 28,731 348 West Virginia 315,748 315,748 315,748 – – Wisconsin 488,907 362,718 362,718 – 126,189 Wyoming 23,916 23,230 23,230 – 686 Other: N. Mariana Islands 2,937 2,937 2,937 – – Unknown – – -165 -238 1 – 1 Represents recovered State payments not yet credited to the states.
Source: Number of persons receiving payments obtained from Social Security Administration, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Bulletin · Annual Statistical Supplement · 2000.
Table SSI 8. SSI Recipiency Rates by State And Program Type for 1979 and 1999 [In percent]
Total Recipiency Rate Rate for Adults 18-64 Rate for Adults 65 & Over 1979 1999 Percent Change 1979-99 1979 1999 Percent Change 1979-99 1979 1999 Percent Change 1979-99 Alabama 3.6 3.7 4 1.8 3.3 80 21.0 8.3 -60 Alaska 0.8 1.3 69 0.5 1.4 159 14.0 5.7 -59 Arizona 1.1 1.7 53 0.9 1.6 80 5.0 3.4 -32 Arkansas 3.5 3.4 -3 1.9 3.1 66 17.1 7.2 -58 California 3.0 3.2 6 2.1 2.5 22 16.4 12.8 -22 Colorado 1.1 1.3 18 0.8 1.3 69 6.7 3.4 -49 Connecticut 0.8 1.5 100 0.6 1.5 138 2.7 2.5 -7 Delaware 1.2 1.6 34 0.9 1.4 49 5.4 2.6 -52 District of Columbia 2.3 3.9 71 1.9 3.4 77 8.6 7.1 -17 Florida 1.8 2.4 35 1.1 2.0 75 6.2 4.8 -23 Georgia 2.9 2.5 -13 1.9 2.2 16 17.7 8.0 -55 Hawaii 1.1 1.7 62 0.7 1.4 103 7.6 5.6 -26 Idaho 0.8 1.4 77 0.6 1.5 134 3.8 2.1 -44 Illinois 1.1 2.1 94 1.0 2.1 121 4.3 3.8 -11 Indiana 0.8 1.5 100 0.6 1.6 162 3.3 1.8 -46 Iowa 0.9 1.4 57 0.6 1.6 158 3.5 1.9 -46 Kansas 0.9 1.4 57 0.6 1.5 138 3.5 2.0 -42 Kentucky 2.5 4.3 69 1.8 4.5 151 12.5 7.7 -39 Louisiana 3.4 3.8 13 2.0 3.5 72 20.1 9.0 -55 Maine 2.0 2.3 18 1.4 2.6 87 8.6 3.6 -58 Maryland 1.2 1.7 48 0.9 1.5 60 5.4 4.1 -24 Massachusetts 2.2 2.7 21 1.3 2.6 103 10.8 5.8 -46 Michigan 1.3 2.1 67 1.1 2.3 115 5.9 3.1 -47 Minnesota 0.8 1.3 60 0.6 1.4 155 3.7 2.6 -30 Mississippi 4.5 4.7 5 2.4 4.2 74 26.0 12.3 -53 Missouri 1.8 2.0 14 1.1 2.1 91 7.9 3.2 -59 Montana 0.9 1.6 80 0.7 1.7 136 3.8 2.2 -42 Nebraska 0.9 1.3 48 0.6 1.4 119 3.4 1.8 -47 Nevada 0.8 1.3 55 0.5 1.2 126 5.9 3.5 -40 New Hampshire 0.6 0.9 55 0.4 1.0 127 2.5 1.3 -49 New Jersey 1.1 1.8 58 0.9 1.5 74 4.7 4.5 -4 New Mexico 2.0 2.6 32 1.4 2.4 75 12.4 7.5 -39 New York 2.1 3.3 56 1.6 2.9 82 8.3 8.9 8 North Carolina 2.4 2.5 4 1.6 2.1 33 13.6 6.4 -53 North Dakota 1.0 1.3 31 0.6 1.3 128 5.1 2.5 -50 Ohio 1.1 2.2 98 1.0 2.4 142 4.2 2.5 -40 Oklahoma 2.3 2.2 -5 1.3 2.1 58 11.6 4.5 -61 Oregon 0.9 1.5 74 0.7 1.6 129 3.3 2.6 -21 Pennsylvania 1.4 2.3 64 1.1 2.4 114 5.0 3.5 -29 Rhode Island 1.6 2.7 70 1.1 2.7 150 6.4 5.0 -22 South Carolina 2.7 2.8 4 1.8 2.4 35 17.0 6.8 -60 South Dakota 1.1 1.7 49 0.7 1.7 136 5.0 3.2 -36 Tennessee 2.9 3.0 5 1.9 2.9 55 14.8 6.6 -55 Texas 1.9 2.0 6 1.0 1.6 68 12.7 8.1 -36 Utah 0.6 0.9 64 0.5 1.1 116 3.0 1.9 -37 Vermont 1.8 2.1 19 1.3 2.2 68 8.1 4.2 -48 Virginia 1.5 1.9 27 1.0 1.6 57 8.5 5.1 -40 Washington 1.2 1.7 47 1.0 1.8 84 4.8 3.5 -28 West Virginia 2.1 3.9 83 1.9 4.4 137 8.0 4.9 -38 Wisconsin 1.4 1.6 11 1.0 1.7 77 6.5 2.5 -62 Wyoming 0.4 1.2 186 0.3 1.3 348 2.7 1.7 -38 Total 1.9 2.4 30 1.3 2.2 75 9.0 5.8 -35 Note: Recipiency rates for 1999 are the ratios of the number of SSI recipients (in the respective age groups) as of the month of December to the population in the respective age group as of the month of July; calculations by DHHS. The 1979 rates are based on the average number of recipients during the year.
Source: Social Security Administration and U.S. Bureau of the Census, (Resident population by state available online at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/).Table SSI 9. SSI Recipiency Rates by State, Selected Fiscal Years 1975 – 1999 [In percent]
1975 1980 1985 1990 1992 1994 2 1996 2 1999 2 Alabama 4.0 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.7 Alaska 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arizona 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.7 1.7 1.7 Arkansas 4.1 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.8 3.4 California 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2 Colorado 1.4 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.3 Connecticut 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 Delaware 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.6 District of Columbia 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 3.0 3.5 3.7 3.9 Florida 1.9 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.4 2.4 Georgia 3.3 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.5 Hawaii 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.7 Idaho 1.1 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.4 Illinois 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.3 2.1 Indiana 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.5 Iowa 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 Kansas 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.4 Kentucky 2.8 2.6 2.7 3.1 3.4 4.1 4.4 4.3 Louisiana 3.9 3.2 2.9 3.2 3.5 4.1 4.2 3.8 Maine 2.3 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.4 2.2 2.3 Maryland 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.7 Massachusetts 2.3 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.7 Michigan 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.7 2.2 2.2 2.1 Minnesota 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.3 Mississippi 5.2 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.7 5.2 5.2 4.7 Missouri 2.1 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.0 Montana 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 Nebraska 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.3 Nevada 1.0 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.3 New Hampshire 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 New Jersey 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 New Mexico 2.3 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.7 2.6 New York 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.3 3.3 North Carolina 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.5 North Dakota 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.3 Ohio 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.1 2.3 2.2 Oklahoma 3.0 2.2 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.2 Oregon 1.1 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 Pennsylvania 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rhode Island 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.7 South Carolina 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.8 South Dakota 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.7 Tennessee 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.0 Texas 2.2 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.0 Utah 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.1 0.9 Vermont 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 Virginia 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.9 Washington 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.7 West Virginia 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.6 2.9 3.5 3.8 3.9 Wisconsin 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.9 2.2 1.8 1.6 Wyoming 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.9 1.2 1.2 1.2 Total 1 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.4 1 The number of SSI recipients used to calculate the total recipiency rate includes a certain number of recipients whose State is unknown. For 1975, 1985, and 1992, the numbers of unknown (in thousands) were 256, 14, and 71 respectively.
2 For 1975-92 the percentages are calculated as the average number of monthly SSI recipients over the total population of each State in July of that year. For 1994-1999 the number of recipients is from the month of December; calculations by DHHS.
Source: Social Security Administration and Bureau of the Census, (Resident population by state available online at http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/).Endnotes
[1] Earlier editions of Indicators of Welfare Dependence included students 18-21 in the count of children and so reported about 50 thousand more disabled children.
[2] On February 20, 1990, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual functional assessment (or a residual functional capacity assessment) applied to adults whose condition did not meet or equal a listing of medical impairments to determine eligibility should also be applied to children whose condition did not meet or equal the medical listing of impairments. The GAO study estimated that 87,000 children were added to the SSI caseload after the individual functional assessments for children were initiated.
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