United States Food and

Department of Nutrition

Agriculture Service

Nutrition Assistance Program Report Series

The Office of Research and Analysis

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Report No. SNAP-11-CHAR

Characteristics of Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program 

Households: Fiscal Year 2010

September 2011
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United States Food and

Department of Nutrition

Agriculture Service

September 2011

Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program

Report No. SNAP-11-CHAR

Characteristics of Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program 

Households: Fiscal Year 2010

Authors:

Esa Eslami, Kai Filion, and Mark Strayer

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Office of Research and Analysis

600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Suite 550 USDA, Food and Nutrition Service

Washington, D.C. 20024-2512 3101 Park Center Drive, Suite 1014

Alexandria, VA 22302-1500

Project Director: Carole Trippe Project Officer: Jenny Genser

This study was conducted under Contract Number AG-3198-K-11-0005 with the Food and 

Nutrition Service.

This report is available on the Food and Nutrition Service web site: 

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/research.htm

Suggested Citation:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2010, by 

Esa Eslami, Kai Filion, and Mark Strayer. Project Officer, Jenny Genser. Alexandria, VA: 2011.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and 

activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital 

status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political 

beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance 

program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communications of program information (Braille, large point, audiotape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 

(Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA 

through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.
v 

This report was prepared by Esa Eslami, Kai Filion, and Mark Strayer of Mathematica Policy 

Research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research 

and Analysis. Many individuals made important contributions to the report. The authors thank 

Carole Trippe, Karen Cunnyngham, Joshua Leftin, and Jackie Kauff for providing guidance and 

reviewing the report; Katherine Bencio, Daisy Ewell and Joel Smith for providing programming 

support; and Felita Buckner for preparing the manuscript. The authors also thank Jenny Genser, 

Kathryn Law, Bob Dalrymple, Melissa Abelev, Michael DePiro, Art Foley, Angela Kline, Harriett 

Kornegay, Shelia Little, Nick Manthos, Vicky Robinson, Arianne Steed, Elizabeth Weber, and Jackie 

Windfeldt of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service for providing 

guidance and program information. 

Authors: Esa Eslami, Kai Filion, and Mark Strayer

Mathematica Project Director: Carole Trippe 

Mathematica Project Number: 06908.109

FNS Project Officer: Jenny Genser

FNS Contract Number: AG-3198-K-11-0005

September 2011 
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vii

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................... xv

1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1

2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM .....3

Program Eligibility Requirements ...................................................................3

The Household........................................................................................3

Categorical Eligibility...............................................................................3

Income Eligibility Standards.....................................................................4

Resources................................................................................................6

Nonfinancial Eligibility Standards.............................................................6

Application Procedures ..................................................................................8

Benefit Computation......................................................................................8

SSI-CAP and MFIP Households .................................................................9

SNAP Benefit Issuance ...........................................................................10

Program Changes Since the Previous Fiscal Year ....................................10

SNAP Participation and Costs.................................................................10

3 CHARACTERISTICS OF SNAP HOUSEHOLDS AND PARTICIPANTS ....................15

The Poverty Status of SNAP Households .......................................................15

Households with Special Needs....................................................................16

Households with Children......................................................................18

Households with Elderly Individuals.......................................................18

Households with Disabled Nonelderly People.........................................21

Other Households Served by SNAP.........................................................21

Single-Person Households.....................................................................21

Characteristics of SNAP Participants.............................................................22

Changes in the Economic Conditions of SNAP Households ...........................22

ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS......................................................................27
viii

APPENDIX A: DETAILED TABLES OF SNAP HOUSEHOLD 

CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................33

APPENDIX B: DETAILED TABLES OF SNAP HOUSEHOLDS

BY STATE ..............................................................................65

APPENDIX C: FISCAL YEAR 2010 SNAP PARAMETERS ..................................83

APPENDIX D: SOURCE AND RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES...............................91

APPENDIX E: SAMPLING ERROR OF ESTIMATES...........................................99

APPENDIX F: DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT ........................................109

APPENDIX G: PREVIOUS REPORTS IN THIS SERIES ......................................115
ix

TABLES

TEXT TABLES

2.1 Major Economic Indicators, Calendar Years 1994 2010 ........................ 13

3.1 Distribution of Households and Their Benefits by Countable 

Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline, Fiscal Year 2010............. 17

3.2 Effect of SNAP Benefits on the Poverty Status of SNAP Households, 

Fiscal Year 2010................................................................................... 17

3.3 Household Composition and Selected Characteristics of 

Participating Households, Fiscal Year 2010........................................... 19

3.4 Average Values of Selected Characteristics by Household 

Composition, Fiscal Year 2010 ............................................................. 20

3.5 SNAP Benefits of Participants by Selected Demographic 

Characteristics, Fiscal Year 2010 .......................................................... 23

3.6 Nominal and Real Values of Selected Characteristics, Fiscal Year 

2009 and Fiscal Year 2010 ................................................................... 24

APPENDIX A TABLES

Summary Characteristics 

A.1 Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits 

by Household Composition, Locality, Countable Income Source, 

and SNAP Benefit Amount..................................................................... 35

A.2 Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Total Deduction, 

Countable Resources, SNAP Benefit, Household Size, and 

Certification Period of Participating Households by Household 

Composition, Locality, Countable Income Source, and SNAP Benefit 

Amount................................................................................................ 36

Income, Poverty Status, and Resources

A.3 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly 

Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Amount of 

Gross and Net Countable Income, Countable Resources, and Gross 

and Net Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline........... 37

A.4 Distribution of Participating Households by Household Size and 

Amount of Countable Gross and Net Income, Resources, and Gross 

and Net Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline ........................... 38
x

APPENDIX A TABLES (continued)

A.5 Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Average Gross and Net 

Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline, Average 

Countable Resources, and Average Monthly Benefit of Participating 

Households by Household Composition and Size.................................. 39

A.6 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly 

Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Type of 

Countable Income ................................................................................ 40

A.7 Average Income, Total Deduction, SNAP Benefit, and Household 

Size of Participating Households by Type of Countable Income............. 41

A.8 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly 

Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Countable 

Earned and Unearned Income Amounts................................................. 42

SNAP Deductions

A.9 Distribution of Participating Households by Type of Deduction and 

Household Composition, Countable Income Source, and SNAP 

Benefit Amount..................................................................................... 44

A.10 Average Values of Deductions of Participating Households by 

Household Composition, Countable Income Source, and SNAP 

Benefit Amount..................................................................................... 45

A.11 Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Household 

Characteristics and Amount of Deduction............................................. 46

SNAP Benefit

A.12 Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Household 

Characteristics and SNAP Benefit Amount, SNAP Benefit as a 

Percentage of the Maximum Benefit, and Certification Period................ 48

Household Composition

A.13 Distribution of Participating Households by Type of Most Recent 

Action and Expedited Service................................................................ 49

A.14 Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits 

by Household Composition................................................................... 50

A.15 Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Total Deduction, 

Countable Resources, SNAP Benefit, Household Size, and 

Certification Period of Participating Households by Household 

Composition......................................................................................... 51
xi

APPENDIX A TABLES (continued)

A.16 Distribution of Participating Households by Countable Income Type 

and Household Composition................................................................. 52

A.17 Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly 

Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Selected 

Characteristics...................................................................................... 53

A.18 Average Values of Selected Characteristics for Participating 

Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled 

Nonelderly Individuals .......................................................................... 54

A.19 Distribution of Participating Households with Countable Earned 

and Unearned Income by Selected Characteristics................................. 55

A.20 Average Values of Selected Characteristics for Participating 

Households with Countable Earned and Unearned Income .................... 56

A.21 Distribution of Participating Households with Selected Household 

Characteristics by the Race and Hispanic Status of the Household 

Head .................................................................................................... 57

A.22 Distribution of Participating Households by Presence of a 

Household Member with Selected Characteristics.................................. 58

Participants

A.23 Gender and SNAP Benefits of Participants by Selected Demographic 

Characteristic ....................................................................................... 59

A.24 Distribution of Participants by Thrifty Food Plan Sex-Age Groups 

and Household Size .............................................................................. 60

A.25 Distribution of Household Heads, All Participants, and Nonelderly 

Adult Participants by Work Registration Status and Employment 

Status................................................................................................... 61

Survey Comparisons: Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010

A.26 Comparison of Participating Households with Key SNAP Household 

Characteristics for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010 ....................................... 62

A.27 Comparison of Average Nominal and Real Values of Key SNAP 

Household Characteristics for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010...................... 63

A.28 Comparison of Number of SNAP Participants by Gender and Age 

for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010................................................................64
xii

APPENDIX B TABLES

B.1 Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits 

by State ................................................................................................ 67

B.2 Average Values of Selected Characteristics by State .............................. 68

B.3 Distribution of Participating Households by Poverty Status and by 

State..................................................................................................... 69

B.4 Distribution of Participating Households by Shelter-Related 

Characteristics and by State.................................................................. 70

B.5 Distribution of Participating Households by Household 

Composition and by State..................................................................... 71

B.6 Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Countable 

Income Sources and by State ................................................................ 72

B.7 Average Values of Selected Countable Income Sources by State ............ 73

B.8 Distribution of Participating Households by Earnings-Related 

Characteristics and by State.................................................................. 74

B.9 Distribution of Entrant Households with and without Expedited 

Service by State .................................................................................... 75

B.10 Distribution of Participating Households by Race/Hispanic Origin 

of Household Head and by State ........................................................... 76

B.11 Distribution of Participants by Age and by State.................................... 77

B.12 Distribution of Participants by Citizenship Status and by State...............78

B.13 Distribution of Noncitizen Participants by Age and by State ...................79

B.14 Distribution of Participating Households by Use of Standard Utility 

Allowance and by State..........................................................................80

B.15 Distribution of Participating Categorically Eligible Households by 

Public Assistance Status and by State.....................................................81

B.16 Distribution of Participating Households by Poverty Status and 

State, and Effect of SNAP Benefits on the Poverty Status of SNAP 

Households ...........................................................................................82

APPENDIX C TABLES

C.1 Fiscal Year 2009 HHS Poverty Income Guidelines .................................. 85
xiii

APPENDIX C TABLES (continued)

C.2 SNAP Maximum Allowable Gross Monthly Income Eligibility 

Standards in Fiscal Year 2010............................................................... 86

C.3 SNAP Maximum Allowable Net Monthly Income Eligibility Standards 

in Fiscal Year 2010 ............................................................................... 87

C.4 Value of Standard, Maximum Dependent-Care, and Excess Shelter 

Expense Deductions in the Contiguous United States and Outlying 

Areas in Fiscal Year 2010...................................................................... 88

C.5 Value of Maximum Monthly SNAP Benefit in the Contiguous United 

States and Outlying Areas in Fiscal Year 2010....................................... 89

C.6 Value of Minimum Monthly SNAP Benefit in the Contiguous United 

States and Outlying Areas in Fiscal Year 2010....................................... 90

APPENDIX D TABLES

D.1 Number of Cases Sampled, Dropped from the Edited File, and 

Included in the Edited File, Fiscal Year 2010 ..........................................94

D.2 Unweighted Distribution of Participating Households by State ...............95

D.3 Comparison of Program Data to Edited SNAP QC Datafile, Fiscal 

Year 2010..............................................................................................96

D.4 Comparison of Calculated and Reported Values for Selected 

Variables of Participating Households, Fiscal Year 2010.........................97

APPENDIX E TABLES

E.1 Standard Errors of Estimated Numbers of SNAP 

Households, Fiscal Year 2010..............................................................105

E.2 Square Root of Design Effects (d) for Standard Errors of 

Estimated Numbers or Percentages of SNAP Households, 

Fiscal Year 2010..................................................................................106

E.3 Standard Errors of Estimated Means, Fiscal Year 2010 .........................107

E.4 Range of Standard Errors of Mean Amounts Expressed as a 

Percentage of the Mean Amount, Fiscal Year 2010...............................108

FIGURE

2.1 SNAP Participants, Unemployed Individuals, and Individuals in 

Poverty, 1985 2010 ..............................................................................12
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xv

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides millions of Americans with 

the means to purchase food for a nutritious diet. SNAP is the largest of the 15 domestic food and 

nutrition assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and 

Nutrition Service (FNS). This report describes the characteristics of SNAP households and 

participants nationwide in fiscal year 2010 (October 2009 through September 2010). It also presents 

an overview of SNAP eligibility requirements and benefit levels in fiscal year 2010. The appendices 

provide detailed tabulations of household and participant characteristics for the nation and by State, 

as well as a brief description of the sample design and the sampling error associated with the 

estimates presented in the report. 

SNAP Participation and Costs

In an average month in fiscal year 2010, SNAP provided benefits to 40.3 million people living 

in over 18.6 million households across the United States. The total cost of the program in fiscal year 

2010 was $68.3 billion, $64.7 billion of which went to SNAP benefits and the remainder to program 

administration. The average monthly SNAP benefit for all participating households in fiscal year 

2010 was $290.

Compared with fiscal year 2009, the total number of SNAP participants in fiscal year 2010

increased by more than 20 percent while SNAP benefits increased by more than 28 percent. The 

continued growth in SNAP participation from 2009 to 2010 is likely attributable to the slow 

recovery from the recent economic recession, expansions in SNAP eligibility, and continued 

outreach efforts.

The participant counts and benefit costs discussed in this section are based on FNS 

administrative records and thus differ slightly from estimates based on the SNAP Quality Control 

(SNAP QC) sample file (see Appendix D for an explanation of the differences). The remainder of 

this summary draws on data from the SNAP QC file.

Characteristics of SNAP Households and Participants

In fiscal year 2010, approximately 85 percent of all SNAP households lived in poverty, as 

measured by the federal poverty guideline issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) (Appendix C); 43 percent of all SNAP households had gross income less than or 

equal to half of the poverty guideline and received 55 percent of all benefits. With the value of 

SNAP benefits included as income, 13 percent of all SNAP households would move above the 

poverty guideline, and 16 percent would move from below to above half of the poverty guideline.

Thirty percent of SNAP households had earned income, 21 percent received Supplemental 

Security Income (SSI), 21 percent received Social Security income, and 8 percent received support 

from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The percentage of households with zero 

gross income continued to increase in fiscal year 2010, rising to nearly 20 percent from 8 percent in 

fiscal year 2000.

Seventy-six percent of SNAP households included either a child or an elderly or disabled 

person, and these households received 84 percent of all benefits. Households with children received 

a relatively large average monthly SNAP benefit ($419), reflecting their larger household size. The 
xvi

average household with children had 3.3 people compared with an average of 1.1 people for 

households without children. A majority (56 percent) of SNAP households with children were 

single-adult households. Eighteen percent of these single-adult households with children received 

cash benefits from TANF. Forty-eight percent of all SNAP households with children had earned 

income; 38 percent of single-adult households with children and 64 percent of married-head 

households with children had earned income. Three percent of all households with children had 

both TANF and earned income.

Households with an elderly member received a relatively small average monthly SNAP benefit 

($144), reflecting their smaller-than-average size (1.3 people) and higher-than-average incomes 

compared with other SNAP participants. Eighty percent of SNAP households with an elderly 

member consisted of an elderly person living alone. These individuals received an average monthly 

benefit of $119 compared with an average monthly benefit of $248 for households with elderly 

people not living alone and $313 for households without any elderly people.

In fiscal year 2010, 46 percent of all SNAP participants were nonelderly adults, and 8 percent 

were elderly. About 62 percent of nonelderly adults were women, as were 66 percent of elderly 

adults. Forty-seven percent of all participants were children, similar to the number of participating 

children in fiscal year 2009. About 66 percent of the children were school-age.

The percentage of households with zero gross income continued its upward trend, growing 

from 18 percent in fiscal year 2009 to 20 percent in fiscal year 2010. The percentage of households 

with zero net income also increased, from 36 to 38 percent, and the percentage of households with 

earnings increased by one point to 30 percent. The percentage of households with TANF income 

continued to fall, dropping by two points to 8 percent in fiscal year 2010.
1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a central component of the nation’s 

nutrition assistance safety net. SNAP’s stated purpose is ―to permit low-income households to 

obtain a more nutritious diet by increasing their purchasing power‖ (Food and Nutrition Act of 

2008, as amended, PL 95-113). SNAP is the largest of the 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance 

programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). 

According to FNS administrative records, during fiscal year 2010, SNAP served approximately 40.3 

million people in an average month at a total annual cost of $68.3 billion, $64.7 billion of which 

accounted for SNAP benefits.1

Imposing relatively few nonfinancial categorical exclusion criteria, SNAP is the only lowincome assistance program available nationwide to essentially all financially needy households.2

It 

provides benefits electronically, and the benefits may be redeemed for eligible food items. As of 

September 30, 2010, 216,738 stores across the nation were authorized to accept SNAP benefits.

Federal, State, and local governments share the costs and administration of SNAP. Congress 

authorizes the program and appropriates necessary funds. The Department of Agriculture 

establishes SNAP regulations under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended. FNS 

administers SNAP nationally while State and local welfare agencies operate the program locally. The 

federal government fully funds SNAP benefits and cooperating agencies share administrative costs, 

with FNS paying about 50 percent of such costs.

SNAP is available to most people who meet the income and resource standards set by Congress 

and thus serves a broad spectrum of the needy population. Using SNAP household data 

collected for quality control purposes, FNS sponsors this annual report describing the characteristics 

of the SNAP population (Appendix G lists report titles) and uses the data for additional analyses. 

This report presents a picture of households and individuals participating in SNAP in fiscal year 

2010. The remainder of this report draws on data for participating households eligible for SNAP 

under normal program rules and thus does not include information about those who received 

disaster assistance in fiscal year 2010 or ineligible households who were mistakenly issued benefits.

3

Chapter 2 provides an overview of SNAP, including the regulations used to determine eligibility 

and benefits, and the factors that affect program participation and costs, such as national economic 

trends. Chapter 3 describes the characteristics of individuals and households participating in SNAP 

in fiscal year 2010. Detailed national tables of SNAP household characteristics are presented in 

Appendix A and detailed State-by-State tables of SNAP household characteristics are presented in 

Appendix B. The fiscal year 2010 SNAP eligibility standards and maximum benefit amounts are 

 

1 The total cost of SNAP in fiscal year 2010 included $3.6 billion in other costs, including the federal share of State 

administrative costs and employment and training programs, printing and processing, anti-fraud funding, and program 

evaluation. 

2 SNAP eligibility requirements include nonfinancial categorical exclusion criteria for certain groups. Most notably, 

some noncitizens were ineligible for SNAP in 2010.

3 FNS coordinates with State, local, and volunteer organizations to provide food to those affected by storms, 

earthquakes, floods, or other disaster emergencies. About 156 thousand people received disaster assistance at some time 

in fiscal year 2010.
2

provided in Appendix C. Appendix D provides a detailed explanation and evaluation of the source 

and reliability of the estimates in this report, and the sampling error of the estimates are provided in 

Appendix E. The data collection instrument used to collect the SNAP Quality Control (SNAP QC) 

data, which forms the basis of this report, appears in Appendix F, and a list of the reports in this 

series for earlier years is in Appendix G.
3

CHAPTER 2: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAM

The characteristics of SNAP households and the level of SNAP participation change over time 

in response to legislative changes to SNAP and economic and demographic trends. This chapter 

explains SNAP eligibility requirements, application procedures, benefit computation, and benefit 

issuance. The chapter concludes with a summary of program participation and costs and a 

discussion on how the costs were related to the economy in fiscal year 2010.

Program Eligibility Requirements

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, establishes uniform national eligibility 

standards for SNAP. It defines a SNAP ―household‖; defines categories of households automatically 

eligible for benefits; and sets gross and net income limits, a resource limit, and various nonfinancial 

criteria. The legislation provides for exceptions to the eligibility criteria in certain high-cost areas, 

such as Alaska and Hawaii, and to certain individuals such as those who are categorically eligible, 

elderly or with disabilities.1 Furthermore, as discussed below, States have options to expand certain 

eligibility rules such as the resource threshold.

The Household

Under SNAP rules, a household is defined as individuals who share a residential unit and 

purchase and prepare food together. The income and countable resources of each household 

member are aggregated to determine eligibility and benefits. Individuals who live together in a 

residential unit but do not purchase and prepare food together may apply as separate household 

units; their income and countable resources are considered separately in eligibility and benefit 

determinations. People who are elderly and disabled and cannot purchase and prepare food because 

of a substantial disability may apply as a separate household as long as the gross monthly income of 

the remainder of their residential unit is less than 165 percent of the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines.

2

Categorical Eligibility

Certain households are categorically eligible for SNAP and therefore not subject to income or 

resource limits. A household is categorically eligible if all of its members receive Supplemental 

Security Income (SSI), cash or in-kind Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), or General 

Assistance (GA). Benefits for these categorically-eligible households are determined under the same 

rules that apply to other eligible households.

 

1 Generally, a person is considered to be disabled for SNAP benefit purposes if he or she receives federal or State 

disability or blindness payments or other disability retirement benefits from a government agency under the Social 

Security Act, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security disability or blindness payments; receives 

an annuity under the Railroad Retirement Act and is eligible for Medicare or is considered to be disabled based on SSI 

rules; is a veteran who is totally disabled, permanently housebound, or in need of regular aid and attendance; or is 

permanently disabled and receiving veterans’ benefits as a surviving spouse or child of a veteran.

2 The Secretary of HHS establishes the federal poverty guidelines annually for many assistance programs. See 

Appendix C for a list of the fiscal year 2009 SNAP poverty guidelines and a description of how they are determined.
4

A broader interpretation of categorical eligibility rules implemented on November 21, 2000,

requires States to confer categorical eligibility on families receiving or certified as eligible to receive 

benefits or services that are at least 50 percent funded by TANF or Maintenance of Effort (MOE) 

funds. States have the option of conferring categorical eligibility on families receiving or certified to 

receive benefits or services that are less than 50 percent funded by TANF/MOE. They may also 

confer categorical eligibility on households in which at least one member receives the benefit or 

service, although the State determines if the entire household benefits. If the purpose of the 

program conferring categorical eligibility is to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies or to foster or 

strengthen marriage, the household’s gross income must be under 200 percent of poverty. However, 

if the purpose of the program is to assist needy families and reduce their dependency, no additional 

SNAP means test beyond that already used for TANF/MOE is required.

By the end of fiscal year 2010, 39 States had adopted broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE) 

policies that confer categorical SNAP eligibility on all households authorized to receive a 

TANF/MOE-funded noncash benefit. In such States, households meeting the State-determined 

eligibility criteria for the TANF/MOE-funded noncash benefit are also eligible for SNAP benefits 

and thus are exempt from the SNAP asset or income tests. The noncash benefit usually takes the 

form of an informational brochure or handout targeted to virtually all households applying for 

SNAP benefits. States have flexibility in setting the criteria for receiving the TANF-/MOE-funded 

noncash benefit, but most apply only a gross income eligibility limit, generally between 130 and 200 

percent of SNAP poverty guidelines. Twenty-nine States had BBCE policies in effect throughout all 

of fiscal year 2010, while 10 States established BBCE policies after the start of the fiscal year. Three

of the 39 BBCE States had policies that applied only to households with children. In States without 

BBCE, only households participating in a more narrowly targeted TANF-funded program could be 

authorized to receive the TANF/MOE-funded benefit conferring categorical eligibility.

Income Eligibility Standards

Monthly income is the most important determinant of a household’s SNAP eligibility. 

Households that are not categorically eligible must meet two income eligibility standards: a gross 

income standard and a net income standard.3

As defined in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, gross income includes most 

cash income (with the exception of specific types of income such as loans) and excludes most 

noncash income, or in-kind benefits. To be eligible for SNAP, a household that is not categorically 

eligible and does not include an elderly or disabled member must have a monthly gross income that 

is at or below 130 percent of the poverty guideline ($2,389 for a family of four in the contiguous 

United States in fiscal year 2010). Households with elderly or disabled members are not subject to 

the gross income standard. Net income is determined by subtracting deductions permitted under 

SNAP from monthly gross income. SNAP deducts the following from a household’s gross monthly 

income to arrive at net monthly income:4

 

3 Individuals participating in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or an SSI Combined Application 

Project (SSI-CAP) are subject to different eligibility and benefit determination rules, as described later in this chapter.

4 There is a distinction between a household’s deduction entitlement and the amount used to compute SNAP 

benefits. The entitlement is the deduction that a household receives if the total of allowable deductions is less than the 
5

Standard Deduction. Households receive a standard deduction based on location and 

household size. A household with one to three members in the contiguous United States 

received $141 in fiscal year 2010; larger households received a larger standard deduction. 

The standard deduction for outlying States and territories varies with price differences 

between such areas and the contiguous United States (Appendix C). The standard 

deductions are indexed annually to inflation.

Earned Income Deduction. Households with earnings receive a deduction equal to 20 

percent of the combined earnings of household members.

Dependent Care Deduction. Households with dependents receive a deduction for outof-pocket costs incurred for the care of children and other dependents while other 

household members work, seek employment, or attend school. The 2008 Farm Bill 

eliminated the cap on the dependent care deduction October 1, 2009.

Medical Deduction. A medical deduction is available only to households with elderly 

or disabled members. In most States, such households may deduct combined out-ofpocket medical costs exceeding $35 that are incurred on behalf of elderly or disabled 

household members. Seven States have implemented medical deduction demonstration 

programs that use standard deduction amounts for households with medical expenses 

below a specified limit.5 Medical expenses reimbursed by insurance or government 

programs are not deductible in any State.

Child Support Payment Deduction. Households may deduct legally obligated child 

support payments made to or for a non-household member. States may choose to 

exclude child support payments from gross income rather than use the deduction. 

Excess Shelter Expense Deduction. A household is entitled to a deduction equal to 

shelter costs (such as rent, mortgage payments, utility bills, property taxes, and insurance) 

that exceed 50 percent of its countable income after all other potential deductions are 

subtracted from gross income. The limit on the excess shelter expense deduction in the 

contiguous United States for households without elderly or disabled members was $459

in fiscal year 2010. The amount is indexed to inflation. Households with elderly or 

disabled members are entitled to subtract the full value of shelter costs that exceed 50 

percent of their adjusted income. The limit on the excess shelter expense deduction for 

outlying States and territories varies with price differences between such areas and the 

contiguous United States (Appendix C). Some States also allow homeless households a 

deduction of up to $143 for shelter costs. 

To be eligible for SNAP, a household must have net monthly income at or below 100 percent 

of the poverty guidelines ($1,838 for a family of four in the contiguous United States in fiscal year 

2010). Categorically eligible households are not subject to the net income limit. The gross and net 

 

(continued)

household’s gross income. Because net income may not be less than zero, households with total deductions greater than 

their gross income may claim only a portion of their deduction entitlement.

5 For detailed information on these demonstrations, see Technical Documentation for the Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC 

Database and QC Minimodel.
6

income eligibility standards vary by household size and for residents of Alaska and Hawaii 

(Appendix C).

Resources

Another important determinant of SNAP eligibility is a household’s resources. Households that 

are not categorically eligible are permitted up to $2,000 in countable resources or $3,000 in 

countable resources if at least one household member is elderly or disabled.6 As stipulated in the 

2008 Farm Bill, the resource limits in future years will be indexed to inflation, rounded to the nearest 

$250 increment each fiscal year. Countable resources include cash, resources easily converted to cash 

(such as money in checking or savings accounts, savings certificates, stocks or bonds, or lump-sum 

payments), and some nonliquid resources, such as certain vehicles.7 However, some types of 

property are not counted, such as family homes, tools of a trade, or business property used to earn 

income. Effective October 1, 2008, all retirement and educational savings accounts were excluded. 

Most categorically eligible households are not subject to SNAP resource limits.

Regulations implemented in January 2001 exclude from the resource test any vehicle with equity 

below $1,500. In addition, the regulations exempt from the equity test one vehicle per adult in the 

household as well as any vehicles used by a teenager to drive to work or school.8 For vehicles 

exempt from the equity test but not entirely excluded from the resource test, any fair market value 

exceeding $4,650 is counted toward the resource limit. For any remaining vehicles, the higher of 

either any fair market value in excess of $4,650 or any equity is counted.

In addition, the fiscal year 2001 Agricultural Appropriations Act (enacted in September 2000 

and effective July 1, 2001) allowed States to use TANF vehicle rules in place of SNAP rules if the 

TANF rules were more generous. By September 2010, 46 States had adopted policies excluding the 

value of all vehicles from the resource test.9 Other States adopted policies excluding the value of one 

vehicle per adult or per household or increasing the allowable value of one or more vehicles. These 

changes were intended to make it easier for low-income workers to keep a vehicle and still receive 

SNAP benefits.

Nonfinancial Eligibility Standards

The program’s nonfinancial eligibility standards restrict the participation of students, strikers, 

people who are institutionalized, fleeing felons, drug felons, unauthorized immigrants, 

nonimmigrant visitors to the United States, and some lawful permanent resident noncitizens. In 

addition, nondisabled nonelderly adults living in households without dependents are usually subject 

to work registration requirements and time limits on benefit receipt. The American Recovery and 

 

6 Some States have implemented higher resource limits by matching the eligibility rules of other assistance 

programs, such as TANF.

7 Vehicles used as a home, to produce income, to transport fuel or water, or to transport disabled people are 

exempt from the resource test.

8 The equity test counts all equity—fair market value minus remaining liens—of the vehicle.

9 In 25 of these States, almost all participating households were certified eligible for a TANF-/MOE-funded 

benefit that conferred categorical eligibility (Table B.15).
7

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to suspend the time limits on benefit receipt from 

April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) 

severely limited SNAP eligibility for legal noncitizens.

10 The 2002 Farm Security and Rural 

Investment Act restored SNAP benefits to the following groups of legal noncitizens, provided that 

they meet SNAP’s other eligibility requirements:11

Noncitizens who receive disability benefits, effective October 1, 2002

Noncitizens who have lived legally in the United States for five years or more, effective 

April 1, 2003

Noncitizens under age 18, regardless of date of entry, effective October 1, 2003

Those admitted as refugees and those granted asylum or a stay of deportation are eligible for 

SNAP benefits with no length-of-residency requirements.

Before April 1, 2009, nondisabled nonelderly adults living in households without children could 

receive benefits only if they worked or participated in work-related activities. With certain 

exceptions, those who did not meet these work requirements were restricted to 3 months of SNAP 

benefits in any 36-month period.12 Participants age 18 to 49 were subject to these provisions unless 

they were in one of the following categories:

People who were disabled

People who were mentally or physically unfit for employment

Pregnant women

People needed in the home to care for an ill or incapacitated person

Relatives or other caretakers of dependent children

Participants not in any of the above categories were subject to benefit time limits unless they 

met work registration requirements by:

Working at least 20 hours per week

Complying with work requirements under another public assistance or work program

Participating in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program

 

10 Unauthorized immigrants have never been eligible for SNAP.

11 PRWORA exempts from the five-year residency requirement members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans, and 

dependents of service members and veterans. Other legal noncitizens may qualify for benefits without meeting the fiveyear residency requirement by attaining 40 qualifying quarters of work, including work attained by the applicant’s spouse 

or parents (if the work was attained when the applicant was married to the spouse or a minor child of the parent).

12 These nondisabled nonelderly adults living in households without children could be exempt from the work 

requirements if they lived in a waiver area (e.g., because of a high unemployment rate) or had been granted a 

discretionary exemption (limited to 15 percent of the caseload) by the State.
8

Participating in a work experience program

The provisions in ARRA allowed states to suspend the time limit on benefits for nondisabled 

adults without dependents from April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010.

Application Procedures

When a household applies for SNAP benefits, State agencies are required to conduct a face-toface interview at initial certification and at least once every 12 months thereafter. Most applicants 

appear in person at their local SNAP office, although elderly or disabled individuals and those with 

transportation problems may be interviewed by telephone or at home. As of November 2010, 47 

States were granted waivers, either statewide or for select regions, of the requirement that 

households receive a face-to-face interview. These States instead provide the option of a telephone

interview, either at initial certification, recertification, or both. Also as of November 2010, 25 States 

offered statewide online applications and 4 more offered online applications in parts of the State. All 

States must allow individuals to apply for SNAP benefits when they apply for TANF or SSI benefits.

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, requires local offices to process applications 

for SNAP benefits within 30 days of receipt. However, applications from households with an 

extremely low income or a low level of resources must be processed more quickly under the 

expedited SNAP eligibility verification procedures, allowing people to receive SNAP benefits within 

7 days of application. Those eligible for expedited service include (1) migrant or seasonal farm 

workers with countable resources equal to or less than $100 and (2) households with gross income 

equal to or less than $150 and countable resources equal to or less than $100.

SNAP participants are required to appear periodically at their local SNAP office or to 

participate in a telephone interview for recertification. The certification period varies with the 

likelihood of a change in a SNAP household’s financial circumstances. The certification period may 

be as long as 24 months for households with elderly members and 36 months for households 

participating in SSI Combined Application Project demonstrations or Alabama’s Elderly Simplified 

Application demonstration.

13 In fiscal year 2010, SNAP households were certified for benefits for an 

average of 12 months.

Benefit Computation

After a household is certified for SNAP, its monthly SNAP benefit is computed on the basis of 

its net monthly income, the benefit reduction rate, and the maximum SNAP benefit for its 

household size and location. The maximum benefit to which a household is entitled is based on the 

previous June cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) for a family of four, adjusted for household size 

and for geographic areas outside the contiguous United States. The cost of the TFP is based on an 

economical and nutritious diet, adjusted for household size and composition. Maximum benefits are 

generally revised annually to reflect changes in the cost of foods in the TFP. 

 

13 Alabama has a 36 month certification period for households qualifying for SNAP through the Elderly Simplified

Application Project.
9

As specified in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, the maximum benefit was 

113.6 percent of the June 2008 TFP in fiscal year 2010. The maximum monthly benefit for a family 

of four in the contiguous United States was $668 (Appendix C).

The benefit reduction rate is the rate at which benefits are reduced for every additional dollar of 

net income. The benefit reduction rate is 30 percent, reflecting the assumption that a household will 

spend 30 percent of its net income on food and that SNAP will provide the difference between that 

amount and the maximum benefit. Thus, benefits are reduced by 30 cents for every additional dollar 

of net income.

A household’s monthly SNAP benefit is computed by subtracting 30 percent of its net income 

from the maximum benefit. If a household has zero net income (that is, its deductable expenses 

equal or exceed its gross income), it receives the maximum SNAP benefit. For new participants, 

benefits are prorated for the first month. All eligible one- and two-person households are guaranteed 

a minimum benefit, except during the initial month of participation. The 2008 Farm Bill increased 

the minimum benefit for one- and two-person households in October 2008 from $10 to 8 percent 

of the maximum benefit for a one-person household. In fiscal year 2010, the minimum benefit for 

one- and two-person households in the contiguous United States was $16.14

SSI-CAP and MFIP Households

Through their participation in the SSI Combined Application Project (SSI-CAP), some 

households with SSI benefits receive SNAP benefits that are subject to a method of computation 

that differs from that applicable to other SNAP households. SSI-CAP is a joint FNS-Social Security 

Administration (SSA) and State project that streamlines the SNAP application process for certain 

households eligible for SSI (also making them categorically eligible for SNAP). By the end of fiscal 

year 2010, 18 States were operating SSI-CAP demonstrations: Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, 

Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, 

North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. In 

most cases, SSI-CAP is limited to one-person elderly households receiving SSI and with no earned 

income.15 In 15 of the States (Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New 

Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, 

Texas, and Virginia), SSI-CAP households receive a standard SNAP benefit based on whether the 

State categorizes them as having ―high‖ or ―low‖ shelter expenses, as determined by the State. In 3 

of the States (Florida, Massachusetts, and Washington), SSI-CAP households receive a SNAP

benefit based on gross income, the standard deduction, a standard utility allowance, and a 

standardized ―high‖ or ―low‖ shelter expense deduction. SSI-CAP households are not subject to any 

other income deductions.

 

14 Table C.6 presents minimum benefit values for the other states and territories for fiscal year 2010.

15 In Florida, Massachusetts, and Washington, a household must have no earned income in order to enter the 

program but, once enrolled, may have earned income for up to three months and remain eligible. In Kentucky, New 

York, North Carolina, South Dakota and Texas, a household may have earned income and still be eligible for SSI-CAP 

benefits. In Kentucky and South Dakota, married couples may also be eligible for SSI-CAP benefits, but each individual 

must meet the eligibility criteria to be treated as a member of the same household, and in Texas, married couples may 

participate but are treated as separate households.
10

Under the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Minnesota households that receive 

TANF are subject to a method of benefit computation that differs from that for other SNAP 

households. MFIP participants’ SNAP benefit is calculated at the same time as the cash assistance 

benefit by subtracting total income from an income threshold that is based on family size and that is 

higher for families with earnings. If the difference between total income and the threshold is greater 

than the maximum benefit set by Minnesota, the family receives the full food portion of its benefit, 

and possibly an additional cash benefit. As a family’s income rises, the cash portion of the benefit is 

reduced before the food portion of the benefit is reduced. Families with income closer to the 

income threshold may not receive a cash benefit and may receive a smaller food benefit as well. 

MFIP participants are credited with a 37 percent earnings deduction but are not subject to other 

income deductions.

SNAP Benefit Issuance

In fiscal year 2010, as in previous years, all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands operated Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems. All EBT systems were 

online and permitted participants to receive a ―debit‖ card, similar to a bank card, for use in 

purchasing food at authorized retail stores. A household’s monthly benefit is electronically 

transferred to an account created specifically for SNAP benefits. The amount of a purchase is 

debited from the account at the time of the transaction.

Program Changes Since the Previous Fiscal Year

In fiscal year 2010, Maryland, New Mexico and South Dakota implemented SSI-CAP 

demonstrations, but SSI-CAP participation in these States remained low through the end of the 

fiscal year. Nine States (Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, 

New Mexico and North Carolina) and the District of Columbia adopted first-time BBCE policies 

during fiscal year 2010 while Maine and Montana altered rules for existing BBCE policies.

SNAP Participation and Costs

After declining slowly from 1985 through 1989, the number of SNAP participants grew 

substantially during the early 1990s. As illustrated in Figure 2.1, the number increased by 37 percent 

from fiscal year 1990 to fiscal year 1994. After peaking at 28.0 million in March 1994, the number of 

eligible SNAP participants declined steadily through 2000 but began to rise in 2001 and increased 

each year through 2010. The increase was particularly large from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010. 

Participation increased from 17.1 million households in fiscal year 2000 to 32.9 million in fiscal year 

2009 and then to 39.8 million in fiscal year 2010.

16

The increase in SNAP participants since 2001 coincided with expansions in SNAP eligibility, 

such as the relaxation of vehicle rules, the restoration of eligibility for many legal noncitizens, and 

the expansions in categorical eligibility as well as outreach efforts promoted by FNS. From 2001 to 

2003, the increase also coincided with a rise in the unemployment rate and a weakening economy

(Table 2.1). From 2004 to 2006, even though the economy improved, participation continued to 

grow as eligibility expanded. In particular, on October 1, 2003, all legal immigrant children became 

eligible for SNAP. In addition, States continued to relax vehicle rules and expand categorical 

 

16 The number of SNAP participants continued to rise during fiscal year 2011, reaching 45.2 million in June 2011.
11

eligibility. From 2007 to 2010, participation continued to grow as the economy weakened and the 

unemployment rate began to rise again. At the same time, two other factors that likely contributed to 

the sizeable rise in participation were the increase in maximum benefit allotments under ARRA in 

April 2009 and the increase in the number of States adopting BBCE policies. The percentage of 

eligible individuals choosing to participate in SNAP also rose from 54.1 percent in fiscal year 2002 to 

72.2 percent in fiscal year 2009.

17

Total SNAP costs increased from $53.6 billion in fiscal year 2009 to $68.3 billion in fiscal year 

2010, largely as a result of the increase in SNAP participants and the annual increase in maximum 

allotments, which were driven by the increase in the TFP.

 

17 See U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis. Trends in 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates: 2002 to 2009. Participation rates for fiscal year 2010 will be 

available in spring 2012.
12

Figure 2.1. SNAP Participants, Unemployed Individuals, and Individuals in Poverty, 1985-2010

a Annual values. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United 

States: 2010. 

b Average monthly values. Source: Food and Nutrition Service Fiscal Year 2010 Program Operations data.

c Average monthly values. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

0

10

20

30

40

50

'85 '86 '87 88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10

Year

Individuals in Povertya

SNAP Participantsb

Unemployed Individualsc

Millions
13

Table 2.1. Major Economic Indicators, Calendar Years 1994–2010

Calendar Year

Economic Indicator 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Real GDP Increasea 2.5 3.7 4.5 4.4 4.8 4.1 1.1 1.8 2.5 3.6 3.1 2.7 1.9 0.0 -2.6 2.9

Productivity 

Increaseb 0.4 2.6 1.5 2.9 3.3 3.4 2.9 4.6 3.6 2.8 1.6 0.9 1.6 1.0 3.7 3.9

Unemployment 

Ratec 5.6 5.4 4.9 4.5 4.2 4.0 4.7 5.8 6.0 5.5 5.1 4.6 4.6 5.8 9.3 9.6

Inflation Rated 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.1 1.5 2.2 2.3 1.6 2.2 2.8 3.3 3.3 2.9 2.2 0.9 1.0

Interest Ratee 7.6 7.4 7.3 6.5 7.1 7.6 7.1 6.5 5.7 5.6 5.2 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.3 4.9

Individuals Below 

Poverty Line

Number in 

Thousands 36,425 36,529 35,574 34,476 32,791 31,581 32,907 34,570 35,861 37,040 36,950 36,460 37,276 39,829 43,569 46,180

Percentage of 

Total Population 13.8 13.7 13.3 12.7 11.9 11.3 11.7 12.1 12.5 12.7 12.6 12.3 12.5 13.2 14.3 15.1

Sources:

First line of data: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts.

Second line of data: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Major Sector Productivity and Costs Index.”

Third line of data: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fourth line of data: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts.

Fifth line of data: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Sixth and seventh lines of data: U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010.

a Percent change from preceding year. 

b Percent change from preceding year in output per hour, non-farm business sector.

c Unemployment rate for all civilian workers. 

d Percentage change from preceding year in the implicit price deflator for Gross Domestic Product. 

e Corporate AAA bond yield.
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15

CHAPTER 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF SNAP

HOUSEHOLDS AND PARTICIPANTS

SNAP serves the nutritional needs of a broad spectrum of low-income Americans.1In an 

average month in fiscal year 2010, SNAP provided benefits to 39.8 million people living in 18.4

million households.2 The vast majority of SNAP households (85 percent) lived in poverty, according 

to the federal poverty guidelines for program eligibility in fiscal year 2010. Most SNAP households 

(76 percent) included a child (under age 18), an elderly person (age 60 and over), or a disabled 

nonelderly person. The average SNAP household received a monthly benefit of $287, had gross 

monthly income of $731, net monthly income of $336, and was entitled to a total deduction of $491

per month.

3,4 The average household size was 2.2 people. 

This chapter discusses the composition and economic status of SNAP households, the 

characteristics of SNAP participants, and the changes in the characteristics of SNAP households 

from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010. Tables 3.1 and 3.2 show the poverty status of participants 

and the effect of SNAP benefits on poverty among participating households; Tables 3.3 and 3.4 

present sources of income and average monthly income, benefit, and unit size by household 

composition; Table 3.5 depicts the demographic characteristics of participants; and Table 3.6 

compares the change in constant 2010 dollars since 2009 in average income, deductions, and 

benefits for participating households.

The Poverty Status of SNAP Households5

SNAP provides benefits to households in need. In fiscal year 2010, the gross monthly income 

of 85 percent of SNAP households was less than or equal to 100 percent of the federal poverty 

guideline (Table 3.1).6 The gross monthly income of 62 percent of all SNAP households was less 

 

1 The information in this chapter and the estimates in Appendices A and B are based on a sample of 52,289

households that participated in SNAP in fiscal year 2010. The sample was drawn from SNAP households in the 50 

States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Households in Puerto Rico and the Northern 

Mariana Islands were not included in the sample because Puerto Rico operates its own Nutritional Assistance Program, 

which replaced SNAP in July 1982, and the Northern Mariana Islands participates in another block grant program 

instead of SNAP.

2 The estimates of 39.8 million participants and 18.4 million households differ slightly from the number of SNAP 

participants and households in FNS administrative records (40.3 million people and 18.6 million households) because 

the sample estimate is adjusted to exclude receipt of benefits by ineligible households and those receiving disaster 

assistance. These adjustments also affect household average monthly benefits, which are $287 in the SNAP QC data 

compared with $290 in FNS administrative records (Appendix D provides details).

3 Given that net income is not used in benefit determination for households participating in MFIP and households 

participating in an SSI-CAP program with a standardized benefit, the average monthly net income estimate excludes 

these households.

4 The average total deduction estimate reflects the entire deduction to which households are entitled. Given that 

households may not deduct more than their gross income, the estimate is greater than households’ average deduction. 

With deductions not used in their benefit determination, SSI-CAP households with standardized benefits are excluded 

from the estimate.

5 For more detailed information on the economic status of SNAP households, see Appendix Tables A.3 through 

A.8.

6 See Appendix Table C-1 for the poverty guidelines.
16

than or equal to 75 percent of the poverty guideline (Table A.3), and the income of 43 percent of all 

SNAP households was less than or equal to 50 percent of the guideline. The average household had 

income that was 57 percent of poverty (Table A.27).

SNAP effectively targets benefits to the neediest households; poorer households receive greater 

SNAP benefits than do households with more income. The 43 percent of all SNAP households with 

gross monthly income less than or equal to 50 percent of the poverty guideline in fiscal year 2010

received 55 percent of all benefits. In contrast, the 15 percent of households with a gross monthly 

income over the poverty guideline received only 7 percent of all benefits (Table A.1).

The impact of SNAP benefits on a household’s purchasing power is estimated by adding the 

dollar value of the benefits to a household’s income and then examining the distribution of 

households by poverty status.

7 As shown in Table 3.2, the combination of cash and SNAP benefits

yields a substantially different distribution of SNAP households by poverty status. Specifically, when 

SNAP benefits are included in gross income, the resulting increase in the income of SNAP 

households was sufficient to move 13 percent of participating households above the poverty 

guideline. SNAP benefits had an even greater impact on the poorest SNAP households, moving 16 

percent above 50 percent of the poverty guideline.

Households with Special Needs8

SNAP effectively serves many households that include people with special needs—children, 

elderly, and disabled people. In fiscal year 2010, 76 percent of all SNAP households included a child, 

an elderly person, or a disabled nonelderly person. These households received 84 percent of all 

SNAP benefits (Table A.14).

 

7 This comparison assumes that program participants value their SNAP benefits at face value.

8 See Appendix Tables A.3, A.6, A.8, A.11, A.12, A.14, A.15, A.16, A.17, A.18, A.19, A.21, A.22, and 

A.23 for more details on these households.
17

Table 3.1. Distribution of Households and Their Benefits by Countable Income as a Percentage of 

Poverty Guideline, Fiscal Year 2010

Gross Income as a Percentage of 

Poverty Guidelinea

Percentage of:

All Households All Benefits

Total........................................................ 100.0 100.0

25% or less.................................... 29.0 33.8

26 50% ......................................... 14.2 21.6

51 75% ......................................... 19.1 20.5

76 100% ....................................... 23.0 16.6

101 130% ..................................... 11.2 6.4

131% or more................................ 3.5 1.0

Source: Fiscal year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a Defined as the fiscal year 2010 SNAP net income screen (Appendix C).

Table 3.2. Effect of SNAP Benefits on the Poverty Status of SNAP Households, Fiscal Year 2010

Gross Income as a Percentage 

of Poverty Guidelinea

Distribution of Households in

Relation to Poverty Guideline

Difference in 

Based on Cash Only Percentage Points

Based on Cash and 

SNAP Benefitsb

Total..................................................... 100% 100% 0.0

50% or less................................. 43.2 27.1 -16.1

51 100% .................................... 42.1 45.2 3.1

101% or more............................. 14.7 27.7 13.0

Source: Fiscal year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a Defined as the fiscal year 2010 SNAP net income screen (Appendix C).

b Estimates may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
18

Households with Children

In each month of fiscal year 2010, SNAP served approximately 8.9 million households with 

children, representing 49 percent of all SNAP households. Households with children and earnings 

constituted 78 percent of all SNAP households with earnings (Table 3.3). Sixteen percent of all 

households with children received TANF cash benefits, and 3 percent received a combination of 

TANF and earnings (Table A.6). Compared with other SNAP households, those with children 

received a relatively high average SNAP benefit of $419 per month (Table 3.4), indicating that the 

average household size among SNAP households with children (3.3 people) was larger than the 

average household size among all SNAP households (2.2 people).

In fiscal year 2010, single adults (usually a female) headed more than half (56 percent) of all 

SNAP households with children, accounting for 27 percent of all SNAP households (Table A.14). 

Approximately 9 percent of all SNAP households included a married head of household and 

children, accounting for 19 percent of all SNAP households with children.

Of the 5 million single-adult SNAP households with children, about 896,000 (18 percent) 

received TANF, nearly 1.9 million (38 percent) had earnings, and over 600,000 (12 percent) received 

SSI. Of the 1.7 million married-head households with children, 1.1 million (64 percent) had earned 

income and 145,000 (9 percent) received TANF (Table 3.3).

The characteristics of married-head households with children varied considerably from those of 

single-adult households with children. The average monthly SNAP benefit for single-adult 

households with children was lower than that of married-head households with children ($401

versus $493) because of the smaller size of single-adult households (Table 3.4). However, the benefit 

per capita was higher for people in single-adult households with children than for people in marriedhead households with children ($134 versus $112), largely because single-adult households were 

poorer. Single-adult households with children had a substantially lower gross monthly income than 

married-head households with children ($811 versus $1,354).

Among all households with children, 1.7 million (19 percent) received child support and 1.1 

million (12 percent) had no countable income (Table A.6).

Households with Elderly Individuals

In each month of fiscal year 2010, SNAP served an average of nearly 2.9 million households 

with elderly individuals (age 60 and over), representing almost 16 percent of all SNAP households 

(Table 3.3). These households received an average SNAP benefit of $144 per month and had an 

average household size of 1.3 people (Table 3.4).

Elderly people who received SNAP benefits tended to live alone and thus received relatively 

small benefit amounts. In fiscal year 2010, 80 percent of all SNAP households with elderly members 

were single-person households (Table 3.3); they received an average SNAP benefit of $119 per 

month, compared to $198 for multi-person households with only elderly people and $285 for multiperson households with both elderly and nonelderly people (Table A.15). In households without 

elderly members, the average SNAP benefit was $313 (Table A.2). The average size of households 

with elderly people not living alone was 2.4 people.
Table 3.3. Household Composition and Selected Characteristics of Participating Households, Fiscal Year 2010

Households With:

All Households Households With Countable:

Number

(000)

Percent

Earned Income Zero Gross Income Social Security TANF Gen

Assi

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Totala ..................................... 18,369 100.0 5,498 100.0 3,627 100.0 3,933 100.0 1,471 100.0 746 

Children ............................... 8,947 48.7 4,273 77.7 1,105 30.5 789 20.1 1,427 97.0 149  Single-Adult Household ..... 4,996 27.2 1,914 34.8 716 19.7 450 11.4 896 60.9 96  Multiple-Adult Household .. 2,732 14.9 1,648 30.0 241 6.7 313 8.0 287 19.5 29  Married Head Household 1,702 9.3 1,097 19.9 156 4.3 169 4.3 145 9.9 15  Other Multiple-Adult

Household ....................... 1,030 5.6 551 10.0 85 2.3 144 3.7 142 9.7 13 

 Children Only ..................... 1,219 6.6 711 12.9 148 4.1 26 0.7 244 16.6 24 Elderly Individuals ............. 2,852 15.5 157 2.8 170 4.7 1,908 48.5 30 2.0 128 

 Living Alone ....................... 2,286 12.4 77 1.4 159 4.4 1,539 39.1 0 0.0 97  Not Living Alone ................ 567 3.1 80 1.5 11 0.3 369 9.4 30 2.0 31 Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsb .................... 3,633 19.8 362 6.6 1 0.0 1,777 45.2 255 17.3 141 

 Living Alone ....................... 2,125 11.6 79 1.4 1 0.0 1,142 29.0 2 0.1 74  Not Living Alone ................ 1,509 8.2 283 5.1 – – 635 16.2 253 17.2 67 Other Householdsc .............. 4,342 23.6 996 18.1 2,353 64.9 41 1.0 34 2.3 392  Single-Person Household .... 3,927 21.4 782 14.2 2,252 62.1 32 0.8 30 2.0 379  Multi-Person Household ..... 415 2.3 214 3.9 100 2.8 9 0.2 4 0.3 13 Single-Person Households .. 8,751 47.6 1,160 21.1 2,471 68.1 2,721 69.2 129 8.8 560 

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a The sums of the household types do not match the numbers in the "Total" row because a household can have more than one of the characteristics.

b Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that contain 

reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

c Households not containing children, elderly individuals, or disabled nonelderly individuals.

– No sample households are found in this category.

19
Table 3.4. Average Values of Selected Characteristics by Household Composition, Fiscal Year 2010

Households With:

Average Values

Gross Monthly

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net Monthly

Countable

Income

(Dollars)a

Monthly

SNAP Benefit

(Dollars)

Household

Size

(Persons)

Monthly

SNAP Benefit

Per Person

(Dollars)b

Total ............................................................ 731 336 287 2.2 130

Children ...................................................... 923 452 419 3.3 127

 Single-Adult Household ............................. 811 382 401 3.0 134

 Male Adult .............................................. 774 364 371 2.7 137

 Female Adult ........................................... 814 383 404 3.0 135

 Multiple-Adult Household ......................... 1,281 707 493 4.3 115

 Married Head Household ........................ 1,354 754 493 4.4 112

 Other Multiple-Adult Household ............ 1,159 628 492 4.1 120

 Children Only ............................................. 580 169 327 2.1 156

Elderly Individuals ..................................... 813 381 144 1.3 111

 Living Alone .............................................. 733 312 119 1.0 119

 Not Living Alone ....................................... 1,136 625 248 2.4 103

Disabled Nonelderly Individualsc ............. 946 475 219 2.0 110

 Living Alone .............................................. 762 294 122 1.0 122

 Not Living Alone ....................................... 1,204 707 355 3.3 108

Other Householdsd ..................................... 268 91 194 1.1 176

 Single-Person Household ........................... 218 66 183 1.0 183

 Multi-Person Household ............................ 733 330 301 2.2 137

Single-Person Households ......................... 492 178 152 1.0 152

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in

States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column.

b This column is calculated by dividing the average monthly SNAP benefit by the average SNAP household size. In previous

reports, this column was calculated by first calculating per-capita benefits at the household level by dividing the household benefit by

the household size and then taking the average of all per-capita benefits.

c Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are ony

able to identify households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify

which household member was disabled.

d Households not containing children, elderly individuals, or disabled individuals.

20
21

A majority of SNAP households with elderly people received SSI or Social Security income. In 

fiscal year 2010, 46 percent of all SNAP households with elderly members received SSI, 67 percent 

received Social Security income and 88 percent receive income from at least one of those sources

(Table 3.3 and A.6). Twenty-five percent of households with elderly members received both SSI and 

Social Security income, about four percentage points lower than in 2009 (Table A.6). SNAP 

households with elderly members represented 34 percent of all SNAP households with SSI and 49 

percent of all SNAP households with Social Security income (Table 3.3). Six percent of households 

with elderly members had no income (Table A.6).

Households with Disabled Nonelderly People

In fiscal year 2010, SNAP served a monthly average of 3.6 million households with disabled 

nonelderly people (Table 3.3).9 Households with disabled nonelderly people represented 20 percent 

of all SNAP households and received an average monthly SNAP benefit of $219 (Table 3.4).

About 58 percent of SNAP households with disabled nonelderly people were single-person 

households (Table 3.3). Households with a disabled nonelderly person living alone received a lower 

average monthly SNAP benefit than did households with disabled nonelderly people not living alone 

($122 compared with $355) (Table 3.4). Again, the difference in benefits between the two groups 

reflects differences in average household size. Disabled nonelderly people who did not live alone 

resided in households with an average of 3.3 individuals and a per capita benefit of $108. Seventyone percent of households with disabled nonelderly people received SSI and 49 percent received 

Social Security income (Table 3.3). SNAP households with disabled nonelderly people represented 

67 percent of all SNAP households with SSI and 45 percent of all SNAP households with Social 

Security income (Table 3.3).

Other Households Served by SNAP

SNAP serves other needy households in addition to those with children, elderly people, or 

disabled people. In fiscal year 2010, 4.3 million (24 percent) of all SNAP households consisted solely 

of one or more nonelderly, nondisabled adult with no children (Table 3.3). These households tended 

to be single-person households (90 percent) and were the largest category (53 percent) of 

households that received GA. However, 91 percent of these households did not receive GA. The 

same households had a very low average monthly gross income ($268), and 2.4 million (54 percent) 

had zero gross income (Tables 3.3 and 3.4). Households consisting solely of one or more nonelderly, 

nondisabled adults received an average SNAP benefit of $194 per month (Table 3.4). 

Single-Person Households

Of all SNAP households in fiscal year 2010, 8.8 million (48 percent) were single-person 

households (Table 3.3).10 These households received an average monthly SNAP benefit of $152

 

9 The SNAP QC data do not include information to identify elderly persons who are disabled. In addition, while 

we are able to identify households with a disabled person in the SNAP QC datafile, we cannot identify which household 

member is disabled. In this report, we identify households with a disabled nonelderly person as households with (1) 

nonelderly SSI recipients, (2) a medical expense deduction and no elderly individuals, or (3) nonelderly adults who do 

not appear to work and receive either Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or workers’ compensation.

10 These individuals apply for SNAP benefits for themselves only. Other people may live in the household.
22

(Table 3.4). A majority of these individuals (53 percent) were female, 26 percent were elderly, and 

another 24 percent were nonelderly disabled individuals (Tables A.17 and A.24). Compared with all 

SNAP households, a relatively small proportion of SNAP participants living alone had earned 

income (13 versus 30 percent), and a relatively high proportion had zero gross income (28 versus 20

percent) (Table 3.3). By comparison, 45 percent of all multi-person households had earned income, 

and 12 percent had zero gross income (Tables A.4 and A.19). Not surprisingly, given the high 

proportion of elderly and disabled individuals making up single-person households, 28 and 31

percent of these households received SSI and Social Security income, respectively (Table 3.3).

Characteristics of SNAP Participants

In fiscal year 2010, 47 percent of SNAP participants were children, and they received 46 percent 

of prorated SNAP benefits (Table 3.5). Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of children served by SNAP 

were school age (age 5 to 17). Forty-six percent of participants were nonelderly adults (age 18 to 59), 

and 8 percent were elderly adults (age 60 or older). 

Sixty-two percent of nonelderly adults and 66 percent of elderly adults were female (Table 

A.23). Nearly 7 percent of SNAP participants were foreign-born immigrants—3 percent were 

naturalized citizens, 3 percent were legal permanent residents, and nearly 1 percent were refugees.

Nine percent of all SNAP participants were citizen children living with noncitizens.11

Changes in the Economic Conditions of SNAP Households

The overall economic conditions of the average SNAP household improved modestly from 

fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010, likely a result of increased participation by households with 

slightly higher income. The average household gross income increased in real dollars from $723 in 

fiscal year 2009 to $731 in fiscal year 2010, while average household net income increased by only $2

to $336 during the same period (Table 3.6). 

The percentage of households with zero gross income increased from 18 to 20 percent, while 

the percentage of households with zero net income rose by more than two percentage points to over 

38 percent in fiscal year 2010 (Table A.3). The percentage of households with earnings increased by 

one percentage point to 30 percent as the percentage of households with TANF income continued 

to fall, dropping by two points to 8 percent in fiscal year 2010 (Table A.1).

The average household benefit increased in real dollars from $273 in fiscal year 2009 to $287 in 

fiscal year 2010. However, that same value actually decreased by $5 when restricting the average 

household benefit to only the second half of fiscal year 2009 (Table 3.6). This decrease is likely due 

to the fact that under ARRA benefits remain at the same level – 113.6 percent of the June 2008 

Thrifty Food Plan – until March 31, 2014, when they revert to being 100 percent of the June 2013 

cost of the Thrifty Food Plan.

 

11 Some of the noncitizen household members participated in SNAP with citizen children; others were ineligible 

and did not participate.
Table 3.5. SNAP Benefits of Participants by Selected Demographic Characteristics, Fiscal Year 2010

Participant Characteristic

Total Participants Pro-rated Benefitsa

Number

(000)

Percent Dollars

(000)

Percent

Total .............................................. 39,759 100.0 5,273,937 100.0

Citizenship

 U.S. Born Citizen ........................ 37,039 93.2 4,908,169 93.1

 Naturalized Citizen ...................... 1,177 3.0 159,054 3.0

 Refugee ........................................ 311 0.8 41,402 0.8

 Other Noncitizen ......................... 1,232 3.1 165,313 3.1

Citizen Children Living with

Noncitizensb ............................ 3,545 8.9 498,507 9.5

Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in

Childless Householdsc ........... 3,857 9.7 661,272 12.5

Age

Children ......................................... 18,516 46.6 2,416,060 45.8

 Preschool Age Children ............... 6,317 15.9 870,468 16.5

 0-1 ............................................. 2,419 6.1 338,478 6.4

 2-4 ............................................. 3,898 9.8 531,990 10.1

 School Age Children ................... 12,199 30.7 1,545,592 29.3

 5-7 ............................................. 3,391 8.5 446,659 8.5

 8-11 ........................................... 3,976 10.0 502,805 9.5

 12-15 ......................................... 3,309 8.3 409,826 7.8

 16-17 ......................................... 1,523 3.8 186,302 3.5

 Nonelderly Adults (18-59) .......... 18,121 45.6 2,501,363 47.4

 Elderly Adults (60 or more) ........ 3,121 7.9 356,487 6.8

 Unknown Age .............................. 0 0.0 27 0.0

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Pro-rated benefits equal the benefits paid to households multiplied by the ratio of participants with

selected characteristic to total household size.

b Noncitizens may be inside or outside the SNAP unit.

c These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April

2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

23
24

Table 3.6. Nominal and Real Values of Selected Characteristics, Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010

Fiscal Year 

2009

Second Half of 

Fiscal Year 2009 

(April 2009 to 

September 2009)

Fiscal 

Year 

2010

Percentage 

Change in 

Nominal 

Values

(Second 

Half of FY 

2009 to FY 

2010)

Percentage 

Change in

Real

Values

(Second 

Half of FY 

2009 to FY 

Characteristic 2010)

Nominal 

Value

Real 

Value 

(in 2010 

dollars)

Nominal 

Value

Real 

Value 

(in 2010 

dollars)

Nominal 

Value

Average Gross Incomea

Per Household $711 $723 $716 $728 $731 +2.1 + 0.4

Per Person 391 397 395 401 396 +0.3 - 1.2

Average Net Incomea

Per Household 329 334 333 338 336 +0.9 - 0.6

Per Person 162 165 164 167 162 - 1.2 - 3.0

Average Total 

Deductiona 471 478 473 481 491 +3.8 + 2.1

Average Household 

Benefitb 272 273 291 292 287 -1.4 - 1.7

Consumer Price Index 

(CPI)

All Items 214.5 214.5 218.1 +1.7

Food at Home 215.1 215.1 215.8 +0.3

Source of CPI-U average values: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source of nominal values: Fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010 SNAP QC samples.

a Real values are in constant 2010 dollars. Fiscal year 2009 values were inflated by the change in the CPI-U for

all items between 2009 and 2010 (+1.7 percent).

b Real values are in constant 2010 dollars. Fiscal year 2009 values were inflated by the change in the CPI-U for 

food at home between 2009 and 2010 (+0.3 percent).
ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS
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27

ARRA American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009

BBCE Broad-Based Categorical

 Eligibility

EBT Electronic Benefit Transfer

FNS U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Food and Nutrition Service

GA General Assistance

HHS U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services

MFIP Minnesota Family Investment 

Program

MOE Maintenance of Effort

PRWORA Personal Responsibility and 

Work Opportunity 

Reconciliation Act of 1996

SNAP Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program

SNAP QC Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program Quality 

Control

SSA U.S. Social Security 

Administration

SSI Supplemental Security Income

SSI-CAP SSI Combined Application 

Project

SUA Standard Utility Allowance

TANF Temporary Assistance to Needy 

Families

TFP Thrifty Food Plan

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

DEFINITIONS

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

2009 (ARRA). This legislation took effect on 

April 1, 2009. SNAP provisions included 

increases to the maximum and minimum 

allotments, and allowed States to suspend the 

time limit on benefits for those nonelderly 

nondisabled adults without dependents who had 

previously been subject to the time limit from 

April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010.

Asylees. Noncitizens granted political asylum. 

In the tables in this report, the term ―refugee‖ 

includes refugees, asylees, and deportees.

Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility 

(BBCE). Policy under which most households 

receive a TANF/MOE-funded non-cash service 

that makes the households categorically eligible 

for SNAP. The non-cash service is usually in the 

form of a brochure or handout that provides 

information on State-provided assistance and 

services. Households meeting State-determined 

eligibility criteria receive this information upon 

application or recertification for SNAP.

Categorically Eligible Households. 

Households in which all members receive or are 

authorized to receive TANF, SSI, or GA 

benefits. Includes households receiving benefits 

or services that are at least 50 percent funded by 

TANF or MOE funds. Some States also confer 

categorical eligibility based on benefits or 

services that are less than 50 percent funded by 

TANF/MOE and on households where at least 

one member receives a benefit or service, but 

the State determines that the entire household 

benefits. If the purpose of the program 

conferring categorical eligibility is to prevent 

out-of-wedlock pregnancies or foster or 

strengthen marriage, the household’s gross 

income must be under 200 percent of poverty. 

However, if the purpose of the program is to 

further work, this income limit does not apply.

Certification Period. Length of time a 

household is certified to receive SNAP benefits. 

When the certification period expires,

ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS

ACRONYMS
28

households must be recertified to continue 

receiving benefits.

Child Support Payment Deduction. 

Deduction for households with legally obligated 

child support payments made to or for a nonhousehold member. States may choose to 

exclude child support payments from gross 

income rather than use the deduction. See also 

Deductions.

Children. Individuals under age 18.

Countable Resources. Cash on hand and 

resources that may be converted easily to cash, 

such as money in checking or savings accounts, 

savings certificates, stocks or bonds, and lumpsum payments. Such resources also include some 

nonliquid resources, although the family home, 

certain family vehicles, and business tools or 

property are not counted. See also Resource Limit.

Deductions. Allowable deductions from a 

household’s gross monthly income to arrive at 

SNAP net monthly income. The deductions 

shown in the tables are those to which 

households were entitled. (MFIP and SSI-CAP 

participants are subject to different rules.) Some 

of the deductions may not have been used 

before a household reached zero net income 

status, however. Therefore, total deductions to 

which a household is entitled do not equal the 

difference between gross and net income 

amounts. See also Child Support Payment Deduction,

Dependent Care Deduction, Earned Income Deduction,

Excess Shelter Expense Deduction, Medical Deduction,

Minnesota Family Investment Program, SSI-Combined 

Application Project, Standard Deduction, and Total 

Deduction.

Deemed Income. Individual sponsors of 

certain noncitizens may be subject to sponsorto-noncitizen deeming, which counts the 

sponsor’s income and resources as part of the 

noncitizen’s own income and resources when 

determining eligibility for SNAP.

Dependent Care Deduction. Deduction 

received by SNAP households for expenses 

involved in caring for dependents while other 

household members work, seek employment, or 

attend school. See also Appendix C and Deductions.

Deportees. Noncitizens granted a stay of 

deportation. In the tables in this report, the term 

―refugee‖ includes refugees, asylees, and 

deportees.

Earned Income. Includes wages, salaries, selfemployment and other reported earned income.

Earned Income Deduction. Deduction 

received by households with earnings, equal to 

20 percent of the combined earnings of 

household members. (MFIP participants are 

entitled to a 37 percent earned income 

deduction.) See also Deductions and Minnesota 

Family Investment Program. 

Elderly People. Adults age 60 or older.

Electronic Benefit Transfer. Means of benefit 

delivery via electronic debit card, similar to a 

bank card, used to purchase food at authorized 

retail stores.

Entrant Households. Households newly 

certified during fiscal year 2010 and in their first 

month of participation.

Excess Shelter Expense Deduction. 

Deduction received by households with shelter 

costs, equal to those shelter costs that exceed 50 

percent of the household’s countable income 

after all other potential deductions are subtracted 

from gross income. There is a limit on the 

shelter deduction for households without elderly 

or disabled members. See also Appendix C and 

Deductions and Homeless Household Shelter Estimate.

Expedited Service Households. Households 

with gross income equal to or less than $150 and 

countable resources equal to or less than $100, 

or with migrant or seasonal farm workers with 

countable resources equal to or less than $100 

are eligible for expedited SNAP eligibility 

verification procedures. A State agency must 

review each SNAP application and conduct an 

eligibility interview within seven days of 

application submission. Eligible households 

receive SNAP benefits within this time frame.
29

Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 

(2008 Farm Bill). Most SNAP provisions in this 

legislation, which reauthorized the SNAP 

program, became effective on October 1, 2008. 

Other SNAP provisions included increases in 

the minimum benefit for one- and two-person 

households and to the standard deduction, 

elimination of the cap on the dependent care 

deduction, and exclusion of most education and 

retirement accounts from countable resources 

when determining SNAP eligibility. It also 

indexed the resource limits to inflation, adjusting 

them to the nearest $250 increment each fiscal 

year.

Gross Income. Total monthly countable 

income of a household in dollars, before 

applying deductions.

Gross Income Limit. SNAP monthly gross 

income eligibility standards, determined by 

household size; equal to 130 percent of HHS 

poverty guidelines. See also Appendix C.

Homeless Household Shelter Estimate. 

Some States allow homeless households to 

deduct $143 for shelter expenses.

Household. Individuals who live in a residential 

unit and purchase and prepare food together.

Households with Children. Households with 

at least one member under age 18.

Households with Disabled Nonelderly 

People. Households with either (1) nonelderly 

SSI recipients, a medical deduction and no 

elderly individuals, or (2) nonelderly adults who 

do not appear to be working and who are 

receiving Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or 

workers’ compensation.

Households with Elderly People. Households 

with at least one member age 60 or older.

Initial Certification Households. Includes 

both households certified for the first time 

within the current certification period and 

previously certified households that have not 

received benefits for at least 30 days.

Lawful Permanent Residents. Noncitizens 

lawfully admitted for permanent resident status. 

Married-Head Households. Households with 

a spouse of the household head.

Maximum Benefit. From October 2009 

through September 2010, the maximum benefit 

was based on 113.6 percent of the cost of the 

Thrifty Food Plan in June 2008 for a reference 

family of four, rounded to the lowest dollar 

increment. The maximum benefit varies by 

geographic region. See also Appendix C.

Medical Deduction. Deduction available to 

households with elderly or disabled members, 

equal to all unreimbursed medical expenses 

incurred by the elderly or disabled person that 

exceed $35. See also Deductions.

Medical Deduction Demonstrations. State 

programs that use a standard deduction amount 

for households with medical expenses below a 

specified limit. 

Metropolitan Households. Households whose 

SNAP application was processed at an agency in 

a Census Bureau–defined Metropolitan 

Statistical Area (MSA). An MSA has at least one 

urbanized area with population of 50,000 or 

more and includes adjacent territory with a high 

degree of social and economic integration with 

the core, as measured by commuting ties.

Micropolitan Households. Households whose 

SNAP application was processed at an agency in 

a Census Bureau–defined Micropolitan Statistical 

Area. A Micropolitan Statistical Area has at least 

one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 

50,000 population and includes adjacent territory 

with a high degree of social and economic 

integration with the core, as measured by 

commuting ties.

Minimum Benefit. From October 2009 

through September 2010, the minimum benefit 

for all one- and two-person units was equal to 8 

percent of the maximum benefit for a oneperson household. Because it is derived from the 

maximum benefit, the minimum benefit also 

varies by geographic region. See also 

Appendix C.
30

Minnesota Family Investment Program 

(MFIP). Minnesota’s cash assistance program, 

that calculates SNAP benefits for participating 

households as a component separate from the 

cash assistance calculation within the same grant.

Net Income. Total monthly countable income 

of a household in dollars after applying 

deductions. Net income is not calculated for 

MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in 

Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, 

Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New 

York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South 

Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia.

Net Income Limit. SNAP monthly net income 

eligibility standard, determined by household 

size, equal to 100 percent of the HHS poverty 

guidelines. See also Appendix C.

Noncitizen. In this report, ―noncitizen‖ refers 

to individuals residing in the United States who 

are not natural-born or naturalized citizens. 

These include legal permanent residents, 

refugees, asylees, deportees, and unauthorized 

aliens. Legal noncitizens are subject to additional 

nonfinancial eligibility criteria (see p. 7). 

Unauthorized aliens are not eligible to receive 

SNAP benefits but they may be nonparticipating 

members of SNAP units.

Nonelderly Adults. Adults ages 18 to 59.

Nonimmigrant Visitors to the United States. 

Noncitizens who have been admitted for a 

specified period, including tourists, students, and 

foreign nationals with work permits.

Nonparticipating Household Head 

Households. Households headed by someone 

ineligible for SNAP, such as an ineligible 

noncitizen.

Personal Responsibility and Work 

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 

(PRWORA). A law enacted in 1996 that made 

sweeping changes to the nation’s public 

assistance programs. It disqualified many lawful 

permanent resident noncitizens and nonelderly 

nondisabled adults from SNAP. In addition, it 

changed cash welfare from an entitlement to 

temporary assistance designed to move parents 

to work. Given that many cash welfare recipients 

also participate in SNAP, changes to the cash 

welfare program significantly affect SNAP 

participants.

Poverty Guidelines. The poverty guidelines 

used by FNS are issued by the U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services. Dividing the 

guidelines by 12 yields the monthly net income 

limits for SNAP. The Census Bureau establishes 

other poverty thresholds used primarily for 

statistical purposes. See also Appendix C.

Preschool-Age Children. Children under age 5.

Pure PA. A household is considered to be pure 

PA if every member of the household receives 

SSI income, is covered by a cash TANF benefit, 

or receives SSI or GA income.

Refugees. Noncitizens accorded refugee status. 

In the tables in this report, the term ―refugee‖ 

includes refugees, asylees, and deportees. See 

also Asylees and Deportees.

Resource Limit. For all non-categorically 

eligible households without an elderly or 

disabled person, the resource limit was $2,000 in 

fiscal year 2010. Households with an elderly or 

disabled person were allowed up to $3,000 of 

countable resources. See also Countable Resources.

Rural. A household is considered rural if the 

county in which its local SNAP agency is located 

is not in a Metropolitan Statistical Area or a 

Micropolitan Statistical Area.

School-Age Children. Children ages 5 to 17.

Shelter Deduction. See Excess Shelter Expense 

Deduction.

Single-Adult with Children Households. 

Households with exactly one person age 18 or 

older, no spouse, and at least one person under 

age 18.

Single-Person Households. Households with 

exactly one person.

SSI-Combined Application Project (SSICAP). Joint FNS-SSA-State partnerships with a 

goal of streamlining the procedures for 
31

providing SNAP benefits to certain households 

eligible for SSI.

Standard Deduction. Deduction received by all 

households which varies by area and household 

size to reflect price differences among areas. See 

also Appendix C and Deductions.

Standard Utility Allowance (SUA). Specified 

dollar amounts set by state agencies that states 

may use in place of actual utility costs to 

calculate a household’s total shelter expenses.

Student. Participant age 18 or older enrolled at 

least half-time in a recognized school, training 

program, or institution of higher education.

Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). Market basket of 

goods based on an economical and nutritious 

diet, adjusted for household size and 

composition. Used to determine maximum 

SNAP benefit amounts.

Total Deduction. Includes child support 

payment, dependent care, earned income, excess 

shelter expense, medical, and standard 

deductions to which SNAP households are 

entitled. In some cases the total deduction 

exceeds the amount deducted from gross 

income because net income may not be less than 

zero. See also Deductions. 

Unearned Income. Includes TANF, GA, SSI, 

Social Security, unemployment benefits, 

veteran’s benefits, workers’ compensation, other 

government benefits, contributions, deemed 

income, education loans, child support, wage 

supplementations, energy assistance, State 

diversion payments, and other unearned income.

Work Registration. Many nonelderly 

nondisabled SNAP participants are required to 

register for work with their welfare office or 

State unemployment agency and must agree to 

accept any suitable job offered to them. 

Individuals exempt from SNAP work 

registration rules include the following:

All individuals under age 16 or over age 

60, and some individuals age 16 and 17

Individuals responsible for the care of a 

dependent child under age 6 or the care 

of an incapacitated person

Individuals who are physically or mentally 

unfit for work

Individuals complying with work 

requirements of other assistance 

programs

Students enrolled at least half-time in a 

school, training program, or institution of 

higher education

Regular participants in a drug addiction or 

alcohol treatment program 

Individuals working 30 hours a week or 

earning more than an amount equal to 30 

hours times the minimum wage

Work Requirements and a Time Limit. 

SNAP participants age 18 to 49 who are not 

disabled (often referred to as able-bodied) and 

do not have any children in their household are 

subject to work requirements in order to receive 

SNAP benefits for more than 3 months in a 36 

month period. They may be exempt from the 

work requirement if they work at least 20 hours 

per week, participate in a qualifying work 

program, receive a work exemption, or live in a 

location that qualifies for a waiver due to 

insufficient jobs. In this report all adults meeting 

this definition regardless of exemption status are 

identified as Nondisabled Adults age 18-49 in 

Childless Households.

Prior to the implementation of ARRA, SNAP 

participants who did not meet the conditions of 

their work requirements were subject to time 

limits on SNAP benefits. ARRA allowed states 

to waive these time limits from April 1, 2009 to 

September 30, 2010.
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APPENDIX A

DETAILED TABLES OF SNAP HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
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Table A.1. Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits by Household Composition, Locality, Countable

Income Source, and SNAP Benefit Amount

Household Characteristic

SNAP Households

Participants in Households

with Household

Characteristic

Monthly SNAP Benefits

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Dollars

(000)

Percent

Total ................................................................................................ 18,369 100.0 39,759 100.0 5,273,937 100.0

Household Composition

 Children .......................................................................................... 8,947 48.7 29,089 73.2 3,749,913 71.1

 School Age ................................................................................... 6,739 36.7 23,572 59.3 2,958,908 56.1

 Preschool Age .............................................................................. 4,707 25.6 16,077 40.4 2,121,847 40.2

 No Children .................................................................................... 9,422 51.3 10,670 26.8 1,524,025 28.9

 Elderly Individuals ......................................................................... 2,852 15.5 3,649 9.2 412,028 7.8

 No Elderly Individuals ................................................................... 15,517 84.5 36,111 90.8 4,861,909 92.2

 Disabled Nonelderly Individualsa .................................................. 3,633 19.8 7,144 18.0 794,154 15.1

 No Disabled Nonelderly Individuals ............................................. 14,736 80.2 32,616 82.0 4,479,783 84.9

 Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in Childless Householdsb ............ 3,512 19.1 4,254 10.7 709,479 13.5

 No Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in Childless Households ........ 14,857 80.9 35,505 89.3 4,564,458 86.5

 Noncitizens .................................................................................... 1,086 5.9 2,951 7.4 371,129 7.0

 No Noncitizens ............................................................................... 17,283 94.1 36,808 92.6 4,902,809 93.0

Locality

 Metropolitan ................................................................................... 14,538 79.1 31,264 78.6 4,211,832 79.9

 Micropolitanc ................................................................................. 2,161 11.8 4,842 12.2 612,956 11.6

 Rural ............................................................................................... 1,442 7.9 3,267 8.2 400,591 7.6

Countable Income Source

 Gross Income ................................................................................. 14,743 80.3 33,949 85.4 4,198,397 79.6

 No Gross Income ........................................................................... 3,627 19.7 5,810 14.6 1,075,540 20.4

 Net Income ..................................................................................... 10,818 58.9 26,686 67.1 2,902,717 55.0

 No Net Income ............................................................................... 7,032 38.3 12,488 31.4 2,281,799 43.3

 Not Applicabled ............................................................................. 518 2.8 585 1.5 89,421 1.7

 Earned Income ............................................................................... 5,498 29.9 16,179 40.7 1,888,325 35.8

 No Earned Income ......................................................................... 12,871 70.1 23,580 59.3 3,385,612 64.2

 Unearned Income ........................................................................... 11,074 60.3 23,782 59.8 2,929,878 55.6

 No Unearned Income ..................................................................... 7,295 39.7 15,977 40.2 2,344,059 44.4

 TANF Income ................................................................................ 1,471 8.0 4,462 11.2 629,154 11.9

 No TANF Income .......................................................................... 16,898 92.0 35,297 88.8 4,644,783 88.1

 GA Income ..................................................................................... 746 4.1 1,132 2.8 171,327 3.2

 No GA Income ............................................................................... 17,624 95.9 38,627 97.2 5,102,611 96.8

 SSI .................................................................................................. 3,841 20.9 6,929 17.4 813,562 15.4

 No SSI ............................................................................................ 14,528 79.1 32,830 82.6 4,460,375 84.6

 Social Security Income .................................................................. 3,933 21.4 6,308 15.9 645,263 12.2

 No Social Security Income ............................................................ 14,436 78.6 33,451 84.1 4,628,674 87.8

Gross Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline

 No Income ...................................................................................... 3,627 19.7 5,810 14.6 1,075,540 20.4

 >0-50% ........................................................................................... 4,318 23.5 11,329 28.5 1,849,254 35.1

 51-100 ............................................................................................ 7,730 42.1 16,489 41.5 1,956,685 37.1

 101+ ............................................................................................... 2,695 14.7 6,131 15.4 392,458 7.4

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit ........................................................................... 689 3.8 800 2.0 11,041 0.2

 Maximum Benefit .......................................................................... 7,353 40.0 12,823 32.3 2,348,154 44.5

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify

households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was

disabled.

b These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States

to suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

c A micropolitan area has at least one urban cluster of between 10,000 and 50,000 people and includes adjacent territory with a high degree of social

and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.

d Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

35
Table A.2. Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Total Deduction, SNAP Benefit, Household Size, and Certification Period of

Participating Households by Household Composition, Locality, Countable Income Source, and SNAP Benefit Amount

Household Characteristic

Total Households Average Values

Number

(000)

Percent

Gross

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net

Countable

Income

(Dollars)a

Total

Deduction

(Dollars)b

SNAP

Benefit

(Dollars)

Household

Size

(Individuals)

Certification

Period

(Months)

Total ............................................................ 18,369 100.0 731 336 491 287 2.2 12.1

Household Composition

 Children ...................................................... 8,947 48.7 923 452 555 419 3.3 9.1

 School Age ............................................... 6,739 36.7 999 506 571 439 3.5 9.2

 Preschool Age .......................................... 4,707 25.6 894 424 558 451 3.4 9.0

 No Children ................................................ 9,422 51.3 549 220 428 162 1.1 14.8

 Elderly Individuals ..................................... 2,852 15.5 813 381 498 144 1.3 20.2

 No Elderly Individuals ............................... 15,517 84.5 716 328 490 313 2.3 10.6

 Disabled Nonelderly Individualsc .............. 3,633 19.8 946 475 509 219 2.0 15.8

 No Disabled Nonelderly Individuals ......... 14,736 80.2 678 303 487 304 2.2 11.1

 Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in

Childless Householdsd ........................... 3,512 19.1 315 119 365 202 1.2 9.0

 No Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in

Childless Households ............................. 14,857 80.9 829 389 522 307 2.4 12.8

 Noncitizens ................................................ 1,086 5.9 917 435 583 342 2.7 12.6

 No Noncitizens ........................................... 17,283 94.1 719 330 486 284 2.1 12.0

Locality

 Metropolitan ............................................... 14,538 79.1 723 319 503 290 2.2 12.1

 Micropolitane ............................................. 2,161 11.8 759 387 457 284 2.2 11.6

 Rural ........................................................... 1,442 7.9 775 429 430 278 2.3 11.7

Countable Income Source

 Gross Income ............................................. 14,743 80.3 911 421 545 285 2.3 12.7

 No Gross Income ....................................... 3,627 19.7 0 0 281 297 1.6 9.3

 Net Income ................................................. 10,818 58.9 1,072 554 517 268 2.5 12.2

 No Net Income ........................................... 7,032 38.3 209 0 454 324 1.8 10.2

 Not Applicable ........................................... 518 2.8 706 – 69 173 1.1 35.6

 Earned Income ........................................... 5,498 29.9 1,174 544 674 343 2.9 9.1

 No Earned Income ..................................... 12,871 70.1 542 244 410 263 1.8 13.3

 Unearned Income ....................................... 11,074 60.3 858 412 498 265 2.1 14.0

 No Unearned Income ................................. 7,295 39.7 538 225 482 321 2.2 9.1

 TANF Income ............................................ 1,471 8.0 719 313 455 428 3.0 10.4

 No TANF Income ...................................... 16,898 92.0 732 338 495 275 2.1 12.2

 GA Income ................................................. 746 4.1 527 183 460 230 1.5 12.9

 No GA Income ........................................... 17,624 95.9 740 342 493 290 2.2 12.0

 SSI .............................................................. 3,841 20.9 863 420 489 212 1.8 19.3

 No SSI ........................................................ 14,528 79.1 696 316 492 307 2.3 10.2

 Social Security Income .............................. 3,933 21.4 948 480 508 164 1.6 17.0

 No Social Security Income ........................ 14,436 78.6 672 298 487 321 2.3 10.7

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit ....................................... 689 3.8 1,240 915 325 16 1.2 14.3

 Maximum Benefit ...................................... 7,353 40.0 233 0 454 319 1.7 11.3

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

b Because deductions are not used in their benefit determinations, 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded

from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

c Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

d These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to suspend

time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

e A micropolitan area has at least one urban cluster of between 10,000 and 50,000 people and includes adjacent territory with a high degree of social and

economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.

– Not Applicable.

36
Table A.3. Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by

Amount of Gross and Net Countable Income, Countable Resources, and Gross and Net Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty

Guideline

Household Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsa

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total .................................................. 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0

Gross Countable Income

 $0 ..................................................... 3,627 19.7 1,105 12.4 170 6.0 1 0.0

 1-199 ............................................... 837 4.6 434 4.8 22 0.8 7 0.2

 200-399 ........................................... 1,410 7.7 849 9.5 61 2.1 22 0.6

 400-599 ........................................... 1,450 7.9 942 10.5 144 5.1 141 3.9

 600-799 ........................................... 4,150 22.6 1,022 11.4 1,309 45.9 1,816 50.0

 800-999 ........................................... 1,889 10.3 867 9.7 471 16.5 568 15.6

 1,000+ ............................................. 5,006 27.3 3,728 41.7 676 23.7 1,079 29.7

Net Countable Income

 $0 ..................................................... 7,032 38.3 2,893 32.3 528 18.5 480 13.2

 1-199 ............................................... 2,486 13.5 1,181 13.2 405 14.2 572 15.7

 200-399 ........................................... 2,371 12.9 1,035 11.6 535 18.7 744 20.5

 400-599 ........................................... 2,062 11.2 903 10.1 519 18.2 682 18.8

 600-799 ........................................... 1,375 7.5 854 9.5 278 9.7 339 9.3

 800-999 ........................................... 899 4.9 629 7.0 154 5.4 208 5.7

 1,000+ ............................................. 1,625 8.8 1,418 15.8 140 4.9 418 11.5

 Not Applicableb .............................. 518 2.8 34 0.4 295 10.3 190 5.2

Countable Resources

 Categorically Eligiblec .................... 13,824 75.3 6,786 75.8 2,317 81.2 3,010 82.8

 $0 ..................................................... 2,920 15.9 1,314 14.7 207 7.3 330 9.1

 1-500 ............................................... 1,228 6.7 649 7.2 217 7.6 221 6.1

 501-1,000 ........................................ 224 1.2 112 1.3 57 2.0 43 1.2

 1,001-2,000 ..................................... 156 0.8 83 0.9 42 1.5 24 0.7

 2,001-3,000 ..................................... 17 0.1 3 0.0 12 0.4 5 0.1

Gross Countable Income as a

Percentage of Poverty Guideline

 No Gross Income ............................ 3,627 19.7 1,105 12.4 170 6.0 1 0.0

 >0-25% ............................................ 1,705 9.3 1,086 12.1 32 1.1 20 0.6

 26-50 ............................................... 2,613 14.2 2,033 22.7 124 4.4 348 9.6

 51-75 ............................................... 3,511 19.1 1,875 21.0 567 19.9 1,236 34.0

 76-100 ............................................. 4,219 23.0 1,478 16.5 1,357 47.6 1,380 38.0

 101-125 ........................................... 1,853 10.1 985 11.0 386 13.5 474 13.0

 126-130 ........................................... 195 1.1 101 1.1 38 1.3 34 0.9

 131-150 ........................................... 364 2.0 178 2.0 98 3.4 86 2.4

 151+ ................................................ 282 1.5 106 1.2 80 2.8 54 1.5

Net Countable Income as a

Percentage of Poverty Guideline

 No Net Income ................................ 7,032 38.3 2,893 32.3 528 18.5 480 13.2

 >0-25% ............................................ 3,786 20.6 2,232 24.9 512 18.0 861 23.7

 26-50 ............................................... 3,424 18.6 1,832 20.5 676 23.7 1,039 28.6

 51-75 ............................................... 2,336 12.7 1,249 14.0 543 19.0 695 19.1

 76-100 ............................................. 1,002 5.5 586 6.5 222 7.8 290 8.0

 101-125 ........................................... 194 1.1 100 1.1 53 1.9 57 1.6

 126-130 ........................................... 19 0.1 10 0.1 4 0.1 2 0.1

 131-150 ........................................... 35 0.2 8 0.1 7 0.3 13 0.3

 151+ ................................................ 23 0.1 4 0.0 12 0.4 5 0.1

 Not Applicableb .............................. 518 2.8 34 0.4 295 10.3 190 5.2

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

b Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

c Categorically eligible households have no countable resources since the program does not consider resources in their eligibility determinations.

37
Table A.4. Distribution of Participating Households by Household Size and Amount of Countable Gross and Net Income, Resources, and

Gross and Net Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline

Household

Characteristic

Total Households Household Size

Number

(000)

Percent

1 2 3 4 5 6+

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total .............................. 18,369 100.0 8,751 100.0 3,544 100.0 2,742 100.0 1,846 100.0 925 100.0 561 100.0

Gross Countable

Income

 $0 ................................. 3,627 19.7 2,471 28.2 542 15.3 344 12.5 168 9.1 71 7.6 31 5.5

 1-199 ............................ 837 4.6 429 4.9 186 5.3 132 4.8 56 3.1 26 2.8 7 1.3

 200-399 ........................ 1,410 7.7 660 7.5 367 10.4 212 7.7 116 6.3 40 4.3 15 2.7

 400-599 ........................ 1,450 7.9 565 6.5 409 11.5 265 9.7 127 6.9 58 6.2 26 4.6

 600-799 ........................ 4,150 22.6 2,974 34.0 522 14.7 339 12.4 200 10.8 72 7.7 44 7.9

 800-999 ........................ 1,889 10.3 911 10.4 394 11.1 288 10.5 181 9.8 73 7.9 42 7.4

 1,000+ .......................... 5,006 27.3 739 8.4 1,124 31.7 1,162 42.4 998 54.1 586 63.4 396 70.6

Net Countable Income

 $0 ................................. 7,032 38.3 4,155 47.5 1,349 38.1 839 30.6 430 23.3 182 19.7 76 13.5

 1-199 ............................ 2,486 13.5 1,263 14.4 527 14.9 373 13.6 203 11.0 79 8.5 41 7.3

 200-399 ........................ 2,371 12.9 1,229 14.0 458 12.9 322 11.7 211 11.5 98 10.6 53 9.4

 400-599 ........................ 2,062 11.2 1,005 11.5 421 11.9 310 11.3 197 10.7 85 9.2 43 7.7

 600-799 ........................ 1,375 7.5 395 4.5 323 9.1 301 11.0 196 10.6 102 11.0 58 10.4

 800-999 ........................ 899 4.9 143 1.6 237 6.7 227 8.3 160 8.6 84 9.1 49 8.7

 1,000+ .......................... 1,625 8.8 74 0.8 216 6.1 363 13.2 441 23.9 294 31.7 239 42.5

 Not Applicablea ........... 518 2.8 488 5.6 13 0.4 7 0.3 7 0.4 1 0.1 2 0.4

Countable Resources

 Categorically Eligibleb 13,824 75.3 6,621 75.7 2,692 76.0 2,026 73.9 1,381 74.8 682 73.7 422 75.3

 $0 ................................. 2,920 15.9 1,497 17.1 528 14.9 435 15.9 257 13.9 133 14.4 71 12.6

 1-500 ............................ 1,228 6.7 469 5.4 256 7.2 215 7.9 161 8.7 81 8.8 46 8.2

 501-1,000 ..................... 224 1.2 94 1.1 35 1.0 38 1.4 31 1.7 16 1.8 10 1.8

 1,001-2,000 .................. 156 0.8 61 0.7 28 0.8 28 1.0 15 0.8 12 1.3 11 2.0

 2,001-3,000 .................. 17 0.1 9 0.1 5 0.1 0 0.0 1 0.0 1 0.1 1 0.2

Gross Countable

Income as a Percentage

of Poverty Guideline

 No Gross Income ......... 3,627 19.7 2,471 28.2 542 15.3 344 12.5 168 9.1 71 7.6 31 5.5

 >0-25% ........................ 1,705 9.3 633 7.2 372 10.5 334 12.2 202 10.9 107 11.5 57 10.2

 26-50 ............................ 2,613 14.2 650 7.4 625 17.6 573 20.9 430 23.3 197 21.3 138 24.6

 51-75 ............................ 3,511 19.1 1,476 16.9 722 20.4 544 19.8 392 21.2 231 24.9 147 26.2

 76-100 .......................... 4,219 23.0 2,444 27.9 650 18.4 466 17.0 360 19.5 189 20.4 109 19.4

 101-125 ........................ 1,853 10.1 703 8.0 407 11.5 372 13.6 214 11.6 97 10.5 59 10.6

 126-130 ........................ 195 1.1 80 0.9 38 1.1 31 1.1 25 1.3 13 1.4 8 1.4

 131-150 ........................ 364 2.0 157 1.8 96 2.7 51 1.9 39 2.1 14 1.5 8 1.4

 151+ ............................. 282 1.5 136 1.6 91 2.6 26 0.9 18 1.0 6 0.7 3 0.6

Net Countable Income

as a Percentage of

Poverty Guideline

 No Net Income ............ 7,032 38.3 4,155 47.5 1,349 38.1 839 30.6 430 23.3 182 19.7 76 13.5

 >0-25% ........................ 3,786 20.6 1,456 16.6 784 22.1 676 24.6 474 25.7 240 25.9 157 28.0

 26-50 ............................ 3,424 18.6 1,364 15.6 646 18.2 591 21.6 438 23.7 241 26.1 144 25.7

 51-75 ............................ 2,336 12.7 868 9.9 469 13.2 396 14.4 320 17.3 165 17.9 117 20.9

 76-100 .......................... 1,002 5.5 313 3.6 194 5.5 204 7.4 151 8.2 83 9.0 56 10.0

 101-125 ........................ 194 1.1 67 0.8 52 1.5 28 1.0 26 1.4 13 1.4 8 1.4

 126-130 ........................ 19 0.1 8 0.1 11 0.3 ––––––––

 131-150 ........................ 35 0.2 20 0.2 16 0.4 ––––––––

 151+ ............................. 23 0.1 14 0.2 9 0.3 ––––––––

 Not Applicablea ........... 518 2.8 488 5.6 13 0.4 7 0.3 7 0.4 1 0.1 2 0.4

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

b Categorically eligible households have no countable resources since the program does not consider resources in their eligibility determinations.

– No sample households in this category.

38
Table A.5. Average Gross and Net Countable Income, Average Gross and Net Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline,

Average Countable Resources, and Average Benefit of Participating Households by Household Composition and Size

Household Characteristic

Total Households Average Values

Number

(000)

Percent

Gross

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net Countable

Income

(Dollars)a

Gross

Countable

Income as a

Percentage of

Poverty

Guideline

(Percent)

Net Countable

Income as a

Percentage of

Poverty

Guideline

(Percent)a

Countable

Resources

Over

Households

with

Countable

Resources

(Dollars)

SNAP Benefit

(Dollars)

Total ......................................................... 18,369 100.0 731 336 57.0 24.5 333 287

Household Composition

 Children .................................................. 8,947 48.7 923 452 56.6 26.6 314 419

 School Age ........................................... 6,739 36.7 999 506 58.8 28.8 335 439

 Preschool Age ...................................... 4,707 25.6 894 424 52.9 23.8 283 451

 No Children ............................................ 9,422 51.3 549 220 57.4 22.5 356 162

 Elderly Individuals ................................. 2,852 15.5 813 381 82.0 37.1 472 144

 No Elderly Individuals ........................... 15,517 84.5 716 328 52.4 22.4 297 313

 Disabled Nonelderly Individualsb .......... 3,633 19.8 946 475 80.6 37.3 300 219

 No Disabled Nonelderly Individuals ...... 14,736 80.2 678 303 51.1 21.5 341 304

Household Size

 1 .............................................................. 8,751 47.6 492 178 54.5 19.7 351 152

 2 .............................................................. 3,544 19.3 722 313 59.3 25.7 312 277

 3 .............................................................. 2,742 14.9 885 422 57.9 27.6 298 401

 4 .............................................................. 1,846 10.1 1,107 579 60.2 31.5 313 496

 5 .............................................................. 925 5.0 1,296 716 60.2 33.3 354 581

 6 .............................................................. 362 2.0 1,462 852 59.3 34.6 384 702

 7 .............................................................. 136 0.7 1,806 1,132 65.0 40.7 529 719

 8+ ............................................................ 64 0.3 1,926 1,256 57.5 37.4 531 965

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

b Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

39
Table A.6. Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Type of

Countable Income

Type of Income

Total Households Households with:

Totala Percent

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsb

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total .................................................................... 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0

Countable Earned Income ................................ 5,498 29.9 4,273 47.8 157 5.5 362 9.9

 Wages and Salaries ........................................... 4,834 26.3 3,833 42.8 119 4.2 312 8.6

 Self-Employment .............................................. 726 4.0 502 5.6 39 1.4 45 1.2

 Other Earned Income ........................................ 44 0.2 21 0.2 3 0.1 6 0.2

Countable Unearned Income ........................... 11,074 60.3 5,110 57.1 2,625 92.0 3,631 99.9

 TANF ................................................................ 1,471 8.0 1,427 16.0 30 1.0 255 7.0

 General Assistance ............................................ 746 4.1 149 1.7 128 4.5 141 3.9

 Supplemental Security Income ......................... 3,841 20.9 1,017 11.4 1,315 46.1 2,576 70.9

 Social Security .................................................. 3,933 21.4 789 8.8 1,908 66.9 1,777 48.9

 Unemployment Income ..................................... 1,227 6.7 789 8.8 42 1.5 62 1.7

 Veterans’ Benefits ............................................. 150 0.8 30 0.3 66 2.3 43 1.2

 Workers’ Compensation ................................... 52 0.3 30 0.3 8 0.3 18 0.5

 Other Government Benefitsc ............................. 244 1.3 84 0.9 84 3.0 117 3.2

 Household Contributions .................................. 536 2.9 362 4.0 37 1.3 31 0.8

 Household Deemed Income .............................. 17 0.1 17 0.2 0 0.0 1 0.0

 Educational Loans ............................................. 5 0.0 3 0.0 2 0.1 0 0.0

 Child Support Enforcement Payments .............. 1,768 9.6 1,702 19.0 22 0.8 281 7.7

 State Diversion Payments ................................. 6 0.0 1 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.0

 Energy Assistance Income ................................ 1 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0

 Wage Supplementation ..................................... 2 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0

 Other Unearned Incomed .................................. 545 3.0 261 2.9 203 7.1 67 1.8

 TANF or GA Income ........................................ 2,206 12.0 1,566 17.5 157 5.5 387 10.7

 TANF and Earnings .......................................... 296 1.6 291 3.3 3 0.1 19 0.5

 TANF and SSI ................................................... 251 1.4 241 2.7 12 0.4 239 6.6

 TANF or SSI or GA .......................................... 5,605 30.5 2,295 25.6 1,382 48.5 2,607 71.7

 (TANF or SSI or GA) and Earnings ................. 601 3.3 506 5.7 29 1.0 274 7.5

 TANF and Child Support .................................. 106 0.6 104 1.2 4 0.1 27 0.7

 SSI and Social Security ..................................... 1,447 7.9 266 3.0 718 25.2 756 20.8

 SSI or Social Security ....................................... 6,327 34.4 1,540 17.2 2,504 87.8 3,597 99.0

 SSI and Earnings ............................................... 292 1.6 213 2.4 22 0.8 272 7.5

 GA and Earnings ............................................... 40 0.2 25 0.3 4 0.2 8 0.2

 Earnings and Child Support .............................. 736 4.0 722 8.1 4 0.1 47 1.3

No Countable Income ....................................... 3,627 19.7 1,105 12.4 170 6.0 1 0.0

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a The sum of individual income sources does not add to the total because households can receive income from more than one source.

b Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

c Examples of other government benefits include Black Lung Benefits, Railroad Retirement payments, and USDA payments to farmers.

d Examples of other unearned income include alimony, foster care payments, and dividends and interest payments.

40
Table A.7. Average Income, Total Deduction, SNAP Benefit, and Household Size of Participating Households by Type of Countable

Income

Type of Income

Total Households Average Values

Totala Percent

Gross

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net

Countable

Income

(Dollars)b

Income

Source

(Dollars)c

Total

Deduction

(Dollars)d

SNAP

Benefit

(Dollars)

Household

Size

(Individuals)

Total .................................................................... 18,369 100.0 731 336 - 491 287 2.2

Countable Earned Income ................................ 5,498 29.9 1,174 544 1,004 674 343 2.9

 Wages and Salaries ........................................... 4,834 26.3 1,238 585 1,063 687 338 3.0

 Self-Employment .............................................. 726 4.0 802 302 511 603 381 2.7

 Other Earned Income ........................................ 44 0.2 698 238 248 568 331 2.3

Countable Unearned Income ........................... 11,074 60.3 858 412 715 498 265 2.1

 TANF ................................................................ 1,471 8.0 719 313 395 455 428 3.0

 General Assistance ............................................ 746 4.1 527 183 239 460 230 1.5

 Supplemental Security Income ......................... 3,841 20.9 863 420 539 489 212 1.8

 Social Security .................................................. 3,933 21.4 948 480 744 508 164 1.6

 Unemployment Income ..................................... 1,227 6.7 1,130 663 889 489 282 2.7

 Veterans’ Benefits ............................................. 150 0.8 944 488 431 512 172 1.7

 Workers’ Compensation ................................... 52 0.3 1,205 727 837 509 266 2.7

 Other Government Benefitse ............................. 244 1.3 959 436 224 576 234 2.0

 Household Contributions .................................. 536 2.9 557 207 232 453 369 2.4

 Household Deemed Income .............................. 17 0.1 674 267 574 481 317 2.2

 Educational Loans ............................................. 5 0.0 919 601 286 369 351 2.9

 Child Support Enforcement Payments .............. 1,768 9.6 1,047 559 330 535 405 3.4

 State Diversion Payments ................................. 6 0.0 468 113 304 434 242 1.5

 Energy Assistance Income ................................ 1 0.0 987 517 560 489 313 2.8

 Wage Supplementation ..................................... 2 0.0 833 175 293 658 245 1.6

 Other Unearned Incomef ................................... 545 3.0 976 476 337 550 257 2.2

 TANF or GA Income ........................................ 2,206 12.0 651 267 344 456 361 2.5

 TANF and Earnings .......................................... 296 1.6 1,092 533 1,019 575 408 3.3

 TANF and SSI ................................................... 251 1.4 1,165 708 987 466 373 3.5

 TANF or SSI or GA .......................................... 5,605 30.5 765 340 505 475 264 2.0

 (TANF or SSI or GA) and Earnings ................. 601 3.3 1,310 688 1,207 644 358 3.3

 TANF and Child Support .................................. 106 0.6 918 476 511 471 444 3.5

 SSI and Social Security ..................................... 1,447 7.9 856 433 793 466 173 1.6

 SSI or Social Security ....................................... 6,327 34.4 918 455 790 505 191 1.7

 SSI and Earnings ............................................... 292 1.6 1,574 892 1,376 705 316 3.5

 GA and Earnings ............................................... 40 0.2 1,200 586 954 651 301 2.7

 Earnings and Child Support .............................. 736 4.0 1,482 805 1,385 689 365 3.6

No Countable Income ....................................... 3,627 19.7 0 0 0 281 297 1.6

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a The sum of individual income sources does not add to the total because households can receive income from more than one source.

b Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

c Average value of specified source over households with income from source.

d Because deductions are not used in their benefit determinations, 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded

from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

e Examples of other government benefits include Black Lung Benefits, Railroad Retirement payments, and USDA payments to farmers.

f Examples of other unearned income include alimony, foster care payments, and dividends and interest payments.

41
Table A.8. Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by

Countable Earned and Unearned Income Amounts

Household Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsa

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ................................... 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0

Countable Earned Income

 $0 ...................................... 12,871 70.1 4,674 52.2 2,696 94.5 3,272 90.1

 1-199 ................................. 485 2.6 235 2.6 30 1.1 73 2.0

 200-399 ............................. 558 3.0 370 4.1 24 0.8 46 1.3

 400-599 ............................. 610 3.3 418 4.7 31 1.1 44 1.2

 600-799 ............................. 697 3.8 501 5.6 17 0.6 50 1.4

 800-999 ............................. 625 3.4 475 5.3 17 0.6 35 1.0

 1,000-1,249 ....................... 744 4.0 614 6.9 13 0.5 32 0.9

 1,250-1,499 ....................... 633 3.4 564 6.3 12 0.4 36 1.0

 1,500-1,999 ....................... 727 4.0 687 7.7 7 0.2 28 0.8

 2,000+ ............................... 419 2.3 409 4.6 6 0.2 18 0.5

Countable Unearned

Income

 $0 ...................................... 7,295 39.7 3,837 42.9 227 8.0 3 0.1

 1-199 ................................. 933 5.1 641 7.2 21 0.7 10 0.3

 200-399 ............................. 1,512 8.2 1,068 11.9 69 2.4 34 0.9

 400-599 ............................. 1,279 7.0 886 9.9 139 4.9 177 4.9

 600-799 ............................. 3,862 21.0 860 9.6 1,331 46.7 1,963 54.0

 800-999 ............................. 1,397 7.6 519 5.8 463 16.2 577 15.9

 1,000-1,249 ....................... 1,070 5.8 430 4.8 378 13.2 411 11.3

 1,250-1,499 ....................... 529 2.9 322 3.6 131 4.6 250 6.9

 1,500+ ............................... 492 2.7 383 4.3 94 3.3 209 5.7

Countable TANF Income

 $0 ...................................... 16,898 92.0 7,520 84.0 2,822 99.0 3,378 93.0

 1-199 ................................. 266 1.4 252 2.8 13 0.5 74 2.0

 200-399 ............................. 554 3.0 530 5.9 13 0.4 111 3.1

 400-599 ............................. 440 2.4 436 4.9 3 0.1 53 1.5

 600-799 ............................. 162 0.9 161 1.8 2 0.1 13 0.4

 800-999 ............................. 36 0.2 36 0.4 0 0.0 4 0.1

 1,000+ ............................... 13 0.1 13 0.1 0 0.0 0 0.0

Countable GA Income

 $0 ...................................... 17,624 95.9 8,799 98.3 2,724 95.5 3,492 96.1

 1-199 ................................. 326 1.8 52 0.6 83 2.9 112 3.1

 200-399 ............................. 309 1.7 32 0.4 36 1.3 16 0.5

 400-599 ............................. 59 0.3 36 0.4 6 0.2 8 0.2

 600-799 ............................. 32 0.2 19 0.2 2 0.1 3 0.1

 800-999 ............................. 9 0.1 8 0.1 0 0.0 1 0.0

 1,000+ ............................... 10 0.1 3 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0

Countable TANF or GA

Income

 $0 ...................................... 16,163 88.0 7,382 82.5 2,696 94.5 3,246 89.3

 1-199 ................................. 583 3.2 294 3.3 95 3.3 177 4.9

 200-399 ............................. 860 4.7 559 6.2 49 1.7 126 3.5

 400-599 ............................. 499 2.7 472 5.3 9 0.3 61 1.7

 600-799 ............................. 195 1.1 180 2.0 3 0.1 17 0.5

 800-999 ............................. 46 0.3 44 0.5 0 0.0 5 0.1

 1,000+ ............................... 23 0.1 16 0.2 0 0.0 0 0.0

See footnotes at end of table.

42
Table A.8. Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by

Countable Earned and Unearned Income Amounts — Continued

Household Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsa

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Countable SSI

 $0 ...................................... 14,528 79.1 7,931 88.6 1,537 53.9 1,058 29.1

 1-199 ................................. 725 3.9 78 0.9 380 13.3 351 9.7

 200-399 ............................. 461 2.5 90 1.0 215 7.5 252 6.9

 400-599 ............................. 423 2.3 122 1.4 153 5.4 274 7.5

 600-799 ............................. 1,953 10.6 577 6.4 471 16.5 1,490 41.0

 800-999 ............................. 56 0.3 21 0.2 24 0.8 34 0.9

 1,000+ ............................... 223 1.2 129 1.4 72 2.5 174 4.8

 Maximum for 1 Personb ... 1,229 6.7 359 4.0 282 9.9 953 26.2

 Maximum for 2 Personsc .. 6 0.0 0 0.0 5 0.2 2 0.0

Countable Social Security

 $0 ...................................... 14,436 78.6 8,158 91.2 945 33.1 1,856 51.1

 1-199 ................................. 113 0.6 62 0.7 35 1.2 33 0.9

 200-399 ............................. 426 2.3 100 1.1 201 7.1 189 5.2

 400-599 ............................. 758 4.1 157 1.8 384 13.5 312 8.6

 600-799 ............................. 1,113 6.1 159 1.8 536 18.8 543 14.9

 800-999 ............................. 816 4.4 117 1.3 405 14.2 379 10.4

 1,000+ ............................... 707 3.8 192 2.1 347 12.2 321 8.8

Other Countable

Unearned Income

 $0 ...................................... 14,137 77.0 5,950 66.5 2,407 84.4 3,053 84.0

 1-199 ................................. 1,222 6.7 754 8.4 232 8.1 255 7.0

 200-399 ............................. 1,003 5.5 790 8.8 85 3.0 139 3.8

 400-599 ............................. 613 3.3 457 5.1 34 1.2 75 2.1

 600-799 ............................. 417 2.3 271 3.0 35 1.2 38 1.0

 800-999 ............................. 320 1.7 216 2.4 27 0.9 32 0.9

 1,000+ ............................... 641 3.5 503 5.6 33 1.1 40 1.1

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify

households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was

disabled.

b The fiscal year 2010 maximum monthly SSI benefit for one person is $674. The number shown is the number of households where one person

receives an SSI benefit of this amount. (The household may contain more than one person.)

c The fiscal year 2010 maximum monthly SSI benefit for two persons is $1,011. The number shown is the number of households where two persons

receive an SSI benefit of this amount. (The household may contain more than two persons.)

43
Table A.9. Distribution of Participating Households by Type of Deduction and Household Composition, Countable Income Source, and

SNAP Benefit Amount

Household Characteristic

Total Households Type of Deduction

Number

(000)

Percent

Earned Income Dependent Care Excess Shelter Medical Child Support

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Percent

with

Maximuma

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ....................................... 18,369 100.0 5,489 29.9 694 3.8 12,959 70.5 28.3 696 3.8 364 2.0

Household Composition

 Children ................................ 8,947 100.0 4,271 47.7 692 7.7 6,939 77.6 37.9 91 1.0 189 2.1

 School Age ......................... 6,739 100.0 3,241 48.1 461 6.8 5,339 79.2 38.2 82 1.2 157 2.3

 Preschool Age .................... 4,707 100.0 2,382 50.6 503 10.7 3,534 75.1 38.6 22 0.5 91 1.9

 No Children .......................... 9,422 100.0 1,219 12.9 2 0.0 6,020 63.9 17.2 605 6.4 175 1.9

 Elderly Individuals ............... 2,852 100.0 156 5.5 2 0.1 2,088 73.2 0.0 422 14.8 17 0.6

 No Elderly Individuals ......... 15,517 100.0 5,333 34.4 693 4.5 10,872 70.1 33.7 274 1.8 347 2.2

 Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsb ...................... 3,633 100.0 359 9.9 33 0.9 2,873 79.1 0.1 281 7.7 105 2.9

 No Disabled Nonelderly

Individuals ........................ 14,736 100.0 5,130 34.8 661 4.5 10,086 68.4 36.3 415 2.8 258 1.8

Countable Income Source

 Gross Income ........................ 14,743 100.0 5,489 37.2 685 4.6 11,687 79.3 25.4 695 4.7 346 2.3

 No Gross Income .................. 3,627 100.0 – – 9 0.3 1,272 35.1 54.7 1 0.0 17 0.5

 Net Income ........................... 10,818 100.0 4,307 39.8 575 5.3 8,552 79.0 19.5 609 5.6 262 2.4

 No Net Income ..................... 7,032 100.0 1,174 16.7 119 1.7 4,407 62.7 45.4 88 1.2 102 1.4

 Not Applicablec .................... 518 100.0 8 1.5 – – – – – – – – –

 Earned Income ...................... 5,498 100.0 5,489 99.8 610 11.1 4,494 81.7 38.8 56 1.0 170 3.1

 No Earned Income ................ 12,871 100.0 – – 84 0.7 8,465 65.8 22.7 640 5.0 194 1.5

 Unearned Income ................. 11,074 100.0 1,823 16.5 312 2.8 8,662 78.2 19.4 690 6.2 236 2.1

 No Unearned Income ........... 7,295 100.0 3,666 50.3 382 5.2 4,297 58.9 46.3 6 0.1 128 1.8

 TANF Income ...................... 1,471 100.0 295 20.1 31 2.1 1,168 79.4 34.3 8 0.5 7 0.5

 No TANF Income ................. 16,898 100.0 5,194 30.7 663 3.9 11,791 69.8 27.7 688 4.1 357 2.1

 GA Income ........................... 746 100.0 40 5.3 4 0.6 583 78.1 32.1 5 0.7 3 0.4

 No GA Income ..................... 17,624 100.0 5,449 30.9 690 3.9 12,377 70.2 28.1 691 3.9 361 2.0

 SSI ........................................ 3,841 100.0 290 7.6 32 0.8 2,866 74.6 0.1 97 2.5 54 1.4

 No SSI .................................. 14,528 100.0 5,199 35.8 662 4.6 10,093 69.5 36.3 599 4.1 310 2.1

 Social Security Income ......... 3,933 100.0 295 7.5 17 0.4 3,116 79.2 2.9 639 16.3 100 2.5

 No Social Security Income ... 14,436 100.0 5,194 36.0 678 4.7 9,843 68.2 36.3 57 0.4 264 1.8

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit ................. 689 100.0 138 20.0 2 0.3 372 53.9 4.6 132 19.2 11 1.5

 Maximum Benefit ................ 7,353 100.0 1,175 16.0 120 1.6 4,417 60.1 45.4 88 1.2 102 1.4

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Percent of households with deduction that receive the maximum.

b Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households

that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

c Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

– No sample households in this category.

44
Table A.10. Average Values of Deductions of Participating Households by Household Composition, Countable Income Source, and SNAP

Benefit Amount

Household Characteristic

Total

Households

(000)

Average Amount of Deduction

(Dollars)

Earned Incomea Dependent Careb Excess Shelterc Medicalb Child Supportc

All

Households

With

Deduction

All

Households

With

Deduction

All

Households

With

Deduction

All

Households

With

Deduction

All

Households

With

Deduction

Total ................................ 18,369 62 201 9 225 264 364 6 143 5 238

Household Composition

 Children ......................... 8,947 106 222 17 224 274 352 1 120 5 259

 School Age .................. 6,739 112 233 16 227 283 356 1 119 6 246

 Preschool Age ............. 4,707 114 225 24 228 261 346 1 124 6 285

 No Children ................... 9,422 17 126 0 287 254 378 10 146 4 215

 Elderly Individuals ........ 2,852 9 137 0 239 322 394 25 149 1 192

 No Elderly Individuals .. 15,517 71 203 10 224 255 358 2 132 5 240

 Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsd ............... 3,633 17 156 2 245 328 393 11 131 6 183

 No Disabled Nonelderly

Individuals ................. 14,736 73 204 10 224 249 356 4 151 5 260

Countable Income

Source

 Gross Income ................ 14,743 78 201 11 225 297 362 7 142 6 231

 No Gross Income .......... 3,627 0 0 0 156 136 385 0 457 2 376

 Net Income .................... 10,818 95 235 12 220 251 318 7 120 6 227

 No Net Income .............. 7,032 13 77 4 248 284 454 4 301 4 265

 Not Applicablee ............. 518 69 291 00000000

 Earned Income .............. 5,498 201 201 26 231 288 351 1 139 8 257

 No Earned Income ........ 12,871 0 0 1 178 254 371 7 143 4 221

 Unearned Income .......... 11,074 31 174 7 226 300 367 9 142 5 226

 No Unearned Income .... 7,295 108 214 12 223 212 358 0 241 5 259

 TANF Income ............... 1,471 26 132 2 104 274 345 1 102 1 144

 No TANF Income ......... 16,898 66 205 9 230 263 366 6 143 5 240

 GA Income .................... 746 8 145 1 206 301 383 1 199 1 132

 No GA Income .............. 17,624 65 201 9 225 263 363 6 142 5 239

 SSI ................................. 3,841 15 163 3 250 320 374 4 134 3 173

 No SSI ........................... 14,528 73 203 10 223 251 361 6 144 5 249

 Social Security 

Income ....................... 3,933 11 133 1 211 323 384 25 142 5 182

 No Social Security

Income ....................... 14,436 76 205 11 225 249 358 1 148 5 259

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit .......... 689 45 226 0 99 113 210 22 115 3 179

 Maximum Benefit ......... 7,353 13 78 4 248 284 454 4 302 4 265

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determinations, 646,462 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are

based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

b Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 646,462 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this column.

Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

c Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

d Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

e Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

45
Table A.11. Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Household Characteristics and Amount of

Deduction

Household Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Countable Earned

Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total .................................................. 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0 5,498 100.0

Total Deduction

 $0-140b ............................................ 30 0.2 29 0.3 1 0.0 0 0.0 4 0.1

 141 ............................................... 3,332 18.1 851 9.5 373 13.1 326 9.0 0 0.0

 142-200 ........................................... 964 5.2 510 5.7 129 4.5 237 6.5 186 3.4

 201-300 ........................................... 1,312 7.1 576 6.4 296 10.4 428 11.8 240 4.4

 301-400 ........................................... 1,594 8.7 730 8.2 349 12.2 448 12.3 413 7.5

 401-500 ........................................... 1,844 10.0 935 10.5 306 10.7 442 12.2 571 10.4

 501-600 ........................................... 3,184 17.3 1,695 18.9 310 10.9 414 11.4 629 11.4

 601-700 ........................................... 1,952 10.6 1,273 14.2 253 8.9 363 10.0 975 17.7

 701-800 ........................................... 1,408 7.7 836 9.3 176 6.2 287 7.9 981 17.8

 801-900 ........................................... 921 5.0 619 6.9 112 3.9 179 4.9 646 11.7

 901-1000 ......................................... 536 2.9 379 4.2 76 2.7 107 3.0 363 6.6

 1000+ .............................................. 808 4.4 514 5.7 176 6.2 212 5.8 490 8.9

 Not Applicablec ............................... 485 2.6 – – 294 10.3 190 5.2 0 0.0

Earned Income Deduction

 $0 ..................................................... 12,233 66.6 4,677 52.3 2,320 81.3 3,004 82.7 9 0.2

 1-50 ................................................. 653 3.6 333 3.7 37 1.3 87 2.4 653 11.9

 51-100 ............................................. 694 3.8 478 5.3 34 1.2 51 1.4 694 12.6

 101-150 ........................................... 840 4.6 604 6.8 27 0.9 57 1.6 840 15.3

 151-200 ........................................... 791 4.3 589 6.6 20 0.7 50 1.4 791 14.4

 201-250 ........................................... 746 4.1 615 6.9 13 0.5 33 0.9 746 13.6

 251-300 ........................................... 628 3.4 563 6.3 13 0.4 35 1.0 628 11.4

 301-350 ........................................... 457 2.5 429 4.8 4 0.1 19 0.5 457 8.3

 351+ ................................................ 681 3.7 660 7.4 8 0.3 26 0.7 681 12.4

 Not Applicabled .............................. 647 3.5 – – 376 13.2 271 7.4 0 0.0

Dependent Care Deduction

 $0 ..................................................... 16,991 92.5 8,221 91.9 2,473 86.7 3,327 91.6 4,878 88.7

 1-50 ................................................. 92 0.5 91 1.0 0 0.0 5 0.1 70 1.3

 51-100 ............................................. 107 0.6 107 1.2 0 0.0 4 0.1 92 1.7

 101-150 ........................................... 96 0.5 96 1.1 – – 6 0.2 85 1.5

 151-200 ........................................... 78 0.4 78 0.9 – – 2 0.1 71 1.3

 201-250 ........................................... 83 0.4 82 0.9 1 0.0 1 0.0 75 1.4

 251-300 ........................................... 56 0.3 56 0.6 0 0.0 3 0.1 50 0.9

 301+ ................................................ 182 1.0 181 2.0 1 0.0 11 0.3 168 3.0

 Not Applicablee ............................... 684 3.7 34 0.4 378 13.2 273 7.5 10 0.2

Medical Deduction

 $0 ..................................................... 16,992 92.5 8,823 98.6 2,054 72.0 3,082 84.8 5,433 98.8

 1-50 ................................................. 98 0.5 9 0.1 59 2.1 41 1.1 5 0.1

 51-100 ............................................. 296 1.6 35 0.4 174 6.1 126 3.5 27 0.5

 101-150 ........................................... 127 0.7 27 0.3 74 2.6 54 1.5 12 0.2

 151-200 ........................................... 52 0.3 7 0.1 38 1.3 14 0.4 2 0.0

 201-250 ........................................... 33 0.2 3 0.0 19 0.7 14 0.4 2 0.0

 251-300 ........................................... 19 0.1 3 0.0 12 0.4 7 0.2 1 0.0

 301+ ................................................ 71 0.4 8 0.1 45 1.6 25 0.7 8 0.1

 Not Applicablee ............................... 681 3.7 34 0.4 377 13.2 271 7.5 9 0.2

Child Support Deduction

 $0 ..................................................... 17,321 94.3 8,725 97.5 2,457 86.2 3,255 89.6 5,319 96.7

 1-50 ................................................. 41 0.2 16 0.2 5 0.2 17 0.5 12 0.2

 51-100 ............................................. 57 0.3 29 0.3 3 0.1 29 0.8 19 0.4

 101-150 ........................................... 41 0.2 22 0.2 1 0.0 12 0.3 18 0.3

 151-200 ........................................... 44 0.2 22 0.2 1 0.0 10 0.3 19 0.3

 201-250 ........................................... 42 0.2 23 0.3 1 0.0 9 0.3 25 0.5

 251-300 ........................................... 46 0.2 26 0.3 0 0.0 10 0.3 26 0.5

 301+ ................................................ 92 0.5 51 0.6 6 0.2 17 0.5 50 0.9

See footnotes at end of table.

46
Table A.11. Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Household Characteristics and Amount of

Deduction — Continued

Household Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Countable Earned

Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Child Support Deduction

 Not Applicablef ............................... 684 3.7 34 0.4 378 13.2 273 7.5 10 0.2

Excess Shelter Deduction

 $0 ..................................................... 4,892 26.6 1,975 22.1 470 16.5 570 15.7 995 18.1

 1-50 ................................................. 621 3.4 320 3.6 101 3.6 141 3.9 182 3.3

 51-100 ............................................. 637 3.5 351 3.9 133 4.7 178 4.9 215 3.9

 101-150 ........................................... 739 4.0 364 4.1 148 5.2 216 5.9 238 4.3

 151-200 ........................................... 861 4.7 428 4.8 193 6.8 219 6.0 281 5.1

 201-250 ........................................... 882 4.8 466 5.2 173 6.1 227 6.2 284 5.2

 251-300 ........................................... 964 5.2 493 5.5 164 5.8 228 6.3 338 6.2

 301-350 ........................................... 967 5.3 534 6.0 152 5.3 214 5.9 339 6.2

 351-400 ........................................... 874 4.8 460 5.1 122 4.3 191 5.3 340 6.2

 401-458 ........................................... 1,073 5.8 523 5.8 211 7.4 265 7.3 370 6.7

 459 ................................................... 3,659 19.9 2,627 29.4 1 0.0 2 0.1 1,741 31.7

 460+ ................................................ 1,681 9.2 374 4.2 689 24.2 993 27.3 166 3.0

 Not Applicablef ............................... 518 2.8 34 0.4 295 10.3 190 5.2 9 0.2

 No Deduction .................................. 4,892 26.6 1,975 22.1 470 16.5 570 15.7 995 18.1

 Deduction Less than Capg ............... 7,626 41.5 3,941 44.1 1,399 49.0 1,878 51.7 2,589 47.1

 Deduction Equal to Cap .................. 3,667 20.0 2,632 29.4 1 0.0 2 0.1 1,745 31.7

 Benefit Less than Maximum

Benefit ......................................... 1,662 9.0 1,376 15.4 1 0.0 2 0.1 1,152 20.9

 Benefit Equal to Maximum

Benefit ......................................... 2,005 10.9 1,257 14.0 – – – – 593 10.8

 Deduction Greater than Cap ............ 1,667 9.1 365 4.1 688 24.1 992 27.3 160 2.9

 Not Applicablef ............................... 518 2.8 34 0.4 295 10.3 190 5.2 9 0.2

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able

to identify households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which

household member was disabled.

b This row contains MFIP households, which do not receive a standard deduction, and households in the Virgin Islands, which

receive a standard deduction of $124.

c Deductions are not used in the benefit determinations of SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

d This deduction is not used in the benefit determinations of SSI-CAP households.

e This deduction is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households.

f This deduction is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits.

g Households without elderly or disabled members are subject to a cap on their excess shelter deduction.

– No sample households in this category.

47
Table A.12. Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Household Characteristics and SNAP Benefit Amount, SNAP Benefit as a Per

Benefit, and Certification Period

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly Individualsa Countabl

Inco

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Total ......................................................................................... 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0 5,498 SNAP Benefit Minimum Benefit or lessb ...................................................... 696 3.8 72 0.8 307 10.7 215 5.9 144  Greater than the Minimum - 50 .............................................. 610 3.3 60 0.7 244 8.5 264 7.3 90  51 - 100 ................................................................................... 1,272 6.9 155 1.7 548 19.2 473 13.0 202  101 - 199 ................................................................................. 2,936 16.0 703 7.9 807 28.3 1,028 28.3 806  200 .......................................................................................... 4,457 24.3 299 3.3 615 21.5 489 13.5 541  201 - 300 ................................................................................. 1,402 7.6 1,121 12.5 140 4.9 325 8.9 769  301 - 400 ................................................................................. 2,831 15.4 2,437 27.2 130 4.5 315 8.7 1,134  401 - 500 ................................................................................. 1,070 5.8 1,043 11.7 22 0.8 186 5.1 623  501 - 600 ................................................................................. 1,554 8.5 1,523 17.0 22 0.8 155 4.3 598  601 or More ............................................................................ 1,540 8.4 1,533 17.1 19 0.7 185 5.1 591 Benefit as a Percentage of the Maximum Minimum ................................................................................ 689 3.8 66 0.7 306 10.7 213 5.9 138  < 25%c .................................................................................... 849 4.6 282 3.1 261 9.2 328 9.0 252 

 25 - 50 ..................................................................................... 2,552 13.9 1,224 13.7 682 23.9 777 21.4 983  51 - 75 ..................................................................................... 3,264 17.8 2,015 22.5 513 18.0 946 26.0 1,510  76 - 99 ..................................................................................... 3,662 19.9 2,458 27.5 398 14.0 744 20.5 1,437  Maximum ................................................................................ 7,353 40.0 2,903 32.4 692 24.2 625 17.2 1,179 Months in Certification Period Averaged .................................................................................. 12 – 9 – 20 – 16 – 9 

 1-5 ........................................................................................... 358 2.0 172 1.9 10 0.3 27 0.7 95  6 .............................................................................................. 6,643 36.2 4,152 46.4 255 8.9 744 20.5 2,626  7-11 ......................................................................................... 473 2.6 277 3.1 32 1.1 61 1.7 126  12 ............................................................................................ 8,178 44.5 4,168 46.6 1,147 40.2 1,653 45.5 2,568  13-23 ....................................................................................... 138 0.7 61 0.7 31 1.1 41 1.1 28  24 ............................................................................................ 1,746 9.5 102 1.1 892 31.3 802 22.1 45  25-35 ....................................................................................... 38 0.2 2 0.0 17 0.6 20 0.5 1  36 ............................................................................................ 428 2.3 2 0.0 260 9.1 141 3.9 3  37+ .......................................................................................... 349 1.9 0 0.0 208 7.3 140 3.9 1  Unknown ................................................................................. 19 0.1 12 0.1 2 0.1 5 0.1 7  Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that contain 

reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

b The minimum benefit, applicable to one- and two-person households, is equal to 8 percent of the maximum benefit for single-person households. See Table C-6 for the 

c Does not include households with the minimum benefit.

d Average number of months in certification period. Percent not applicable in this row.

– Not Applicable.

48
Table A.13. Distribution of Participating Households by Type of Most Recent Action and Expedited

Service

Most Recent Action and Expedited

Service

Total Households Entrants Other Households

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ................................................ 18,369 100.0 799 100.0 17,570 100.0

Initial Certification .......................... 7,451 40.6 799 100.0 6,652 37.9

 Eligible for and Receiving

Expedited Service ...................... 2,198 12.0 391 49.0 1,807 10.3

 Eligible for But Did Not Receive

Expedited Service ...................... 576 3.1 53 6.6 523 3.0

 Not Eligible for Expedited Service 4,678 25.5 355 44.4 4,323 24.6

Recertification ................................. 10,918 59.4 – – 10,918 62.1

 Eligible for and Receiving

Expedited Service ...................... 154 0.8 – – 154 0.9

 Eligible for But Did Not Receive

Expedited Service ...................... 75 0.4 – – 75 0.4

 Not Eligible for Expedited Service 10,689 58.2 – – 10,689 60.8

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

– By definition these are mutually exclusive categories; therefore, no households will be found in these categories.

49
Table A.14. Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits by Household Composition

Household Composition

SNAP Households

Participants in Households

with Household

Characteristic

Monthly SNAP Benefits

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Dollars

(000)

Percent

Totala ............................................................................. 18,369 100.0 39,759 100.0 5,273,937 100.0

Children, Elderly Individuals, or Disabled

Individuals .............................................................. 14,027 76.4 34,924 87.8 4,429,916 84.0

Childrenb ...................................................................... 8,947 48.7 29,089 73.2 3,749,913 71.1

 Single-Adult Household ............................................... 4,996 27.2 14,843 37.3 2,004,560 38.0

 Male Adult ................................................................ 361 2.0 984 2.5 133,780 2.5

 Female Adult ............................................................. 4,635 25.2 13,859 34.9 1,870,780 35.5

 Multiple-Adult Household ........................................... 2,732 14.9 11,692 29.4 1,346,310 25.5

 Married Head Household .......................................... 1,702 9.3 7,469 18.8 839,936 15.9

 Other Multiple-Adult Household .............................. 1,030 5.6 4,223 10.6 506,374 9.6

 Children Only ............................................................... 1,219 6.6 2,554 6.4 399,043 7.6

Elderly Individuals ....................................................... 2,852 15.5 3,649 9.2 412,028 7.8

 Living Alone ................................................................ 2,286 12.4 2,286 5.7 271,442 5.1

 Living with Only Elderly Individuals .......................... 243 1.3 485 1.2 48,155 0.9

 Living with at Least One Nonelderly Individual ......... 324 1.8 878 2.2 92,431 1.8

Disabled Nonelderly Individualsc ............................... 3,633 19.8 7,144 18.0 794,154 15.1

 Living Alone ................................................................ 2,125 11.6 2,125 5.3 259,341 4.9

 Not Living Alone ......................................................... 1,509 8.2 5,019 12.6 534,812 10.1

Other Householdsd ....................................................... 4,342 23.6 4,835 12.2 844,021 16.0

 Single-Person Household ............................................. 3,927 21.4 3,927 9.9 719,146 13.6

 Multi-Person Household .............................................. 415 2.3 908 2.3 124,875 2.4

Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in Childless

Householdse ............................................................ 3,512 19.1 4,254 10.7 709,479 13.5

 Single-Person Household ............................................. 2,917 15.9 2,917 7.3 536,795 10.2

 Multi-Person Household .............................................. 595 3.2 1,338 3.4 172,684 3.3

Single-Person Households ........................................... 8,751 47.6 8,751 22.0 1,325,854 25.1

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a The sum of individual categories does not match the table total because a household can have more than one of the characteristics in the

table.

b Individuals with missing age were assigned child or adult status based on their relationship to the household head.

c Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to

identify households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household

member was disabled.

d Households not containing children, elderly individuals, or disabled individuals.

e These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

allowed States to suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

50
Table A.15. Average Gross Countable Income as a Percentage of Poverty Guideline, Gross and Net Countable Income, Total

Deduction, SNAP Benefit, Household Size, and Certification Period of Participating Households by Household Composition

Household Composition

Total Households Average Values

Number

(000)

Percent

Gross

Countable

Income as a

Percentage

of Poverty

Guideline

(Percent)

Gross

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net

Countable

Income

(Dollars)a

Total

Deduction

(Dollars)b

SNAP

Benefit

(Dollars)

Household

Size

(Individuals)

Certification

Period

(Months)

Totalc ........................................................... 18,369 100.0 57.0 731 336 491 287 2.2 12.1

Children, Elderly Individuals, or

Disabled Individuals ............................ 14,027 76.4 66.1 875 415 536 316 2.5 13.0

Childrend .................................................... 8,947 48.7 56.6 923 452 555 419 3.3 9.1

 Single-Adult Household ............................. 4,996 27.2 53.7 811 382 517 401 3.0 9.2

 Male Adult .............................................. 361 2.0 53.3 774 364 526 371 2.7 9.5

 Female Adult ........................................... 4,635 25.2 53.8 814 383 516 404 3.0 9.2

 Multiple-Adult Household ......................... 2,732 14.9 66.5 1,281 707 639 493 4.3 8.9

 Married Head Household ........................ 1,702 9.3 69.0 1,354 754 668 493 4.4 8.9

 Other Multiple-Adult Household ............ 1,030 5.6 62.2 1,159 628 592 492 4.1 9.0

 Children Only ............................................. 1,219 6.6 46.0 580 169 522 327 2.1 9.2

Elderly Individuals ..................................... 2,852 15.5 82.0 813 381 498 144 1.3 20.2

 Living Alone .............................................. 2,286 12.4 81.1 733 312 478 119 1.0 21.7

 Living with Only Elderly Individuals ........ 243 1.3 91.8 1,116 583 581 198 2.0 17.8

 Living with at Least One Nonelderly

Individual ............................................... 324 1.8 80.7 1,150 657 565 285 2.7 11.5

Disabled Nonelderly Individualse ............. 3,633 19.8 80.6 946 475 509 219 2.0 15.8

 Living Alone .............................................. 2,125 11.6 84.4 762 294 499 122 1.0 19.4

 Not Living Alone ....................................... 1,509 8.2 75.4 1,204 707 522 355 3.3 10.7

Other Householdsf ..................................... 4,342 23.6 27.3 268 91 354 194 1.1 9.1

 Single-Person Household ........................... 3,927 21.4 24.2 218 66 335 183 1.0 9.2

 Multi-Person Household ............................ 415 2.3 57.5 733 330 534 301 2.2 8.9

Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in

Childless Householdsg ......................... 3,512 19.1 30.1 315 119 365 202 1.2 9.0

 Single-Person Household ........................... 2,917 15.9 23.2 210 63 330 184 1.0 8.9

 Multi-Person Household ............................ 595 3.2 64.0 831 394 538 290 2.2 9.3

Single-Person Households ......................... 8,751 47.6 54.5 492 178 414 152 1.0 14.9

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized

SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households

column.

b Because deductions are not used in their benefit determinations, 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are

excluded from this column. Thus, the average values are based on fewer households than the number shown in the Total Households column.

c The sum of individual categories does not match the table total because a household can have more than one of the characteristics in the table.

d Individuals with missing age were assigned child or adult status based on their relationship to the household head.

e Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households

that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

f Households not containing children, elderly individuals, or disabled individuals.

g These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to

suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

51
Table A.16. Distribution of Participating Households by Countable Income Type and Household Composition

Household Composition

Total

Households Countable Income Type

Number

(000)

Percent

Earned Income Zero Gross

Income TANF Income GA Income SSI Social SecurityIncome

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totala ......................................... 18,369 100.0 5,498 100.0 3,627 100.0 1,471 100.0 746 100.0 3,841 100.0 3,933 100.0

Children, Elderly Individuals,

or Disabled Individuals ...... 14,027 76.4 4,502 81.9 1,274 35.1 1,437 97.7 354 47.4 3,841 100.0 3,893 99.0

Childrenb .................................. 8,947 48.7 4,273 77.7 1,105 30.5 1,427 97.0 149 19.9 1,017 26.5 789 20.1

 Single-Adult Household ........... 4,996 27.2 1,914 34.8 716 19.7 896 60.9 96 12.9 606 15.8 450 11.4

 Male Adult ............................ 361 2.0 125 2.3 79 2.2 60 4.0 6 0.9 33 0.8 46 1.2

 Female Adult ......................... 4,635 25.2 1,789 32.5 637 17.6 837 56.9 90 12.0 573 14.9 403 10.3

 Multiple-Adult Household ....... 2,732 14.9 1,648 30.0 241 6.7 287 19.5 29 3.8 371 9.7 313 8.0

 Married Head Household ...... 1,702 9.3 1,097 19.9 156 4.3 145 9.9 15 2.0 185 4.8 169 4.3

 Other Multiple-Adult

Household ............................ 1,030 5.6 551 10.0 85 2.3 142 9.7 13 1.8 186 4.8 144 3.7

 Children Only ........................... 1,219 6.6 711 12.9 148 4.1 244 16.6 24 3.2 40 1.0 26 0.7

Elderly Individuals ................... 2,852 15.5 157 2.8 170 4.7 30 2.0 128 17.2 1,315 34.2 1,908 48.5

 Living Alone ............................ 2,286 12.4 77 1.4 159 4.4 0 0.0 97 13.0 1,052 27.4 1,539 39.1

 Living with Only Elderly

Individuals ............................ 243 1.3 13 0.2 4 0.1 – – 13 1.8 131 3.4 163 4.1

 Living with at Least One

Nonelderly Individual .......... 324 1.8 67 1.2 7 0.2 30 2.0 17 2.3 132 3.4 206 5.2

Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsc ......................... 3,633 19.8 362 6.6 1 0.0 255 17.3 141 18.9 2,576 67.1 1,777 45.2

 Living Alone ............................ 2,125 11.6 79 1.4 1 0.0 2 0.1 74 10.0 1,403 36.5 1,142 29.0

 Not Living Alone ..................... 1,509 8.2 283 5.1 – – 253 17.2 67 9.0 1,173 30.5 635 16.2

Other Householdsd ................... 4,342 23.6 996 18.1 2,353 64.9 34 2.3 392 52.6 0 0.0 41 1.0

 Single-Person ........................... 3,927 21.4 782 14.2 2,252 62.1 30 2.0 379 50.9 0 0.0 32 0.8

 Multi-Person ............................ 415 2.3 214 3.9 100 2.8 4 0.3 13 1.7 – – 9 0.2

Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49

in Childless Householdse ... 3,512 19.1 818 14.9 1,803 49.7 41 2.8 294 39.4 134 3.5 157 4.0

 Single-Person Household ......... 2,917 15.9 581 10.6 1,714 47.3 30 2.0 269 36.1 0 0.0 19 0.5

 Multi-Person Household .......... 595 3.2 237 4.3 89 2.5 11 0.7 24 3.3 133 3.5 138 3.5

Single-Person Households ....... 8,751 47.6 1,160 21.1 2,471 68.1 129 8.8 560 75.1 2,457 64.0 2,721 69.2

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a The sum of individual categories does not match the table total because a household can have more than one of the characteristics in the table.

b Individuals with missing age were assigned child or adult status based on their relationship to the household head.

c Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

d Households not containing children, elderly individuals, or disabled individuals.

e These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to suspend

time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

– No sample households in this category.

52
Table A.17. Distribution of Participating Households with Children, Elderly Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals by Selected

Characteristics

Household Characteristic

Total Households Household with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children School-Age

Children

Preschool-Age

Children

Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ............................................................ 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 6,739 100.0 4,707 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0

Household Composition

 Children ...................................................... 8,947 48.7 8,947 100.0 6,739 100.0 4,707 100.0 156 5.5 1,202 33.1

 School Age ............................................... 6,739 36.7 6,739 75.3 6,739 100.0 2,499 53.1 138 4.8 1,043 28.7

 Preschool Age .......................................... 4,707 25.6 4,707 52.6 2,499 37.1 4,707 100.0 31 1.1 442 12.2

 Elderly Individuals ..................................... 2,852 15.5 156 1.7 138 2.0 31 0.7 2,852 100.0 70 1.9

 Disabled Nonelderly Individualsa .............. 3,633 19.8 1,202 13.4 1,043 15.5 442 9.4 70 2.5 3,633 100.0

Countable Income Source and Resources

 Gross Income ............................................. 14,743 80.3 7,842 87.6 6,031 89.5 4,055 86.1 2,682 94.0 3,632 100.0

 No Gross Income ....................................... 3,627 19.7 1,105 12.4 708 10.5 652 13.9 170 6.0 1 0.0

 Net Income ................................................. 10,818 58.9 6,021 67.3 4,770 70.8 3,068 65.2 2,030 71.2 2,963 81.5

 No Net Income ........................................... 7,032 38.3 2,893 32.3 1,948 28.9 1,617 34.4 528 18.5 480 13.2

 Not Applicableb ......................................... 518 2.8 34 0.4 21 0.3 22 0.5 295 10.3 190 5.2

 Earned Income ........................................... 5,498 29.9 4,273 47.8 3,243 48.1 2,383 50.6 157 5.5 362 9.9

 Unearned Income ....................................... 11,074 60.3 5,110 57.1 4,054 60.2 2,451 52.1 2,625 92.0 3,631 99.9

 TANF Income ............................................ 1,471 8.0 1,427 16.0 1,000 14.8 813 17.3 30 1.0 255 7.0

 GA Income ................................................. 746 4.1 149 1.7 117 1.7 82 1.7 128 4.5 141 3.9

 SSI .............................................................. 3,841 20.9 1,017 11.4 885 13.1 378 8.0 1,315 46.1 2,576 70.9

 Social Security Income .............................. 3,933 21.4 789 8.8 703 10.4 233 5.0 1,908 66.9 1,777 48.9

 Countable Resources .................................. 2,038 11.1 1,109 12.4 869 12.9 554 11.8 421 14.8 378 10.4

Deductions

 Total Deduction ......................................... 17,859 97.2 8,922 99.7 6,723 99.8 4,692 99.7 2,558 89.7 3,443 94.8

 Standard Deduction .................................... 17,851 97.2 8,914 99.6 6,718 99.7 4,685 99.5 2,558 89.7 3,443 94.8

 Earned Income Deduction .......................... 5,489 29.9 4,271 47.7 3,241 48.1 2,382 50.6 156 5.5 359 9.9

 Dependent Care Deduction ........................ 694 3.8 692 7.7 461 6.8 503 10.7 2 0.1 33 0.9

 Excess Shelter Deduction .......................... 12,959 70.5 6,939 77.6 5,339 79.2 3,534 75.1 2,088 73.2 2,873 79.1

 Medical Deduction ..................................... 696 3.8 91 1.0 82 1.2 22 0.5 422 14.8 281 7.7

 Child Support Deduction ........................... 364 2.0 189 2.1 157 2.3 91 1.9 17 0.6 105 2.9

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit or lessc .......................... 696 3.8 72 0.8 54 0.8 18 0.4 307 10.7 215 5.9

 Greater than the Minimum - 100 ............... 1,882 10.2 215 2.4 158 2.3 78 1.7 792 27.8 736 20.3

 101-200 ...................................................... 7,393 40.2 1,003 11.2 648 9.6 435 9.2 1,421 49.8 1,517 41.7

 201-300 ...................................................... 1,402 7.6 1,121 12.5 838 12.4 495 10.5 140 4.9 325 8.9

 301 or More ................................................ 6,996 38.1 6,537 73.1 5,041 74.8 3,681 78.2 193 6.8 841 23.1

 Minimum Benefit ....................................... 689 3.8 66 0.7 49 0.7 17 0.4 306 10.7 213 5.9

 Maximum Benefit ...................................... 7,353 40.0 2,903 32.4 1,952 29.0 1,624 34.5 692 24.2 625 17.2

Household Size

 1 .................................................................. 8,751 47.6 423 4.7 209 3.1 214 4.5 2,286 80.1 2,125 58.5

 2 .................................................................. 3,544 19.3 2,579 28.8 1,543 22.9 1,193 25.3 437 15.3 558 15.4

 3 .................................................................. 2,742 14.9 2,634 29.4 1,964 29.1 1,329 28.2 70 2.5 375 10.3

 4 .................................................................. 1,846 10.1 1,827 20.4 1,597 23.7 1,003 21.3 33 1.2 302 8.3

 5 .................................................................. 925 5.0 923 10.3 873 13.0 579 12.3 17 0.6 151 4.2

 6+ ............................................................... 561 3.1 561 6.3 553 8.2 390 8.3 9 0.3 123 3.4

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

b Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

c The minimum benefit, applicable to one- and two-person households, is equal to 8 percent of the maximum benefit for single-person households. See Table C-6

for the FY 2010 minimum benefit values.

53
Table A.18. Average Values of Selected Characteristics for Participating Households with Children, Elderly

Individuals, and Disabled Nonelderly Individuals

Household Characteristic

Average Values for Households with:

Total Children School-Age

Children

Preschool-Age

Children

Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Countable Income

 Gross Income ........................................ 731 923 999 894 813 946

 Net Incomeb .......................................... 336 452 506 424 381 475

 Earned Income ...................................... 301 531 560 570 38 77

 Unearned Income .................................. 431 392 440 325 775 869

 TANF Income ....................................... 32 64 61 71 3 22

 GA Income ............................................ 10 6 6 7 7 5

 SSI ......................................................... 113 76 89 55 211 415

 Social Security Income ......................... 159 67 80 37 500 371

Countable Income as a Percentage of

Poverty Guildeline

 Gross Income ......................................... 57.0 56.6 58.8 52.9 82.0 80.6

 Net Incomeb ........................................... 23.8 26.5 28.7 23.7 33.3 35.3

Deductions

 Total Deductionc .................................... 491 555 571 558 498 509

 Earned Income Deductiond .................... 62 106 112 114 9 17

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 201 222 233 225 137 156

 Dependent Care Deductione .................. 9 17 16 24 0 2

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 225 224 227 228 239 245

 Excess Shelter Deductionf ..................... 264 274 283 261 322 328

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 364 352 356 346 394 393

 Medical Deductione ............................... 6 1 1 1 25 11

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 143 120 119 124 149 131

 Child Support Deductionf ...................... 5 5 6 6 1 6

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 238 259 246 285 192 183

SNAP Benefit .............................................. 287 419 439 451 144 219

Household Size ........................................... 2.2 3.3 3.5 3.4 1.3 2.0

Certification Period ................................... 12.1 9.1 9.2 9.0 20.2 15.8

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to

identify households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household

member was disabled.

b Because net income is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households are excluded

from this category.

c Because deductions are not used in their benefit determination, 484,695 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this category.

d Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 646,462 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this category.

e Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 646,462 SSI-CAP households are

excluded from this category.

f Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households are

excluded from this category.

54
Table A.19. Distribution of Participating Households with Countable Earned and Unearned Income by Selected

Characteristics

Household Characteristic

Total Households Countable Income Type

Number

(000)

Percent

 Earned Income Unearned Income TANF Income GA Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total .................................................................... 18,369 100.0 5,498 100.0 11,074 100.0 1,471 100.0 746 100.0

Household Composition

 Children ............................................................. 8,947 48.7 4,273 77.7 5,110 46.1 1,427 97.0 149 19.9

 School Age ...................................................... 6,739 36.7 3,243 59.0 4,054 36.6 1,000 68.0 117 15.7

 Preschool Age ................................................. 4,707 25.6 2,383 43.3 2,451 22.1 813 55.3 82 11.0

 Elderly Individuals ............................................ 2,852 15.5 157 2.8 2,625 23.7 30 2.0 128 17.2

 Disabled Nonelderly Individualsa ..................... 3,633 19.8 362 6.6 3,631 32.8 255 17.3 141 18.9

Countable Income Source

 Gross Income .................................................... 14,743 80.3 5,498 100.0 11,074 100.0 1,471 100.0 746 100.0

 No Gross Incomeb ............................................. 3,627 19.7 – – – – – – – –

 Net Income ........................................................ 10,818 58.9 4,312 78.4 8,152 73.6 1,015 69.0 371 49.8

 No Net Income .................................................. 7,032 38.3 1,177 21.4 2,427 21.9 453 30.8 369 49.5

 Not Applicablec ................................................. 518 2.8 9 0.2 494 4.5 3 0.2 6 0.8

 Earned Income .................................................. 5,498 29.9 5,498 100.0 1,829 16.5 296 20.1 40 5.4

 Unearned Income .............................................. 11,074 60.3 1,829 33.3 11,074 100.0 1,471 100.0 746 100.0

 TANF Income ................................................... 1,471 8.0 296 5.4 1,471 13.3 1,471 100.0 10 1.4

 GA Income ........................................................ 746 4.1 40 0.7 746 6.7 10 0.7 746 100.0

 SSI Income ........................................................ 3,841 20.9 292 5.3 3,841 34.7 251 17.1 201 27.0

 Social Security Income ..................................... 3,933 21.4 298 5.4 3,933 35.5 108 7.3 106 14.2

Deductions

 Total Deduction ................................................. 17,859 97.2 5,497 100.0 10,582 95.6 1,468 99.8 740 99.2

 Standard Deduction ........................................... 17,851 97.2 5,489 99.8 10,579 95.5 1,468 99.8 740 99.2

 Earned Income Deduction ................................. 5,489 29.9 5,489 99.8 1,823 16.5 295 20.1 40 5.3

 Dependent Care Deduction ............................... 694 3.8 610 11.1 312 2.8 31 2.1 4 0.6

 Excess Shelter Deduction .................................. 12,959 70.5 4,494 81.7 8,662 78.2 1,168 79.4 583 78.1

 Medical Deduction ............................................ 696 3.8 56 1.0 690 6.2 8 0.5 5 0.7

 Child Support Deduction .................................. 364 2.0 170 3.1 236 2.1 7 0.5 3 0.4

SNAP Benefit

 Minimum Benefit or lessd ................................. 696 3.8 144 2.6 629 5.7 7 0.5 7 1.0

 Greater than the Minimum - 100 ....................... 1,882 10.2 292 5.3 1,718 15.5 18 1.3 66 8.9

 101-200 ............................................................. 7,393 40.2 1,346 24.5 3,923 35.4 189 12.9 507 68.0

 201-300 ............................................................. 1,402 7.6 769 14.0 940 8.5 143 9.7 35 4.7

 301 or More ....................................................... 6,996 38.1 2,946 53.6 3,864 34.9 1,113 75.6 130 17.5

 Minimum Benefit .............................................. 689 3.8 138 2.5 625 5.6 7 0.4 7 1.0

 Maximum Benefit ............................................. 7,353 40.0 1,179 21.4 2,746 24.8 460 31.3 375 50.3

Household Size

 1 ......................................................................... 8,751 47.6 1,160 21.1 5,343 48.2 129 8.8 560 75.1

 2 ......................................................................... 3,544 19.3 1,230 22.4 2,174 19.6 505 34.3 89 12.0

 3 ......................................................................... 2,742 14.9 1,279 23.3 1,564 14.1 373 25.4 32 4.3

 4 ......................................................................... 1,846 10.1 966 17.6 1,098 9.9 256 17.4 37 5.0

 5 ......................................................................... 925 5.0 531 9.7 549 5.0 114 7.7 17 2.3

 6+ ...................................................................... 561 3.1 332 6.0 346 3.1 94 6.4 9 1.2

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify

households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was

disabled.

b Some states allow child support expenses to be subtracted before gross income is calculated. As a result, it is possible to have countable income

but no gross income.

c Net income is not used in the benefit determinations of MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

d The minimum benefit, applicable to one- and two-person households, is equal to 8 percent of the maximum benefit for single-person households.

See Table C-6 for the FY 2010 minimum benefit values.

– No sample households in this category.

55
Table A.20. Average Values of Selected Characteristics for Participating Households with Countable

Earned and Unearned Income

Household Characteristic

Average Values for Households with:

Total

Countable

Earned

Income

Countable

Unearned

Income

Countable

TANF Income

Countable GA

Income

Countable Income

 Gross Income ......................................... 731 1,174 858 719 527

 Net Incomea ........................................... 336 544 412 313 183

 Earned Income ....................................... 301 1,004 144 133 39

 Unearned Income ................................... 431 170 715 586 488

 TANF Income ........................................ 32 19 52 395 4

 GA Income ............................................. 10 2 16 1 239

 SSI .......................................................... 113 30 187 115 149

 Social Security Income .......................... 159 38 264 40 79

Countable Income as a Percentage of

Poverty Guideline

 Gross Income ......................................... 57.0 77.3 70.5 46.3 47.4

 Net Incomea ........................................... 23.8 33.5 30.3 18.9 14.5

Deductions

 Total Deductionb .................................... 491 674 498 455 460

 Earned Income Deductionc .................... 62 201 31 26 8

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 201 201 174 132 145

 Dependent Care Deductiond .................. 9 26 7 2 1

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 225 231 226 104 206

 Excess Shelter Deductione ..................... 264 288 300 274 301

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 364 351 367 345 383

 Medical Deductiond ............................... 6 1 9 1 1

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 143 139 142 102 199

 Child Support Deductione ...................... 5 8 5 1 1

 Over Households with Deduction .......... 238 257 226 144 132

SNAP Benefit .............................................. 287 343 265 428 230

Household Size ........................................... 2.2 2.9 2.1 3.0 1.5

Certification Period ................................... 12.1 9.1 14.0 10.4 12.9

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP

households are excluded from this category.

b Because deductions are not used in their benefit determination, 484,695 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this

category.

c Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 646,462 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this

category.

d Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 646,462 SSI-CAP

households are excluded from this category.

e Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP

households are excluded from this category.

56
Table A.21. Distribution of Participating Households With Selected Household Characteristics by the Race and Hispanic Status of

the Household Head

Characteristic

Total Households Households With:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Countable Earned

Income

Countable TANF

Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ..................................................... 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0 5,498 100.0 1,471 100.0

Race and Hispanic Statusb of

Household Head

 White, not Hispanicc ........................... 6,555 35.7 2,848 31.8 1,098 38.5 1,512 41.6 1,928 35.1 353 24.0

 African American, not Hispanicd ....... 4,038 22.0 1,874 20.9 509 17.9 888 24.4 995 18.1 341 23.2

 Hispanic, Any Racee ........................... 1,833 10.0 1,072 12.0 294 10.3 259 7.1 658 12.0 224 15.2

 Asian, not Hispanicf ........................... 448 2.4 186 2.1 164 5.8 50 1.4 138 2.5 40 2.7

 Native American, not Hispanicg ......... 683 3.7 306 3.4 185 6.5 99 2.7 163 3.0 51 3.4

 Multiple Races Reported,

 not Hispanich ..................................... 21 0.1 12 0.1 3 0.1 4 0.1 8 0.1 2 0.1

 Race Unknowni ................................... 3,469 18.9 1,345 15.0 593 20.8 782 21.5 823 15.0 196 13.4

Nonparticipating Household Headj ... 1,321 7.2 1,303 14.6 5 0.2 40 1.1 785 14.3 264 17.9

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households

that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

b New codes to allow reporting of multiple races were implemented beginning in April 2007. We have grouped the new codes together to form general race

and ethnicity categories. Reporting of race and ethnicity is voluntary under the new format and was missing for 20 percent of participants in FY 2010. Because

of these changes, FY 2010 race and ethnicity distributions are not comparable to distributions for years prior to FY 2007.

c This category includes the following values: White; White, not of Hispanic origin.

d This category includes the following values: Black or African American; (Black or African American) and White; Black, not of Hispanic origin.

e This category includes the following values: Hispanic; (Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native); (Hispanic or Latino) and Asian;

(Hispanic or Latino) and (Black or African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and (Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander); (Hispanic or Latino) and White;

(Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native) and White; (Hispanic or Latino) and Asian and White; (Hispanic or Latino) and (Black or

African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native) and (Black or African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and Respondent

reported more than one race and does not fit into the listed values.

f This category includes the following values: Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; Asian and White; Asian or Pacific Islander.

g This category includes the following values: American Indian or Alaska Native; (American Indian or Alaska Native) and White; (American Indian or

Alaska Native) and (Black or African American); American Indian or Alaska Native (old value).

h This category includes households with household heads that reported more than one race but that do not fit into any previous category.

i This category includes the following values: Unknown; Not recorded on the application for this individual; The application was not found during the QC

review, therefore racial/ethnic data is not available.

j This category includes some households with no household head and no adult listed on the file.

57
Table A.22. Distribution of Participating Households By Presence of a Household Member with Selected Characteristics

Characteristic

Total Households Households with:

Number

(000)

Percent

Children Elderly

Individuals

Disabled

Nonelderly

Individualsa

Countable Earned

Income

Countable TANF

Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ............................................................ 18,369 100.0 8,947 100.0 2,852 100.0 3,633 100.0 5,498 100.0 1,471 100.0

Citizenship

 U. S. Born Citizen ...................................... 17,275 94.0 8,832 98.7 2,172 76.1 3,531 97.2 5,334 97.0 1,450 98.6

 Naturalized Citizen .................................... 957 5.2 390 4.4 446 15.6 116 3.2 289 5.3 48 3.3

 Refugee ...................................................... 133 0.7 71 0.8 17 0.6 11 0.3 60 1.1 23 1.6

 Legal Permanent Resident ......................... 956 5.2 523 5.9 288 10.1 85 2.3 394 7.2 62 4.2

 Unknown .................................................... – – – – – – – – – – – –

 Citizen Children Living with Participating

 Noncitizen Adults ................................... 474 2.6 474 5.3 13 0.4 45 1.2 313 5.7 64 4.4

 Citizen Children Living with

 Nonparticipating Noncitizen Adults ....... 1,214 6.6 1,214 13.6 5 0.2 36 1.0 818 14.9 245 16.6

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify households that

contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was disabled.

– No sample households in this category.

58
Table A.23. Gender and SNAP Benefits of Participants by Selected Demographic Characteristic

Participant Characteristic

Total Participants Female Participants Male Participants Pro-rated Benefitsb

Number

(000)

Percenta Number

(000)

Percenta Number

(000)

Percenta Dollars

(000)

Percent

Total ..................................................... 39,759 100.0 22,405 56.4 17,354 43.6 5,273,937 100.0

Citizenship

 U. S. Born Citizen ............................... 37,039 93.2 20,762 52.2 16,278 40.9 4,908,169 93.1

 Naturalized Citizen ............................. 1,177 3.0 739 1.9 437 1.1 159,054 3.0

 Refugee ............................................... 311 0.8 159 0.4 152 0.4 41,402 0.8

 Other Noncitizen ................................. 1,232 3.1 746 1.9 486 1.2 165,313 3.1

Citizen Children Living with

Noncitizen Adultsc ........................ 3,545 8.9 1,736 4.4 1,810 4.6 498,507 9.5

Nondisabled Adults Age 18-49 in

Childless Householdsd .................. 3,857 9.7 1,701 4.3 2,156 5.4 661,272 12.5

Age

Child ..................................................... 18,516 46.6 9,069 22.8 9,447 23.8 2,416,060 45.8

 Preschool (4 or Less) .......................... 6,317 15.9 3,090 7.8 3,227 8.1 870,468 16.5

 School Age (5-17) ............................... 12,199 30.7 5,980 15.0 6,219 15.6 1,545,592 29.3

Nonelderly Adult .................................. 18,121 45.6 11,279 28.4 6,843 17.2 2,501,363 47.4

 18-35 ................................................... 9,424 23.7 6,232 15.7 3,192 8.0 1,313,417 24.9

 36-59 ................................................... 8,697 21.9 5,047 12.7 3,651 9.2 1,187,946 22.5

Elderly Individual (60 or More) ........... 3,121 7.9 2,057 5.2 1,064 2.7 356,487 6.8

Unknown Age ....................................... 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 27 0.0

Race and Hispanic Statuse

 White, not Hispanicf ........................... 13,395 33.7 7,679 19.3 5,717 14.4 1,695,903 32.2

 African American, not Hispanicg ....... 8,909 22.4 5,205 13.1 3,704 9.3 1,196,511 22.7

 Hispanic, Any Raceh .......................... 6,637 16.7 3,622 9.1 3,015 7.6 899,248 17.1

 Asian, not Hispanici ............................ 1,120 2.8 620 1.6 500 1.3 160,424 3.0

 Native American, not Hispanicj .......... 1,696 4.3 936 2.4 760 1.9 233,330 4.4

 Multiple Races Reported, not

Hispanick ........................................ 63 0.2 35 0.1 28 0.1 10,036 0.2

 Race Unknownl ................................... 7,939 20.0 4,309 10.8 3,630 9.1 1,078,485 20.4

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Percent of all participants.

b Pro-rated benefits equal the benefits paid to households multiplied by the ratio of participants with selected characteristic to total household size.

c Noncitizens may be inside or outside the SNAP unit.

d These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States

to suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

e New codes to allow reporting of multiple races were implemented beginning in April 2007. We have grouped the new codes together to form general

race and ethnicity categories. Reporting of race and ethnicity is voluntary under the new format and was missing for 20 percent of participants in FY 2010.

Because of these changes, FY 2010 race and ethnicity distributions are not comparable to distributions for years prior to FY 2007.

f This category includes the following values: White; White, not of Hispanic origin.

g This category includes the following values: Black or African American; (Black or African American) and White; Black, not of Hispanic origin.

h This category includes the following values: Hispanic; (Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native); (Hispanic or Latino) and Asian;

(Hispanic or Latino) and (Black or African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and (Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander); (Hispanic or Latino) and

White; (Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native) and White; (Hispanic or Latino) and Asian and White; (Hispanic or Latino) and

(Black or African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and (American Indian or Alaska Native) and (Black or African American); (Hispanic or Latino) and

Respondent reported more than one race and does not fit into the listed values.

i This category includes the following values: Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; Asian and White; Asian or Pacific Islander.

j This category includes the following values: American Indian or Alaska Native; (American Indian or Alaska Native) and White; (American Indian or

Alaska Native) and (Black or African American); American Indian or Alaska Native (old value).

k This category includes individuals who reported more than one race and who do not fit into any previously mentioned value.

l This category includes the following values: Unknown; Not recorded on the application for this individual; The application was not found during the

QC review, therefore racial/ethnic data is not available.

59
Table A.24. Distribution of Participants by Thrifty Food Plan Sex-Age Groups and Household Size

Participant Characteristic

Household Size

Total

(000) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8+

Total ....................................... 39,759 8,751 7,087 8,225 7,385 4,627 2,170 951 564

Children Under Age 12

0 - 2 years ........................... 3,762 143 815 1,061 827 509 233 110 64

3 - 5 years ........................... 3,711 100 661 959 952 606 261 110 61

6 - 8 years ........................... 3,311 64 450 837 908 548 303 129 71

9 - 11 years ......................... 2,901 37 358 729 763 524 280 131 80

Females .................................. 22,405 4,611 4,416 4,820 4,117 2,519 1,157 472 293

 0 - 2 years ........................... 1,818 73 382 501 408 259 116 48 30

 3 - 5 years ........................... 1,850 48 326 482 483 300 135 47 28

 6 - 8 years ........................... 1,640 29 225 406 433 280 166 62 39

 9 - 11 years ......................... 1,427 13 189 357 369 257 131 66 45

 12 - 14 years ....................... 1,193 22 146 287 323 221 108 50 36

 15 - 19 years ....................... 1,773 131 346 432 364 266 140 53 40

 20 - 50 years ....................... 9,138 1,735 2,118 2,172 1,659 893 346 141 74

 51+ years ............................ 3,565 2,560 683 183 77 41 15 4 2

Males ...................................... 17,354 4,140 2,671 3,405 3,268 2,108 1,012 479 271

 0 - 2 years ........................... 1,944 70 433 560 418 250 117 61 33

 3 - 5 years ........................... 1,860 52 335 477 469 305 126 63 33

 6 - 8 years ........................... 1,671 35 226 431 475 268 138 67 32

 9 - 11 years ......................... 1,473 24 169 371 394 267 149 65 35

 12 - 14 years ....................... 1,290 17 167 313 356 228 113 55 41

 15 - 19 years ....................... 1,742 78 317 438 410 258 131 65 45

 20 - 50 years ....................... 5,058 2,325 504 690 678 495 221 96 49

 51+ years ............................ 2,315 1,538 519 125 69 36 17 8 3

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

60
Table A.25. Distribution of Household Heads, All Participants, and Nonelderly Adult Participants by Work Registration Status and

Employment Status

Employment/Work Registration Status

Household Heads All Participants Nonelderly Adult Participants

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ................................................................................................ 18,369 100.0 39,759 100.0 18,121 100.0

Work Registration Status

Work Registrant ............................................................................... 4,053 22.1 5,567 14.0 5,364 29.6

 Mandatory E&T Participant ........................................................... 1,899 10.3 2,492 6.3 2,473 13.6

 Voluntary E&T Participant ............................................................ 93 0.5 131 0.3 127 0.7

 Not E&T Participant ...................................................................... 2,060 11.2 2,943 7.4 2,763 15.2

Exempt ............................................................................................. 12,996 70.7 34,192 86.0 12,758 70.4

 For Disability ................................................................................. 5,001 27.2 6,274 15.8 4,005 22.1

 For Reason Other than Disability .................................................. 7,995 43.5 27,919 70.2 8,753 48.3

Nonparticipating Household Heada ................................................. 1,321 7.2 – – – –

SNAP Employment and Training Program Status

Total Participating in SNAP E&T ................................................... 875 4.8 2,594 6.5 1,137 6.3

 SNAP Job Search or Job Search Training ..................................... 681 3.7 869 2.2 849 4.7

 SNAP E&T Workfare or Work Experience ................................... 104 0.6 127 0.3 124 0.7

 SNAP E&T Work Supplementation .............................................. 15 0.1 21 0.1 19 0.1

 SNAP E&T Education Leading to HS Diploma or GED .............. 7 0.0 1,490 3.7 59 0.3

 SNAP E&T Postsecondary Education Leading to Degree or

Certificate ................................................................................... 58 0.3 74 0.2 72 0.4

 SNAP E&T Remedial Education Not Leading to a Degree .......... 1 0.0 1 0.0 1 0.0

 SNAP E&T Vocational Training ................................................... 9 0.0 12 0.0 12 0.1

Total Participating in Other E&T .................................................... 2,166 11.8 4,383 11.0 2,191 12.1

 Participating in Non-SNAP E&T (Such as TANF) ....................... 1,543 8.4 2,705 6.8 1,386 7.6

 Other .............................................................................................. 623 3.4 1,678 4.2 804 4.4

Not Participating in E&T ................................................................. 14,007 76.3 32,782 82.5 14,794 81.6

Nonparticipating Household Heada ................................................. 1,321 7.2 – – – –

Employment Status

Total Employed ................................................................................ 4,013 21.8 5,161 13.0 5,003 27.6

 Self-Employed, Farming ................................................................ 10 0.1 14 0.0 13 0.1

 Self-Employed, Non-Farming ........................................................ 439 2.4 593 1.5 557 3.1

 Non-Migrant Farm Labor .............................................................. 5 0.0 7 0.0 6 0.0

 Active Duty Military Service ......................................................... 0 0.0 1 0.0 1 0.0

 Employed by Other ........................................................................ 3,559 19.4 4,546 11.4 4,425 24.4

Unemployed and Looking for Work ................................................ 3,643 19.8 4,859 12.2 4,747 26.2

Not in Labor Force and Not Looking for Work ............................... 9,393 51.1 29,739 74.8 8,372 46.2

Nonparticipating Household Heada ................................................. 1,321 7.2 – – – –

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Household heads who are not participating with the household. Some household heads in this category are ineligible for the SNAP, or are in separate SNAP

units not included in the SNAP QC sample. This category also includes some households with no adult listed on the file.

– Not Applicable.

61
62

Table A.26. Comparison of Participating Households with Key SNAP Household Characteristics for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010a

Percentage of Households with:

Time Period

Total 

Households 

(000)

Zero Gross 

Income

Zero Net 

Incomeb

Minimum 

Benefit

Elderly 

People Children

Disabled 

Peoplec

AFDC/

TANF Earnings SSI

Any 

Noncitizen

Fiscal Year 1989 7,217 7.1 18.3 7.5 19.3 60.4 9.1 41.9 19.6 20.6 9.8

Fiscal Year 1990 7,811 7.4 19.3 5.0 18.1 60.3 8.9 42.0 19.0 19.6 10.3

Fiscal Year 1991 8,863 8.3 20.5 4.1 16.5 60.4 9.0 40.5 19.8 18.6 11.8

Fiscal Year 1992 10,059 9.6 21.9 3.6 15.4 62.2 9.5 39.5 20.2 18.4 10.4

Fiscal Year 1993 10,791 9.7 23.7 4.0 15.5 62.1 10.7 39.4 20.6 19.4 11.6

Fiscal Year 1994 11,091 10.2 23.8 4.5 15.8 61.1 12.5 38.1 21.4 21.4 10.7

Fiscal Year 1995 10,883 9.7 25.0 4.3 16.0 59.7 18.9 38.3 21.4 22.6 10.7

Fiscal Year 1996 10,552 10.2 24.9 4.5 16.2 59.5 20.2 36.6 22.5 24.1 10.5

Fiscal Year 1997 9,452 9.2 22.7 6.6 17.6 58.3 22.3 34.6 24.2 26.5 8.4

Fiscal Year 1998 8,246 8.8 20.8 8.3 18.2 58.3 24.4 31.4 26.3 28.1 4.3

Fiscal Year 1999 7,670 8.5 20.6 9.7 20.1 55.7 26.4 27.3 26.8 30.2 6.0

Fiscal Year 2000 7,335 8.4 20.1 10.9 21.0 53.9 27.5 25.8 27.2 31.7 6.4

Fiscal Year 2001 7,450 9.4 22.2 11.2 20.4 53.6 27.7 23.1 27.0 31.8 5.4

Fiscal Year 2002 8,201 10.5 24.3 10.7 18.7 54.1 27.0 20.9 28.0 29.5 5.2

Fiscal Year 2003 8,971 12.7 27.7 7.0 17.1 55.1 22.1 17.2 27.5 26.3 5.4

Fiscal Year 2004 10,069 13.1 29.7 5.9 17.3 54.3 22.7 16.2 28.5 26.8 6.2

Fiscal Year 2005 10,852 13.7 30.0 5.2 17.1 53.7 23.0 14.5 29.1 26.4 6.2

Fiscal Year 2006 11,313 14.1 31.0 6.2 17.9 52.0 23.1 13.0 29.5 26.8 6.1

Fiscal Year 2007 11,561 14.7 31.4 6.6 17.8 51.0 23.8 12.1 29.6 27.7 5.7

Fiscal Year 2008 12,464 16.2 33.6 6.7 18.5 50.6 22.6 10.6 28.9 26.2 5.6

Fiscal Year 2009 14,981 17.6 36.0 4.1 16.6 49.9 21.2 9.7 29.4 23.6 5.9

Fiscal Year 2010 18,369 19.7 38.3 3.8 15.5 48.7 19.8 8.0 29.9 20.9 5.9

Source: Fiscal Year 1989 to 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control samples.

Note: Beginning with 2003, the weighting of the SNAP QC data reflects adjustments to FNS' Program Operations counts of households to account for receipt of 

benefits in error or for disaster assistance. Beginning with 2005, the weighting process was revised so that weighted SNAP QC data match adjusted Program 

Operations counts of households, individuals, and benefit amounts. Beginning with the 2009 report, we extended this methodology to the 2003 and 2004 

data. We also incorporated corrected SNAP program operations data from Missouri for every year from 2003 to 2008. Therefore, statistics for these years 

may vary slightly from those presented in reports prior to 2009.

a Fiscal year analysis files were not developed for the years before 1989.

b Beginning in 2004, net income is not calculated for MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits.

c The substantial increase in 1995 and decrease in 2003 result in part from the changes in definition of a disabled household. Prior to 1995, disabled households were 

defined as households with SSI but no members over age 59. In 1995, that definition changed to households with at least one member under age 65 who received SSI, or

f a disability. Due to changes in the SNAP QC 

data in 2003, the definition of a disabled household changed again to households with either SSI income or a medical expense deduction and without an elderly person, 

and households with sation.
63

Table A.27. Comparison of Average Nominal and Real Values of Key SNAP Household Characteristics for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010

Gross Income

(Dollars)

Net Income

(Dollars)a

Total Deduction 

(Dollars)b

SNAP Benefit

(Dollars) Gross Income as a 

Percentage of 

Poverty Guidelines

(Percent)

Household Size

Time Period (Persons)

Nominal 

Value

Real 

Valuec

Nominal

Value

Real

Valuec

Nominal

Value

Real

Valuec

Nominal

Value

Real

Valued

Fiscal Year 1989 442 777 247 434 216 380 132 229 60 2.6

Fiscal Year 1990 453 756 251 419 225 375 150 245 59 2.6

Fiscal Year 1991 464 743 253 405 235 376 162 257 58 2.6

Fiscal Year 1992 478 743 258 401 250 389 170 268 57 2.6

Fiscal Year 1993 490 739 258 389 262 395 170 262 56 2.6

Fiscal Year 1994 507 746 268 394 272 400 168 252 57 2.5

Fiscal Year 1995 514 735 265 379 283 405 172 249 56 2.5

Fiscal Year 1996 528 734 275 382 287 399 174 243 57 2.5

Fiscal Year 1997 558 758 299 406 291 395 169 231 58 2.4

Fiscal Year 1998 584 781 321 429 294 393 165 221 60 2.4

Fiscal Year 1999 603 789 338 442 299 391 162 213 62 2.4

Fiscal Year 2000 620 785 355 450 298 377 158 203 63 2.3

Fiscal Year 2001 624 768 353 435 311 383 163 203 62 2.3

Fiscal Year 2002 633 772 355 433 324 395 173 213 61 2.3

Fiscal Year 2003 608 721 317 376 346 410 192 231 57 2.3

Fiscal Year 2004 634 732 312 360 382 441 197 228 58 2.3

Fiscal Year 2005 644 719 316 353 390 435 209 238 58 2.3

Fiscal Year 2006 668 723 323 349 410 443 208 232 59 2.3

Fiscal Year 2007 684 719 325 342 430 452 212 227 59 2.2

Fiscal Year 2008 693 702 329 333 441 447 222 224 58 2.2

Fiscal Year 2009 711 723 329 334 471 479 272 273 58 2.2

Fiscal Year 2010 731 731 336 336 491 491 287 287 57 2.2

Source of CPI-U values: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source of nominal values: Fiscal Year 1989 to 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control samples.

Note: Beginning with 2003, the weighting of the SNAP QC data reflects adjustments to FNS' Program Operations counts of households to account for receipt of 

benefits in error or for disaster assistance. Beginning with 2005, the weighting process was revised so that weighted SNAP QC data match adjusted Program 

Operations counts of households, individuals, and benefit amounts. Beginning with the 2009 report, we extended this methodology to the 2003 and 2004 

data. We also incorporated corrected SNAP program operations data from Missouri for every year from 2003 to 2008. Therefore, statistics for these years 

may vary slightly from those presented in previous reports.

a Beginning in 2004, net income is not calculated for MFIP households or SSI-CAP households in States with standardized SSI-CAP benefit amounts.

b Some of the change in average total deductions and average net income between 2003 and 2004 may be attributable to two changes in the SNAP QC datafile 

development process. First, we revised the way certain deductions are calculated to correct for inconsistencies and data entry errors. Second, given that deductions are not 

used in their benefit determination, SSI-CAP participants in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from the average total deduction calculation 

beginning in 2004. 

c Real values are in constant 2010 dollars adjusted by changes in the CPI-U for all items.

d Real values are in constant 2010 dollars adjusted by changes in the CPI-U for food at home.
64

Table A.28. Comparison of Number of SNAP Participants by Gender and Age for Fiscal Years 1989 to 2010

Source: Fiscal Year 1989 to 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control samples.

Note: Beginning with 2003, the weighting of the SNAP QC data reflects adjustments to FNS' Program Operations counts of households to account for receipt 

of benefits in error or for disaster assistance. Beginning with 2005, the weighting process was revised so that weighted SNAP QC data match adjusted 

Program Operations counts of households, individuals, and benefit amounts. Beginning with the 2009 report, we extended this methodology to the

2003 and 2004 data. We also incorporated corrected SNAP program operations data from Missouri for every year from 2003 to 2008. Therefore, 

statistics for these years may vary slightly from those presented in previous reports in this series.

a Total participants may not equal the sum of male and female participants if there are persons whose gender was not coded on the file.

Total

Participants

(000)

Female Participants by Age (000) Male Participants by Age (000)

Time Period 0 17 18 59 60+ Totala 0 17 18 59 60+ Totala

Fiscal Year 1989..................

Fiscal Year 1990..................

Fiscal Year 1991..................

Fiscal Year 1992..................

Fiscal Year 1993..................

Fiscal Year 1994..................

Fiscal Year 1995..................

Fiscal Year 1996..................

Fiscal Year 1997..................

18,956

20,440

22,988

25,775

27,595

28,009

26,955

25,926

23,117

4,681

4,998

5,952

6,618

7,080

7,102

6,927

6,573

5,950

5,359

5,802

6,556

7,348

7,855

7,949

7,714

7,427

6,588

1,132

1,139

1,171

1,235

1,334

1,389

1,369

1,354

1,328

11,334

12,169

13,679

15,204

16,276

16,453

16,025

15,373

13,880

4,761

5,141

6,008

6,746

7,131

7,305

6,952

6,639

5,918

2,262

2,442

2,840

3,350

3,643

3,666

3,403

3,355

2,796

429

435

452

468

536

566

554

541

506

7,612

8,265

9,300

10,566

11,316

11,552

10,926

10,549

9,233

Fiscal Year 1998.................. 19,969 5,258 5,505 1,197 11,967 5,258 2,236 430 7,926

Fiscal Year 1999.................. 18,149 4,654 5,006 1,217 10,878 4,676 2,066 482 7,226

Fiscal Year 2000.................. 17,091 4,313 4,667 1,216 10,198 4,451 1,954 485 6,891

Fiscal Year 2001.................. 17,297 4,404 4,751 1,189 10,347 4,437 2,037 471 6,949

Fiscal Year 2002.................. 19,041 4,821 5,260 1,187 11,269 4,891 2,375 501 7,769

Fiscal Year 2003.................. 20,764 5,211 5,826 1,173 12,211 5,343 2,689 518 8,552

Fiscal Year 2004.................. 23,279 5,749 6,635 1,312 13,697 5,885 3,081 607 9,573

Fiscal Year 2005.................. 24,794 6,195 7,053 1,407 14,656 6,165 3,329 638 10,132

Fiscal Year 2006.................. 25,472 6,172 7,260 1,525 14,957 6,341 3,471 702 10,515

Fiscal Year 2007.................. 25,775 6,186 7,371 1,563 15,120 6,419 3,538 698 10,655

Fiscal Year 2008.................. 27,607 6,634 7,830 1,687 16,151 6,725 3,903 827 11,456

Fiscal Year 2009.................. 32,889 7,704 9,322 1,827 18,854 7,913 5,221 901 14,035

Fiscal Year 2010.................. 39,759 9,069 11,279 2,057 22,405 9,447 6,843 1,064 17,354
APPENDIX B

DETAILED TABLES OF SNAP HOUSEHOLDS BY STATE
This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.
Table B.1. Distribution of Participating Households, Individuals, and Benefits by State

State 

SNAP Households Participants in Households Monthly SNAP Benefits

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Dollars

(000)

Percent

Totala ..................................... 18,369 100.0 39,759 100.0 5,273,937 100.0

Alabama ................................. 338 1.8 786 2.0 99,511 1.9

Alaska .................................... 30 0.2 76 0.2 13,157 0.2

Arizona ................................... 428 2.3 994 2.5 128,143 2.4

Arkansas ................................. 191 1.0 452 1.1 54,989 1.0

California ............................... 1,377 7.5 3,206 8.1 467,382 8.9

Colorado ................................. 176 1.0 403 1.0 57,174 1.1

Connecticut ............................ 175 1.0 321 0.8 45,191 0.9

Delaware ................................ 50 0.3 112 0.3 14,153 0.3

District of Columbia .............. 65 0.4 116 0.3 15,801 0.3

Florida .................................... 1,365 7.4 2,587 6.5 365,637 6.9

Georgia ................................... 675 3.7 1,581 4.0 211,187 4.0

Guam ...................................... 11 0.1 36 0.1 7,837 0.1

Hawaii .................................... 68 0.4 136 0.3 29,423 0.6

Idaho ...................................... 77 0.4 191 0.5 24,499 0.5

Illinois .................................... 770 4.2 1,632 4.1 228,435 4.3

Indiana .................................... 345 1.9 806 2.0 106,075 2.0

Iowa ........................................ 154 0.8 335 0.8 42,863 0.8

Kansas .................................... 121 0.7 264 0.7 32,524 0.6

Kentucky ................................ 347 1.9 759 1.9 96,876 1.8

Louisiana ................................ 344 1.9 797 2.0 103,262 2.0

Maine ..................................... 113 0.6 228 0.6 28,875 0.5

Maryland ................................ 258 1.4 545 1.4 69,841 1.3

Massachusetts ........................ 400 2.2 736 1.9 93,559 1.8

Michigan ................................ 859 4.7 1,765 4.4 231,807 4.4

Minnesota ............................... 208 1.1 425 1.1 51,218 1.0

Mississippi ............................. 246 1.3 572 1.4 69,590 1.3

Missouri ................................. 400 2.2 886 2.2 109,338 2.1

Montana ................................. 50 0.3 111 0.3 14,336 0.3

Nebraska ................................ 69 0.4 160 0.4 19,326 0.4

Nevada ................................... 125 0.7 270 0.7 33,377 0.6

New Hampshire ..................... 49 0.3 103 0.3 12,273 0.2

New Jersey ............................. 300 1.6 614 1.5 83,315 1.6

New Mexico ........................... 148 0.8 350 0.9 43,964 0.8

New York ............................... 1,428 7.8 2,704 6.8 398,872 7.6

North Carolina ....................... 603 3.3 1,334 3.4 170,228 3.2

North Dakota .......................... 27 0.1 59 0.1 7,755 0.1

Ohio ........................................ 744 4.1 1,594 4.0 223,580 4.2

Oklahoma ............................... 247 1.3 570 1.4 73,078 1.4

Oregon .................................... 369 2.0 694 1.7 85,498 1.6

Pennsylvania .......................... 735 4.0 1,560 3.9 189,906 3.6

Rhode Island .......................... 72 0.4 136 0.3 19,122 0.4

South Carolina ....................... 353 1.9 783 2.0 101,132 1.9

South Dakota .......................... 40 0.2 95 0.2 12,679 0.2

Tennessee ............................... 562 3.1 1,204 3.0 157,693 3.0

Texas ...................................... 1,405 7.6 3,542 8.9 449,754 8.5

Utah ........................................ 97 0.5 243 0.6 30,202 0.6

Vermont ................................. 42 0.2 84 0.2 9,890 0.2

Virgin Islands ......................... 8 0.0 20 0.1 3,502 0.1

Virginia .................................. 353 1.9 759 1.9 97,007 1.8

Washington ............................ 471 2.6 948 2.4 113,398 2.2

West Virginia ......................... 151 0.8 331 0.8 38,724 0.7

Wisconsin ............................... 315 1.7 711 1.8 82,773 1.6

Wyoming ................................ 14 0.1 34 0.1 4,208 0.1

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

67
Table B.2. Average Values of Selected Characteristics by State

State 

Average Values

Gross

Countable

Income

(Dollars)

Net

Countable

Income

(Dollars)a

Total

Deduction

(Dollars)b

SNAP

Benefit

(Dollars)

Household

Size

(Persons)

Certification

Period

(Months)

Total ...................................... 731 336 491 287 2.2 12.1

Alabama ................................. 709 384 402 294 2.3 13.0

Alaska .................................... 984 521 597 434 2.5 6.9

Arizona ................................... 717 367 446 299 2.3 9.0

Arkansas ................................. 725 428 357 287 2.4 14.2

California ............................... 587 233 455 339 2.3 11.9

Colorado ................................. 680 261 538 326 2.3 10.4

Connecticut ............................ 799 258 678 258 1.8 11.8

Delaware ................................ 834 396 519 281 2.2 8.8

District of Columbia .............. 482 272 302 245 1.8 13.9

Florida .................................... 608 249 451 268 1.9 10.2

Georgia ................................... 669 331 431 313 2.3 7.9

Guam ...................................... 732 318 548 700 3.2 11.2

Hawaii .................................... 749 423 411 430 2.0 11.6

Idaho ...................................... 808 375 540 318 2.5 9.5

Illinois .................................... 601 267 417 297 2.1 10.2

Indiana .................................... 713 345 459 308 2.3 9.0

Iowa ........................................ 760 356 497 278 2.2 7.3

Kansas .................................... 765 393 454 270 2.2 12.8

Kentucky ................................ 665 359 380 279 2.2 9.2

Louisiana ................................ 716 355 432 300 2.3 14.7

Maine ..................................... 879 350 620 254 2.0 12.0

Maryland ................................ 735 352 472 270 2.1 7.6

Massachusetts ........................ 886 337 640 234 1.8 15.7

Michigan ................................ 802 337 629 270 2.1 13.9

Minnesota ............................... 681 431 353 247 2.0 11.8

Mississippi ............................. 711 406 372 283 2.3 11.5

Missouri ................................. 747 400 413 274 2.2 11.8

Montana ................................. 791 355 517 286 2.2 14.1

Nebraska ................................ 797 423 470 279 2.3 14.1

Nevada ................................... 763 403 447 266 2.2 7.6

New Hampshire ..................... 978 419 657 251 2.1 7.1

New Jersey ............................. 780 297 615 278 2.0 13.7

New Mexico ........................... 743 393 429 298 2.4 14.3

New York ............................... 840 270 727 279 1.9 19.2

North Carolina ....................... 688 363 413 282 2.2 8.1

North Dakota .......................... 893 332 671 289 2.2 7.6

Ohio ........................................ 700 274 531 300 2.1 8.7

Oklahoma ............................... 685 368 410 296 2.3 14.9

Oregon .................................... 807 383 504 232 1.9 11.9

Pennsylvania .......................... 874 405 553 258 2.1 17.1

Rhode Island .......................... 826 257 719 265 1.9 14.3

South Carolina ....................... 652 351 369 287 2.2 13.6

South Dakota .......................... 800 329 584 318 2.4 13.0

Tennessee ............................... 652 335 388 280 2.1 7.8

Texas ...................................... 783 401 461 320 2.5 11.8

Utah ........................................ 735 408 405 310 2.5 6.9

Vermont ................................. 1,036 414 728 237 2.0 12.0

Virgin Islands ......................... 691 394 331 439 2.5 7.6

Virginia .................................. 684 359 407 274 2.1 13.9

Washington ............................ 848 417 561 241 2.0 14.1

West Virginia ......................... 789 446 413 257 2.2 13.0

Wisconsin ............................... 948 472 622 263 2.3 11.8

Wyoming ................................ 755 408 431 297 2.4 7.8

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households

in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column.

b Because deductions are not used in their benefit determinations, 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use

standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this column. 

68
Table B.3. Distribution of Participating Households by Poverty Status and by State

State Number

(000)

Gross Countable Income as a Percentage of the Poverty Guideline

50% or Less 51% – 100% 101% or More

Number

(000)

Row Percent Number

(000)

Row Percent Number

(000)

Row Percent

Totala ..................................... 18,369 7,944 43.2 7,730 42.1 2,695 14.7

Alabama ................................. 338 141 41.7 158 46.7 39 11.6

Alaska .................................... 30 13 43.2 13 43.7 4 13.1

Arizona ................................... 428 212 49.6 142 33.1 74 17.3

Arkansas ................................. 191 80 41.7 91 47.3 21 11.0

California ............................... 1,377 926 67.2 372 27.0 79 5.8

Colorado ................................. 176 82 46.4 73 41.6 21 12.0

Connecticut ............................ 175 66 38.0 70 40.1 38 21.9

Delaware ................................ 50 21 42.1 17 34.6 12 23.3

District of Columbia .............. 65 40 62.5 19 29.5 5 8.0

Florida .................................... 1,365 636 46.6 593 43.5 135 9.9

Georgia ................................... 675 331 49.0 257 38.1 87 12.8

Guam ...................................... 11 6 57.6 3 30.1 1 12.3

Hawaii .................................... 68 31 45.2 31 45.5 6 9.3

Idaho ...................................... 77 30 39.0 37 47.6 10 13.4

Illinois .................................... 770 384 49.9 314 40.8 72 9.3

Indiana .................................... 345 152 44.2 140 40.7 52 15.1

Iowa ........................................ 154 62 40.0 68 43.8 25 16.1

Kansas .................................... 121 46 38.5 55 45.4 19 16.1

Kentucky ................................ 347 146 42.2 173 49.9 28 8.0

Louisiana ................................ 344 141 40.9 165 48.0 38 11.1

Maine ..................................... 113 36 31.9 50 44.1 27 24.0

Maryland ................................ 258 124 47.9 95 36.7 40 15.4

Massachusetts ........................ 400 110 27.6 197 49.2 93 23.2

Michigan ................................ 859 351 40.8 320 37.3 188 21.9

Minnesota ............................... 208 90 43.1 89 42.8 29 14.1

Mississippi ............................. 246 100 40.5 123 50.1 23 9.4

Missouri ................................. 400 165 41.4 175 43.9 59 14.7

Montana ................................. 50 19 38.5 22 43.1 9 18.4

Nebraska ................................ 69 26 37.2 31 44.8 12 18.0

Nevada ................................... 125 53 42.5 47 37.5 25 20.0

New Hampshire ..................... 49 12 24.8 24 48.6 13 26.6

New Jersey ............................. 300 114 38.1 139 46.4 47 15.5

New Mexico ........................... 148 66 44.8 63 42.6 19 12.7

New York ............................... 1,428 409 28.6 760 53.2 260 18.2

North Carolina ....................... 603 274 45.4 252 41.8 78 12.9

North Dakota .......................... 27 9 33.3 11 40.0 7 26.7

Ohio ........................................ 744 313 42.0 330 44.3 102 13.7

Oklahoma ............................... 247 107 43.5 115 46.4 25 10.1

Oregon .................................... 369 142 38.4 148 40.0 80 21.6

Pennsylvania .......................... 735 215 29.2 364 49.5 156 21.2

Rhode Island .......................... 72 22 30.4 36 49.4 15 20.2

South Carolina ....................... 353 171 48.5 147 41.7 35 9.8

South Dakota .......................... 40 16 40.5 16 39.4 8 20.1

Tennessee ............................... 562 253 45.0 245 43.6 64 11.5

Texas ...................................... 1,405 640 45.5 537 38.3 228 16.2

Utah ........................................ 97 46 46.8 41 41.8 11 11.4

Vermont ................................. 42 11 25.3 17 40.2 14 34.4

Virgin Islands ......................... 8 5 57.8 2 29.5 1 12.7

Virginia .................................. 353 155 44.0 155 43.9 43 12.1

Washington ............................ 471 185 39.3 184 39.2 101 21.5

West Virginia ......................... 151 52 34.3 75 50.1 23 15.6

Wisconsin ............................... 315 102 32.4 123 39.0 90 28.6

Wyoming ................................ 14 6 40.5 7 48.4 2 11.1

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

69
Table B.4. Distribution of Participating Households by Shelter-Related Characteristics and by State

State 

Households with Shelter

Deduction

Households at the Shelter

Cap Average

Monthly

Shelter

Expense

(Dollars)

Average

Monthly

Shelter

Expense

Among

Households

with Expense

(Dollars)

Average

Shelter

Deductiona

(Dollars)

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totalb ..................................... 12,959 70.5 3,667 20.0 583 720 364

Alabama ................................. 225 66.4 31 9.3 414 528 256

Alaska .................................... 20 64.5 3 10.0 586 732 388

Arizona ................................... 268 62.6 83 19.3 495 699 329

Arkansas ................................. 108 56.4 10 5.4 371 493 232

California ............................... 1,030 74.8 373 27.1 528 657 334

Colorado ................................. 134 76.5 59 33.6 670 808 415

Connecticut ............................ 144 82.1 66 37.5 914 1,099 566

Delaware ................................ 36 71.9 11 22.5 627 776 373

District of Columbia .............. 30 46.5 3 5.1 288 503 284

Florida .................................... 934 68.5 215 15.8 504 692 365

Georgia ................................... 433 64.1 81 11.9 449 622 299

Guam ...................................... 5 48.0 1 5.4 253 384 220

Hawaii .................................... 34 49.2 4 5.7 363 522 288

Idaho ...................................... 60 78.0 18 23.5 611 731 348

Illinois .................................... 487 63.2 92 12.0 445 635 330

Indiana .................................... 238 69.1 49 14.1 512 652 338

Iowa ........................................ 120 78.2 30 19.3 577 662 340

Kansas .................................... 86 71.5 15 12.5 497 600 301

Kentucky ................................ 216 62.2 24 6.9 393 513 272

Louisiana ................................ 216 62.8 36 10.5 433 563 286

Maine ..................................... 92 81.1 29 25.5 811 953 480

Maryland ................................ 171 66.1 52 20.0 555 725 343

Massachusetts ........................ 349 87.3 112 28.1 856 943 479

Michigan ................................ 734 85.4 364 42.4 801 885 451

Minnesota ............................... 112 54.0 16 7.7 377 548 278

Mississippi ............................. 120 48.8 15 6.2 361 468 245

Missouri ................................. 247 61.7 38 9.5 417 540 267

Montana ................................. 35 69.8 12 24.1 597 759 388

Nebraska ................................ 51 73.4 12 17.1 532 600 307

Nevada ................................... 87 69.3 18 14.6 536 693 330

New Hampshire ..................... 44 89.4 19 38.2 940 967 464

New Jersey ............................. 289 96.5 84 28.1 773 773 423

New Mexico ........................... 98 66.2 23 15.4 466 578 292

New York ............................... 1,049 73.4 541 37.9 1,037 1,064 525

North Carolina ....................... 378 62.6 68 11.3 438 571 290

North Dakota .......................... 22 82.6 8 30.7 703 776 420

Ohio ........................................ 538 72.3 216 29.0 644 815 443

Oklahoma ............................... 165 67.0 29 11.6 447 571 288

Oregon .................................... 265 71.8 83 22.5 598 769 367

Pennsylvania .......................... 598 81.3 175 23.8 706 770 392

Rhode Island .......................... 71 99.1 31 42.4 937 937 509

South Carolina ....................... 177 50.2 24 6.7 355 527 272

South Dakota .......................... 29 72.7 12 29.7 656 804 409

Tennessee ............................... 332 59.1 46 8.2 409 597 296

Texas ...................................... 898 63.9 164 11.6 473 611 294

Utah ........................................ 57 58.6 13 13.6 438 613 293

Vermont ................................. 36 85.6 12 29.7 966 1,056 540

Virgin Islands ......................... 4 46.4 0 3.8 243 314 164

Virginia .................................. 234 66.1 42 11.9 442 560 280

Washington ............................ 445 94.6 109 23.2 715 715 348

West Virginia ......................... 104 69.4 13 8.7 484 584 290

Wisconsin ............................... 295 93.8 80 25.4 787 787 385

Wyoming ................................ 10 67.7 2 11.7 467 587 281

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Over households with a shelter deduction.

b Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

70
Table B.5. Distribution of Participating Households by Household Composition and by State

State 

Households with:

Children Elderly Individuals Disabled Nonelderly

Individualsa

Single Adults with

Children

Nondisabled Adults

Age 18-49 in Childless

Householdsb

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totalc ..................................... 8,947 48.7 2,852 15.5 3,633 19.8 4,996 27.2 3,512 19.1

Alabama ................................. 184 54.5 43 12.7 82 24.3 126 37.1 54 16.0

Alaska .................................... 15 49.8 4 12.4 5 16.0 8 26.5 8 25.6

Arizona ................................... 224 52.2 51 11.8 51 11.8 104 24.3 100 23.3

Arkansas ................................. 100 52.3 25 13.1 52 26.9 60 31.2 38 19.7

California ............................... 915 66.4 53 3.9 16 1.2 349 25.4 316 23.0

Colorado ................................. 94 53.6 27 15.6 30 17.2 53 30.2 25 14.3

Connecticut ............................ 62 35.3 32 18.4 40 22.7 43 24.4 44 25.1

Delaware ................................ 27 54.3 6 11.5 10 19.7 18 36.1 9 17.3

District of Columbia .............. 22 34.3 7 11.2 12 19.3 17 26.0 21 32.2

Florida .................................... 541 39.6 276 20.3 253 18.5 233 17.0 306 22.5

Georgia ................................... 358 53.0 96 14.3 118 17.4 222 32.8 135 20.0

Guam ...................................... 8 72.4 1 12.1 0 1.5 3 25.8 1 10.1

Hawaii .................................... 27 39.2 14 20.5 13 19.1 13 19.5 14 20.9

Idaho ...................................... 43 55.8 9 11.6 15 19.5 19 24.8 13 17.3

Illinois .................................... 359 46.6 104 13.5 136 17.6 218 28.3 170 22.1

Indiana .................................... 180 52.1 44 12.9 84 24.4 114 33.0 60 17.4

Iowa ........................................ 70 45.6 15 10.0 32 20.9 40 25.7 36 23.1

Kansas .................................... 57 47.2 16 13.0 29 23.7 34 28.0 24 19.6

Kentucky ................................ 161 46.5 57 16.5 104 29.9 97 28.0 65 18.8

Louisiana ................................ 180 52.2 55 15.9 75 21.7 133 38.5 61 17.6

Maine ..................................... 45 39.3 20 17.6 32 28.4 24 21.1 22 19.0

Maryland ................................ 122 47.1 32 12.3 44 17.1 86 33.4 61 23.7

Massachusetts ........................ 152 38.1 92 23.0 126 31.4 108 27.0 59 14.8

Michigan ................................ 353 41.1 103 11.9 169 19.7 204 23.8 241 28.0

Minnesota ............................... 91 44.0 29 14.1 50 24.0 53 25.4 43 20.6

Mississippi ............................. 124 50.2 37 14.8 65 26.3 79 31.9 44 18.1

Missouri ................................. 204 51.1 57 14.2 88 21.9 130 32.6 76 19.0

Montana ................................. 24 48.6 6 12.3 11 22.2 14 28.2 10 20.4

Nebraska ................................ 37 53.2 8 12.0 15 22.0 23 33.7 11 15.2

Nevada ................................... 59 46.9 21 16.5 23 18.2 30 23.9 25 19.6

New Hampshire ..................... 24 48.5 6 13.1 17 34.4 15 30.8 7 14.2

New Jersey ............................. 145 48.2 64 21.5 54 17.9 90 30.0 46 15.3

New Mexico ........................... 84 57.1 18 12.4 27 18.2 39 26.5 24 16.2

New York ............................... 564 39.5 382 26.7 357 25.0 316 22.1 191 13.4

North Carolina ....................... 299 49.5 85 14.2 117 19.3 174 28.8 124 20.6

North Dakota .......................... 13 48.4 5 19.1 5 17.7 9 32.0 4 15.9

Ohio ........................................ 348 46.7 106 14.3 189 25.4 216 29.0 123 16.5

Oklahoma ............................... 122 49.5 35 14.3 55 22.3 73 29.6 48 19.3

Oregon .................................... 137 37.2 53 14.4 63 17.0 68 18.5 107 29.1

Pennsylvania .......................... 324 44.1 135 18.4 217 29.5 205 27.9 113 15.4

Rhode Island .......................... 29 40.9 14 18.9 22 30.0 18 25.3 12 17.2

South Carolina ....................... 180 51.0 54 15.2 54 15.4 118 33.3 79 22.5

South Dakota .......................... 21 51.5 6 14.4 8 20.1 12 30.6 8 19.8

Tennessee ............................... 257 45.8 86 15.4 114 20.3 151 26.9 127 22.5

Texas ...................................... 873 62.2 256 18.2 243 17.3 446 31.7 106 7.6

Utah ........................................ 55 56.1 7 7.6 18 18.5 28 28.8 19 20.0

Vermont ................................. 16 38.5 9 21.8 12 29.4 8 19.6 8 18.2

Virgin Islands ......................... 5 57.6 2 26.5 0 3.2 3 39.6 1 15.5

Virginia .................................. 176 49.9 56 15.9 81 23.0 117 33.0 59 16.8

Washington ............................ 198 42.1 64 13.5 89 19.0 101 21.5 126 26.7

West Virginia ......................... 68 45.2 26 17.3 49 32.4 35 23.0 24 16.2

Wisconsin ............................... 164 52.0 38 12.2 62 19.6 96 30.6 62 19.6

Wyoming ................................ 8 55.8 2 13.1 3 19.8 5 36.4 2 14.5

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to changes in the SNAP QC data, the definition of disabled changed in 2003. Beginning with the 2003 report, we are only able to identify

households that contain a disabled person. In previous reports, we had additional information that helped to identify which household member was

disabled.

b These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States

to suspend time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

c Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

71
Table B.6. Distribution of Participating Households by Selected Countable Income Sources and by State

State 

Households with Countable:

TANFa GA SSI Social Security Earned Income

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totalb ..................................... 1,471 8.0 746 4.1 3,841 20.9 3,933 21.4 5,498 29.9

Alabama ................................. 19 5.5 1 0.2 77 22.9 83 24.7 102 30.0

Alaska .................................... 4 12.0 6 20.1 4 14.0 5 17.6 9 30.0

Arizona ................................... 31 7.3 – – 46 10.7 61 14.2 148 34.5

Arkansas ................................. 8 4.3 0 0.2 48 25.2 48 24.8 57 29.9

California ............................... 440 32.0 106 7.7 – – 73 5.3 476 34.6

Colorado ................................. 1 0.3 28 15.7 32 18.3 36 20.7 58 32.7

Connecticut ............................ 18 10.2 15 8.5 38 21.8 43 24.8 41 23.2

Delaware ................................ 5 9.0 3 6.4 8 16.2 10 20.6 16 32.4

District of Columbia .............. 13 20.9 2 2.5 13 19.7 10 15.8 7 10.1

Florida .................................... 50 3.6 2 0.2 313 22.9 313 22.9 325 23.8

Georgia ................................... 14 2.1 1 0.1 116 17.2 127 18.9 206 30.5

Guam ...................................... 2 14.4 0 4.3 0 0.3 1 9.9 5 43.5

Hawaii .................................... 7 10.0 5 7.2 15 21.4 17 25.0 20 29.3

Idaho ...................................... 1 1.2 10 12.8 14 18.7 15 19.7 32 41.1

Illinois .................................... 15 1.9 36 4.7 153 19.9 132 17.2 205 26.6

Indiana .................................... 32 9.3 0 0.1 70 20.2 84 24.4 105 30.4

Iowa ........................................ 14 9.2 0 0.1 28 18.3 34 21.9 61 39.8

Kansas .................................... 11 8.9 2 1.9 23 19.3 31 25.5 42 34.9

Kentucky ................................ 23 6.7 1 0.2 114 32.8 91 26.2 76 21.9

Louisiana ................................ 6 1.6 1 0.4 90 26.1 80 23.2 117 33.8

Maine ..................................... 12 10.6 28 24.7 26 23.3 40 35.6 32 28.6

Maryland ................................ 21 8.3 20 7.8 49 18.8 43 16.6 72 27.9

Massachusetts ........................ 44 11.1 18 4.5 144 36.0 124 31.1 78 19.6

Michigan ................................ 74 8.6 12 1.4 154 17.9 174 20.2 288 33.5

Minnesota ............................... 3 1.5 19 9.1 51 24.5 47 22.4 60 29.0

Mississippi ............................. 12 4.9 0 0.1 75 30.6 62 25.2 70 28.3

Missouri ................................. 32 8.0 1 0.1 86 21.5 100 25.0 119 29.7

Montana ................................. 3 6.5 0 0.6 10 20.0 12 23.4 19 37.5

Nebraska ................................ 8 11.1 3 4.0 12 17.8 17 24.0 25 36.0

Nevada ................................... 7 5.5 1 0.8 22 17.3 28 22.0 35 27.6

New Hampshire ..................... 5 11.2 8 15.5 10 20.7 18 36.2 15 30.3

New Jersey ............................. 36 12.0 46 15.5 66 22.1 70 23.2 69 23.0

New Mexico ........................... 25 17.0 2 1.1 28 18.9 31 20.7 53 36.0

New York ............................... 61 4.3 175 12.3 509 35.6 398 27.9 356 25.0

North Carolina ....................... 13 2.2 2 0.4 117 19.5 129 21.4 179 29.7

North Dakota .......................... 2 6.9 0 1.0 4 14.9 7 27.6 11 41.4

Ohio ........................................ 73 9.8 15 2.0 170 22.8 180 24.2 188 25.3

Oklahoma ............................... 9 3.8 56 22.7 54 21.7 58 23.7 70 28.5

Oregon .................................... 23 6.2 9 2.5 60 16.4 76 20.7 127 34.5

Pennsylvania .......................... 61 8.3 51 6.9 220 29.9 214 29.1 197 26.8

Rhode Island .......................... 7 9.8 1 1.3 21 29.2 21 29.0 19 26.1

South Carolina ....................... 16 4.5 0 0.0 61 17.2 67 18.9 108 30.6

South Dakota .......................... 2 4.2 0 0.3 8 19.2 10 24.0 15 38.7

Tennessee ............................... 47 8.3 – – 108 19.2 134 23.8 156 27.7

Texas ...................................... 41 2.9 – – 273 19.4 261 18.6 558 39.7

Utah ........................................ 6 5.7 1 0.9 16 16.4 15 15.9 35 36.3

Vermont ................................. 5 12.5 3 6.9 11 25.4 16 37.3 12 29.7

Virgin Islands ......................... 1 7.1 1 13.6 0 0.3 2 21.4 3 37.9

Virginia .................................. 33 9.3 2 0.5 85 23.9 87 24.7 114 32.2

Washington ............................ 50 10.6 50 10.6 88 18.7 89 18.9 143 30.3

West Virginia ......................... 10 6.6 – – 50 33.4 39 25.8 41 26.9

Wisconsin ............................... 17 5.3 2 0.6 49 15.5 70 22.2 120 38.0

Wyoming ................................ 0 2.3 0 0.6 3 18.2 3 22.4 5 32.6

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a This does not include households receiving a noncash benefit or a noncountable cash benefit (e.g., households participating in Minnesota’s Family

Investment Program).

b Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

– No sample data in this category.

72
Table B.7. Average Values of Selected Countable Income Sources by State

State 

Average Countable Valuesa

TANFb GA SSI Social Security Earned Income

Total ...................................... 395 239 539 744 1,004

Alabama ................................. 197 136 500 746 1,043

Alaska .................................... 635 309 520 837 1,399

Arizona ................................... 251 – 573 771 1,136

Arkansas ................................. 162 132 526 733 1,001

California ............................... 527 243 – 705 769

Colorado ................................. 406 258 475 720 923

Connecticut ............................ 489 173 544 815 1,096

Delaware ................................ 346 151 514 834 1,190

District of Columbia .............. 403 301 600 653 961

Florida .................................... 230 182 524 705 923

Georgia ................................... 198 155 544 771 1,001

Guam ...................................... 193 134 174 718 1,305

Hawaii .................................... 562 378 526 696 1,076

Idaho ...................................... 309 50 506 714 1,034

Illinois .................................... 322 129 554 732 923

Indiana .................................... 233 85 522 769 978

Iowa ........................................ 319 426 491 718 859

Kansas .................................... 292 100 472 743 1,051

Kentucky ................................ 271 158 533 691 983

Louisiana ................................ 260 392 489 661 984

Maine ..................................... 445 11 461 763 1,212

Maryland ................................ 455 187 541 725 1,182

Massachusetts ........................ 485 293 581 770 1,311

Michigan ................................ 427 214 553 824 959

Minnesota ............................... 1 202 528 716 894

Mississippi ............................. 139 100 503 619 1,061

Missouri ................................. 255 83 487 731 1,069

Montana ................................. 445 349 456 706 1,094

Nebraska ................................ 308 147 476 765 1,059

Nevada ................................... 347 219 538 804 1,107

New Hampshire ..................... 519 179 517 810 1,209

New Jersey ............................. 349 177 564 737 1,097

New Mexico ........................... 372 218 486 700 995

New York ............................... 481 430 596 737 970

North Carolina ....................... 221 188 513 786 991

North Dakota .......................... 257 220 457 777 1,199

Ohio ........................................ 385 115 533 767 921

Oklahoma ............................... 211 38 508 689 997

Oregon .................................... 375 77 499 804 1,099

Pennsylvania .......................... 338 215 568 757 1,138

Rhode Island .......................... 404 233 545 801 1,048

South Carolina ....................... 215 215 526 756 918

South Dakota .......................... 398 211 498 761 1,063

Tennessee ............................... 171 – 508 739 983

Texas ...................................... 180 – 509 727 1,079

Utah ........................................ 463 261 495 692 1,030

Vermont ................................. 546 178 505 829 1,363

Virgin Islands ......................... 334 199 845 673 1,044

Virginia .................................. 262 110 528 685 890

Washington ............................ 451 216 537 809 1,229

West Virginia ......................... 323 – 579 709 1,023

Wisconsin ............................... 491 475 635 845 1,178

Wyoming ................................ 376 166 440 681 1,053

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Average values are over households with income source.

b This does not include households receiving a noncash benefit or a noncountable cash benefit (e.g., households participating in

Minnesota’s Family Investment Program).

– No sample data in this category.

73
Table B.8. Distribution of Participating Households by Earnings-Related Characteristics and by State

State 

Households with Earnings Average Earned Income Deduction

(Dollars)

Number

(000)

Percent Average Earnings

(Dollars) All Householdsa Households with

Deduction

Total ...................................... 5,498 29.9 1,004 62 201

Alabama ................................. 102 30.0 1,043 63 208

Alaska .................................... 9 30.0 1,399 84 279

Arizona ................................... 148 34.5 1,136 78 227

Arkansas ................................. 57 29.9 1,001 60 200

California ............................... 476 34.6 769 53 153

Colorado ................................. 58 32.7 923 60 184

Connecticut ............................ 41 23.2 1,096 51 219

Delaware ................................ 16 32.4 1,190 77 238

District of Columbia .............. 7 10.1 961 19 192

Florida .................................... 325 23.8 923 47 184

Georgia ................................... 206 30.5 1,001 61 200

Guam ...................................... 5 43.5 1,305 113 261

Hawaii .................................... 20 29.3 1,076 63 215

Idaho ...................................... 32 41.1 1,034 85 206

Illinois .................................... 205 26.6 923 49 184

Indiana .................................... 105 30.4 978 59 195

Iowa ........................................ 61 39.8 859 68 172

Kansas .................................... 42 34.9 1,051 73 210

Kentucky ................................ 76 21.9 983 45 196

Louisiana ................................ 117 33.8 984 69 196

Maine ..................................... 32 28.6 1,212 69 242

Maryland ................................ 72 27.9 1,182 66 236

Massachusetts ........................ 78 19.6 1,311 52 262

Michigan ................................ 288 33.5 959 64 191

Minnesota ............................... 60 29.0 894 57 217

Mississippi ............................. 70 28.3 1,061 68 212

Missouri ................................. 119 29.7 1,069 63 213

Montana ................................. 19 37.5 1,094 82 218

Nebraska ................................ 25 36.0 1,059 76 212

Nevada ................................... 35 27.6 1,107 61 221

New Hampshire ..................... 15 30.3 1,209 73 241

New Jersey ............................. 69 23.0 1,097 51 219

New Mexico ........................... 53 36.0 995 73 199

New York ............................... 356 25.0 970 62 194

North Carolina ....................... 179 29.7 991 61 198

North Dakota .......................... 11 41.4 1,199 99 242

Ohio ........................................ 188 25.3 921 47 185

Oklahoma ............................... 70 28.5 997 57 200

Oregon .................................... 127 34.5 1,099 76 220

Pennsylvania .......................... 197 26.8 1,138 63 227

Rhode Island .......................... 19 26.1 1,048 55 211

South Carolina ....................... 108 30.6 918 59 183

South Dakota .......................... 15 38.7 1,063 85 215

Tennessee ............................... 156 27.7 983 54 196

Texas ...................................... 558 39.7 1,079 87 215

Utah ........................................ 35 36.3 1,030 75 206

Vermont ................................. 12 29.7 1,363 81 272

Virgin Islands ......................... 3 37.9 1,044 79 209

Virginia .................................. 114 32.2 890 58 178

Washington ............................ 143 30.3 1,229 85 245

West Virginia ......................... 41 26.9 1,023 55 205

Wisconsin ............................... 120 38.0 1,178 89 237

Wyoming ................................ 5 32.6 1,053 68 210

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because the earnings deduction is not used in their benefit determinations, 646,462 SSI-CAP households are excluded from this column.

74
Table B.9. Distribution of Entrant Households with and without Expedited Service by State

State 

Total Entrant

Households

(000)

Entrant Households Eligible For

and Receiving Expedited Service

Entrant Households Eligible For

But Not Receiving Expedited

Service

Entrant Households Not Eligible

For Expedited Service

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totala ..................................... 799 391 49.0 53 6.6 355 44.4

Alabama ................................. 13 6 45.1 1 5.1 7 49.8

Alaska .................................... 2 1 53.8 0 6.7 1 39.4

Arizona ................................... 18 13 70.6 1 3.8 5 25.5

Arkansas ................................. 13 4 31.5 1 8.4 8 60.2

California ............................... 60 38 63.3 3 4.5 19 32.2

Colorado ................................. 10 7 65.6 1 11.1 2 23.3

Connecticut ............................ 8 4 44.5 1 8.2 4 47.3

Delaware ................................ 3 2 60.9 0 5.7 1 33.4

District of Columbia .............. 4 3 71.1 0 3.3 1 25.6

Florida .................................... 60 34 57.9 3 5.6 22 36.5

Georgia ................................... 2 – – 1 30.8 1 69.2

Guam ...................................... 0 0 32.6 0 5.7 0 61.8

Hawaii .................................... 3 1 47.6 0 10.3 1 42.2

Idaho ...................................... 5 3 47.4 0 1.6 3 51.1

Illinois .................................... 25 12 50.2 3 12.5 9 37.3

Indiana .................................... 14 7 50.2 1 8.6 6 41.2

Iowa ........................................ 7 3 34.1 1 7.6 4 58.3

Kansas .................................... 7 3 46.8 1 10.7 3 42.4

Kentucky ................................ 0 –––– 0 100.0

Louisiana ................................ 21 6 30.9 2 9.8 12 59.3

Maine ..................................... 3 2 50.1 0 6.0 1 43.9

Maryland ................................ 16 7 45.1 2 9.4 7 45.5

Massachusetts ........................ 16 7 43.0 0 2.6 8 54.4

Michigan ................................ 37 24 64.1 2 5.1 11 30.8

Minnesota ............................... 9 4 52.1 0 3.9 4 43.9

Mississippi ............................. 3 2 56.2 0 11.9 1 31.9

Missouri ................................. 20 10 48.6 0 1.8 10 49.5

Montana ................................. 2 2 71.8 0 5.8 1 22.4

Nebraska ................................ 4 1 37.5 1 17.7 2 44.9

Nevada ................................... 6 4 61.7 0 1.9 2 36.4

New Hampshire ..................... 3 2 57.5 0 1.5 1 41.1

New Jersey ............................. 11 6 52.2 – – 5 47.8

New Mexico ........................... 13 6 49.2 – – 7 50.8

New York ............................... 64 46 70.9 2 3.7 16 25.4

North Carolina ....................... 26 6 23.6 1 2.3 20 74.1

North Dakota .......................... 1 1 42.8 – – 1 57.2

Ohio ........................................ 29 14 48.3 2 8.1 12 43.6

Oklahoma ............................... 12 6 47.1 1 6.5 6 46.5

Oregon .................................... 17 5 31.4 0 2.2 11 66.4

Pennsylvania .......................... 22 11 49.4 2 9.7 9 40.9

Rhode Island .......................... 4 2 54.8 1 13.4 1 31.8

South Carolina ....................... 11 6 58.0 1 5.9 4 36.1

South Dakota .......................... 2 1 53.7 0 4.3 1 41.9

Tennessee ............................... 25 10 42.0 3 12.7 11 45.3

Texas ...................................... 107 35 32.6 10 9.4 62 58.0

Utah ........................................ 5 3 62.2 0 2.8 2 35.0

Vermont ................................. 2 0 21.7 0 22.7 1 55.6

Virgin Islands ......................... 0 0 18.8 – – 0 81.2

Virginia .................................. 14 6 44.1 1 7.9 7 48.1

Washington ............................ 20 10 52.7 1 6.0 8 41.3

West Virginia ......................... 6 3 46.6 0 2.3 3 51.0

Wisconsin ............................... 12 2 19.7 1 8.9 9 71.3

Wyoming ................................ 1 1 44.0 0 2.7 1 53.3

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

– No sample data in this category.

75
Table B.10. Distribution of Participating Households by Race/Hispanic Status of Household Head and by State

State 

Race/Hispanic Statusa of Household Head

White,

not Hispanic

African American,

not Hispanic

Hispanic,

Any Race

Other,

not Hispanicb

Missing/Unknownc

 

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totald ..................................... 6,555 35.7 4,038 22.0 1,833 10.0 1,153 6.3 4,790 26.1

Alabama ................................. 122 36.1 164 48.5 2 0.6 3 0.8 48 14.1

Alaska .................................... 14 45.2 2 6.1 0 1.4 13 44.2 1 3.2

Arizona ................................... 163 38.0 33 7.6 129 30.2 54 12.6 50 11.6

Arkansas ................................. 105 54.9 63 32.7 3 1.5 1 0.7 19 10.2

California ............................... 275 20.0 205 14.9 412 29.9 83 6.0 402 29.2

Colorado ................................. 26 14.6 7 3.9 13 7.2 4 2.3 127 72.0

Connecticut ............................ 70 40.1 48 27.2 46 26.1 3 1.7 9 5.0

Delaware ................................ 5 9.7 4 8.3 0 0.3 – – 41 81.7

District of Columbia .............. 0 0.5 5 8.3 0 0.3 2 3.1 57 87.8

Florida .................................... – – 12 0.9 – – 334 24.5 1,018 74.6

Georgia ................................... 238 35.3 377 55.8 16 2.3 8 1.1 37 5.5

Guam ...................................... –––––– 9 78.0 2 22.0

Hawaii .................................... 16 23.0 1 2.2 1 1.9 44 63.9 6 9.0

Idaho ...................................... 63 81.4 1 1.2 6 7.9 1 1.7 6 7.8

Illinois .................................... 64 8.3 127 16.5 8 1.1 81 10.6 490 63.6

Indiana .................................... 231 67.0 80 23.2 13 3.8 4 1.3 16 4.7

Iowa ........................................ 86 55.9 14 8.8 3 1.9 2 1.6 49 31.8

Kansas .................................... 80 66.5 20 16.8 7 6.1 3 2.8 9 7.8

Kentucky ................................ 276 79.7 59 16.9 1 0.3 3 0.7 8 2.4

Louisiana ................................ 115 33.4 206 59.7 2 0.7 5 1.5 16 4.8

Maine ..................................... 109 96.1 2 1.4 0 0.3 1 1.2 1 1.0

Maryland ................................ 61 23.6 114 43.9 4 1.4 5 2.1 75 28.9

Massachusetts ........................ 214 53.6 65 16.3 54 13.5 22 5.6 44 11.0

Michigan ................................ 362 42.1 240 27.9 12 1.4 26 3.0 220 25.5

Minnesota ............................... 113 54.6 48 23.2 7 3.6 25 11.9 14 6.7

Mississippi ............................. 70 28.4 156 63.6 1 0.4 2 0.7 17 7.0

Missouri ................................. 244 61.1 123 30.8 2 0.4 5 1.3 25 6.3

Montana ................................. 28 56.1 3 5.4 0 0.7 7 14.6 12 23.2

Nebraska ................................ 43 61.7 13 19.0 4 6.1 4 5.4 5 7.8

Nevada ................................... 61 48.5 26 21.1 18 14.7 7 5.9 12 9.8

New Hampshire ..................... 43 88.4 2 3.2 1 2.7 1 1.4 2 4.3

New Jersey ............................. 84 28.0 102 33.9 67 22.3 11 3.6 37 12.3

New Mexico ........................... 31 20.7 4 2.8 71 48.3 18 12.4 23 15.7

New York ............................... 447 31.3 391 27.4 363 25.4 112 7.8 114 8.0

North Carolina ....................... 263 43.6 278 46.0 8 1.3 20 3.2 35 5.7

North Dakota .......................... 18 68.6 1 3.5 0 0.9 6 24.1 1 2.9

Ohio ........................................ – – – – – – 25 3.4 719 96.6

Oklahoma ............................... 148 59.9 47 19.2 7 2.8 30 12.2 15 6.0

Oregon .................................... 274 74.3 18 4.8 6 1.7 19 5.2 52 14.0

Pennsylvania .......................... 432 58.8 199 27.0 65 8.9 17 2.4 22 3.0

Rhode Island .......................... – – 0 0.2 – – 18 24.6 54 75.2

South Carolina ....................... 128 36.3 172 48.8 37 10.5 4 1.1 12 3.3

South Dakota .......................... 21 53.3 2 4.0 0 1.0 15 36.4 2 5.4

Tennessee ............................... 281 49.9 121 21.5 2 0.4 7 1.2 152 27.1

Texas ...................................... 309 22.0 206 14.7 411 29.3 22 1.6 456 32.5

Utah ........................................ 66 67.2 4 4.5 8 8.2 7 6.9 13 13.2

Vermont ................................. 19 45.4 0 0.7 0 0.6 1 2.9 21 50.4

Virgin Islands ......................... 0 2.8 6 71.0 2 19.1 0 0.3 1 6.7

Virginia .................................. 157 44.4 165 46.7 8 2.3 9 2.5 15 4.1

Washington ............................ 225 47.8 29 6.2 8 1.6 34 7.2 175 37.2

West Virginia ......................... 139 92.6 9 6.0 0 0.1 0 0.3 2 1.0

Wisconsin ............................... 204 64.7 66 20.9 1 0.3 13 4.1 32 10.0

Wyoming ................................ 10 73.0 0 1.6 1 6.2 1 7.9 2 11.3

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a New codes to allow reporting of multiple races were implemented beginning in April 2007. We have grouped the new codes together to form general race and

ethnicity categories. Reporting of race and ethnicity is voluntary under the new format and was missing for 20 percent of participants in FY 2010. Because of these

changes, FY 2010 race and ethnicity distributions are not comparable to distributions for years prior to FY 2007.

b Other includes household heads that are Asian, Native American, or who reported multiple races that do not fit into previous categories.

c Missing/Unknown includes household heads for which racial/ethnic information was not recorded on the application, is not available because the application was

not found, or is unknown, and households with no household head and no adult listed on the file.

d Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

– No sample data in this category.

76
Table B.11. Distribution of Participants by Age and by State

State 

Preschool-Age

Children

School-Age

Children

Total

Children

Nonelderly

Adults

Elderly

Adults

Nondisabled Adults

Age 18-49 in

Childless

Householdsb

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totala ..................................... 6,317 15.9 12,199 30.7 18,516 46.6 18,121 45.6 3,121 7.9 3,857 9.7

Alabama ................................. 132 16.7 245 31.2 377 47.9 364 46.3 45 5.8 60 7.7

Alaska .................................... 11 14.4 24 31.6 35 46.0 37 48.6 4 5.5 9 11.3

Arizona ................................... 169 17.1 322 32.4 491 49.4 447 45.0 55 5.5 107 10.8

Arkansas ................................. 74 16.4 132 29.1 206 45.5 219 48.4 27 6.0 45 10.0

California ............................... 655 20.4 1,314 41.0 1,968 61.4 1,179 36.8 59 1.8 329 10.3

Colorado ................................. 73 18.1 135 33.6 208 51.6 166 41.1 29 7.3 27 6.8

Connecticut ............................ 41 12.7 81 25.2 122 37.8 165 51.3 35 10.9 47 14.6

Delaware ................................ 21 18.6 35 30.9 55 49.5 50 44.8 6 5.5 9 8.4

District of Columbia .............. 17 14.5 29 24.7 45 39.3 63 54.4 7 6.4 21 18.3

Florida .................................... 364 14.1 726 28.1 1,090 42.1 1,192 46.1 305 11.8 326 12.6

Georgia ................................... 263 16.6 508 32.1 770 48.7 709 44.8 102 6.5 153 9.7

Guam ...................................... 7 20.5 15 41.0 22 61.5 12 33.7 2 4.7 2 4.2

Hawaii .................................... 20 14.5 36 26.7 56 41.2 65 47.5 15 11.3 15 11.1

Idaho ...................................... 35 18.2 60 31.3 94 49.5 87 45.4 10 5.2 15 8.0

Illinois .................................... 271 16.6 487 29.8 758 46.4 758 46.5 115 7.1 189 11.6

Indiana .................................... 138 17.1 241 29.9 379 47.0 381 47.2 47 5.8 68 8.4

Iowa ........................................ 53 15.8 88 26.2 141 42.1 177 52.7 17 5.2 41 12.3

Kansas .................................... 46 17.6 76 28.9 123 46.5 124 47.1 17 6.4 26 9.7

Kentucky ................................ 108 14.2 206 27.2 315 41.4 381 50.2 63 8.3 73 9.7

Louisiana ................................ 132 16.5 249 31.3 381 47.8 357 44.8 59 7.4 71 8.9

Maine ..................................... 28 12.2 59 25.8 87 38.0 120 52.6 21 9.4 23 10.1

Maryland ................................ 87 15.9 158 28.9 244 44.8 266 48.9 35 6.3 68 12.4

Massachusetts ........................ 94 12.8 198 26.9 292 39.7 343 46.6 101 13.7 62 8.4

Michigan ................................ 213 12.1 468 26.5 681 38.6 972 55.0 112 6.4 265 15.0

Minnesota ............................... 69 16.3 128 30.1 197 46.4 197 46.3 31 7.3 47 11.0

Mississippi ............................. 89 15.6 180 31.5 269 47.1 263 46.1 39 6.8 52 9.1

Missouri ................................. 150 16.9 262 29.5 411 46.4 414 46.7 61 6.9 83 9.3

Montana ................................. 19 16.7 29 26.0 48 42.7 57 51.4 7 5.9 11 10.2

Nebraska ................................ 32 20.2 48 29.9 80 50.0 71 44.6 9 5.4 12 7.3

Nevada ................................... 44 16.4 81 30.1 125 46.4 123 45.5 22 8.1 27 10.1

New Hampshire ..................... 14 14.1 29 28.3 44 42.4 53 51.1 7 6.5 8 7.9

New Jersey ............................. 96 15.6 196 31.9 291 47.5 252 41.1 70 11.4 50 8.1

New Mexico ........................... 66 18.9 108 30.9 174 49.8 155 44.3 21 5.9 26 7.5

New York ............................... 344 12.7 790 29.2 1,134 41.9 1,136 42.0 433 16.0 200 7.4

North Carolina ....................... 199 15.0 404 30.3 603 45.2 638 47.8 92 6.9 143 10.8

North Dakota .......................... 10 17.0 17 28.0 27 45.0 27 45.5 6 9.5 5 7.9

Ohio ........................................ 239 15.0 464 29.1 703 44.1 779 48.9 111 7.0 133 8.4

Oklahoma ............................... 95 16.7 169 29.6 264 46.3 268 47.1 38 6.6 53 9.4

Oregon .................................... 93 13.5 174 25.1 268 38.6 367 52.8 60 8.7 114 16.4

Pennsylvania .......................... 195 12.5 451 28.9 647 41.5 764 49.0 149 9.5 128 8.2

Rhode Island .......................... 20 14.3 36 26.6 56 41.0 66 48.4 14 10.6 13 9.7

South Carolina ....................... 116 14.8 238 30.4 354 45.2 374 47.7 56 7.1 92 11.8

South Dakota .......................... 17 17.8 28 29.8 45 47.6 43 45.7 6 6.6 9 9.0

Tennessee ............................... 167 13.9 342 28.4 509 42.3 602 50.0 93 7.7 143 11.9

Texas ...................................... 707 20.0 1,238 35.0 1,945 54.9 1,315 37.1 281 7.9 123 3.5

Utah ........................................ 48 19.7 83 34.2 131 53.9 104 42.9 8 3.3 21 8.7

Vermont ................................. 10 12.0 20 23.4 30 35.3 44 52.4 10 12.2 8 10.1

Virgin Islands ......................... 3 17.5 7 34.3 10 51.8 7 36.5 2 11.7 1 7.0

Virginia .................................. 119 15.6 225 29.6 344 45.3 354 46.6 62 8.1 65 8.5

Washington ............................ 143 15.1 253 26.7 396 41.8 480 50.6 72 7.6 139 14.6

West Virginia ......................... 42 12.6 87 26.1 128 38.7 175 53.0 28 8.3 29 8.9

Wisconsin ............................... 113 15.9 212 29.9 325 45.8 345 48.5 41 5.7 69 9.7

Wyoming ................................ 6 19.0 10 29.7 17 48.7 15 45.5 2 5.8 2 7.1

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

b These participants are subject to work requirements and a time limit. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allowed States to suspend

time limits on benefit receipts from April 2009 through September 2010 for those not meeting work requirements. 

77
Table B.12. Distribution of Participants by Citizenship Status and by State

State 

All Participants U. S. Born

Citizens

Naturalized

Citizens Refugees Other Noncitizens

Citizen Children

Living with a

Noncitizena

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ...................................... 39,759 100.0 37,039 100.0 1,177 100.0 311 100.0 1,232 100.0 3,545 100.0

Alabama ................................. 786 2.0 782 2.1 – – 2 0.7 2 0.1 17 0.5

Alaska .................................... 76 0.2 72 0.2 2 0.2 1 0.4 1 0.1 2 0.1

Arizona ................................... 994 2.5 910 2.5 22 1.9 15 4.9 46 3.7 156 4.4

Arkansas ................................. 452 1.1 450 1.2 1 0.1 – – 2 0.1 15 0.4

California ............................... 3,206 8.1 2,863 7.7 120 10.2 37 11.9 186 15.1 989 27.9

Colorado ................................. 403 1.0 380 1.0 8 0.7 5 1.5 10 0.8 48 1.4

Connecticut ............................ 321 0.8 303 0.8 10 0.8 1 0.2 7 0.6 10 0.3

Delaware ................................ 112 0.3 109 0.3 1 0.1 0 0.0 1 0.1 6 0.2

District of Columbia .............. 116 0.3 114 0.3 1 0.1 0 0.1 1 0.1 2 0.1

Florida .................................... 2,587 6.5 2,218 6.0 176 15.0 27 8.7 166 13.5 192 5.4

Georgia ................................... 1,581 4.0 1,533 4.1 15 1.3 14 4.3 20 1.6 78 2.2

Guam ...................................... 36 0.1 34 0.1 1 0.1 – – 1 0.1 7 0.2

Hawaii .................................... 136 0.3 122 0.3 8 0.7 0 0.0 6 0.5 9 0.3

Idaho ...................................... 191 0.5 181 0.5 3 0.2 4 1.4 3 0.3 15 0.4

Illinois .................................... 1,632 4.1 1,535 4.1 45 3.8 7 2.3 44 3.6 146 4.1

Indiana .................................... 806 2.0 788 2.1 4 0.3 8 2.7 6 0.5 27 0.8

Iowa ........................................ 335 0.8 327 0.9 4 0.3 3 1.1 1 0.1 9 0.2

Kansas .................................... 264 0.7 257 0.7 3 0.2 1 0.2 4 0.3 16 0.5

Kentucky ................................ 759 1.9 748 2.0 2 0.2 6 2.0 3 0.2 10 0.3

Louisiana ................................ 797 2.0 790 2.1 2 0.2 1 0.2 4 0.3 7 0.2

Maine ..................................... 228 0.6 221 0.6 2 0.2 1 0.5 4 0.3 3 0.1

Maryland ................................ 545 1.4 519 1.4 12 1.0 4 1.4 10 0.8 16 0.5

Massachusetts ........................ 736 1.9 637 1.7 61 5.2 2 0.8 36 2.9 43 1.2

Michigan ................................ 1,765 4.4 1,708 4.6 20 1.7 11 3.5 26 2.1 47 1.3

Minnesota ............................... 425 1.1 363 1.0 18 1.5 30 9.5 14 1.1 16 0.5

Mississippi ............................. 572 1.4 571 1.5 – – 1 0.2 0 0.0 3 0.1

Missouri ................................. 886 2.2 864 2.3 10 0.8 4 1.4 8 0.6 20 0.6

Montana ................................. 111 0.3 111 0.3 0 0.0 – – 0 0.0 0 0.0

Nebraska ................................ 160 0.4 154 0.4 2 0.1 2 0.6 2 0.1 10 0.3

Nevada ................................... 270 0.7 255 0.7 4 0.4 2 0.7 9 0.8 37 1.0

New Hampshire ..................... 103 0.3 99 0.3 1 0.1 1 0.4 2 0.1 2 0.0

New Jersey ............................. 614 1.5 522 1.4 46 3.9 3 1.1 42 3.4 70 2.0

New Mexico ........................... 350 0.9 328 0.9 7 0.6 1 0.2 15 1.2 46 1.3

New York ............................... 2,704 6.8 2,127 5.7 339 28.8 27 8.8 210 17.1 322 9.1

North Carolina ....................... 1,334 3.4 1,310 3.5 8 0.7 3 1.1 12 1.0 78 2.2

North Dakota .......................... 59 0.1 55 0.1 1 0.1 2 0.8 0 0.0 1 0.0

Ohio ........................................ 1,594 4.0 1,559 4.2 14 1.1 12 3.8 9 0.8 26 0.7

Oklahoma ............................... 570 1.4 562 1.5 3 0.3 1 0.4 3 0.3 21 0.6

Oregon .................................... 694 1.7 658 1.8 12 1.1 4 1.2 20 1.6 66 1.9

Pennsylvania .......................... 1,560 3.9 1,487 4.0 30 2.6 15 4.9 27 2.2 51 1.4

Rhode Island .......................... 136 0.3 119 0.3 8 0.7 1 0.4 8 0.6 12 0.3

South Carolina ....................... 783 2.0 780 2.1 1 0.1 1 0.4 2 0.1 20 0.6

South Dakota .......................... 95 0.2 92 0.2 1 0.1 1 0.3 1 0.0 2 0.1

Tennessee ............................... 1,204 3.0 1,191 3.2 3 0.2 3 1.1 7 0.5 39 1.1

Texas ...................................... 3,542 8.9 3,263 8.8 76 6.4 14 4.6 189 15.3 641 18.1

Utah ........................................ 243 0.6 230 0.6 4 0.3 6 2.0 3 0.3 30 0.9

Vermont ................................. 84 0.2 81 0.2 1 0.1 1 0.3 1 0.0 1 0.0

Virgin Islands ......................... 20 0.1 17 0.0 2 0.2 – – 1 0.1 2 0.1

Virginia .................................. 759 1.9 731 2.0 15 1.3 3 1.1 9 0.8 28 0.8

Washington ............................ 948 2.4 862 2.3 42 3.6 12 4.0 31 2.5 88 2.5

West Virginia ......................... 331 0.8 330 0.9 1 0.1 – – 0 0.0 0 0.0

Wisconsin ............................... 711 1.8 683 1.8 6 0.5 6 2.1 16 1.3 39 1.1

Wyoming ................................ 34 0.1 34 0.1 0 0.0 – – 0 0.0 1 0.0

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Noncitizens may be inside or outside the SNAP unit.

– No sample data in this category.

78
Table B.13. Distribution of Noncitizen Participants by Age and by State

State Total

(000)

Children Nonelderly Adults Elderly Adults

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Total ...................................... 1,543 280 18.1 936 60.7 328 21.2

Alabama ................................. 4 1 28.7 2 61.6 0 9.7

Alaska .................................... 2 1 41.9 1 51.6 0 6.4

Arizona ................................... 61 7 11.5 42 69.0 12 19.5

Arkansas ................................. 2 0 15.7 1 56.9 1 27.3

California ............................... 223 44 19.9 156 70.1 22 10.1

Colorado ................................. 15 3 23.0 7 50.8 4 26.1

Connecticut ............................ 8 1 16.4 4 49.5 3 34.1

Delaware ................................ 2 1 34.7 1 46.5 0 18.8

District of Columbia .............. 1 – – 1 62.2 0 37.8

Florida .................................... 193 30 15.5 110 56.9 53 27.6

Georgia ................................... 33 6 18.3 25 74.2 2 7.5

Guam ...................................... 1 0 3.1 0 51.2 0 45.7

Hawaii .................................... 6 1 17.4 3 46.8 2 35.8

Idaho ...................................... 8 3 35.3 4 58.0 1 6.7

Illinois .................................... 51 8 16.4 30 59.2 12 24.4

Indiana .................................... 15 5 34.1 7 49.2 2 16.7

Iowa ........................................ 5 1 19.9 3 68.7 1 11.4

Kansas .................................... 4 0 11.3 2 52.7 2 36.0

Kentucky ................................ 9 3 29.6 5 49.3 2 21.1

Louisiana ................................ 4 1 19.8 1 33.9 2 46.3

Maine ..................................... 5 3 48.7 2 35.9 1 15.4

Maryland ................................ 15 4 24.3 7 50.0 4 25.8

Massachusetts ........................ 39 8 21.7 19 49.6 11 28.7

Michigan ................................ 37 8 20.9 21 56.8 8 22.2

Minnesota ............................... 43 19 43.1 21 48.4 4 8.6

Mississippi ............................. 1 0 35.7 1 64.3 – –

Missouri ................................. 12 4 30.3 6 50.4 2 19.3

Montana ................................. 0 0 23.5 0 76.5 – –

Nebraska ................................ 4 0 13.0 3 76.5 0 10.5

Nevada ................................... 11 1 10.1 8 69.0 2 21.0

New Hampshire ..................... 3 1 17.3 2 77.3 0 5.3

New Jersey ............................. 46 10 22.4 24 53.2 11 24.3

New Mexico ........................... 16 2 9.9 11 71.8 3 18.3

New York ............................... 238 40 16.7 136 57.2 62 26.1

North Carolina ....................... 16 4 22.6 8 51.9 4 25.5

North Dakota .......................... 3 1 40.1 2 52.3 0 7.5

Ohio ........................................ 21 6 28.7 12 56.5 3 14.8

Oklahoma ............................... 5 1 18.6 3 64.6 1 16.7

Oregon .................................... 24 4 16.6 15 63.5 5 19.9

Pennsylvania .......................... 42 11 25.7 28 66.2 3 8.1

Rhode Island .......................... 9 2 26.2 5 59.9 1 13.9

South Carolina ....................... 3 1 21.2 2 57.1 1 21.7

South Dakota .......................... 2 1 32.8 1 67.2 – –

Tennessee ............................... 10 2 24.2 7 70.2 1 5.6

Texas ...................................... 203 11 5.3 132 65.3 60 29.4

Utah ........................................ 9 3 33.8 6 60.6 1 5.6

Vermont ................................. 1 0 17.5 1 55.9 0 26.7

Virgin Islands ......................... 1 0 10.0 1 60.8 0 29.2

Virginia .................................. 13 4 28.4 7 52.7 2 18.9

Washington ............................ 43 7 16.7 24 55.3 12 27.9

West Virginia ......................... 0 – – 0 70.5 0 29.5

Wisconsin ............................... 23 7 29.5 14 61.7 2 8.8

Wyoming ................................ 0 – – 0 100.0 – –

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

– No sample data in this category.

79
Table B.14. Distribution of Participating Households by Use of Standard Utility Allowance and by State

State Number

(000)

Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) - Usage and Entitlementa

Households with

Heating/Cooling SUA

Households with Another

SUA 

Households with No SUA 

 

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totalb ..................................... 18,369 11,651 63.4 1,259 6.9 4,940 26.9

Alabama ................................. 338 228 67.3 7 2.0 104 30.7

Alaska .................................... 30 11 37.9 10 33.0 9 29.1

Arizona ................................... 428 230 53.8 25 5.7 172 40.2

Arkansas ................................. 191 114 59.8 5 2.7 72 37.5

California ............................... 1,377 740 53.7 74 5.4 563 40.9

Colorado ................................. 176 110 62.6 20 11.2 46 26.2

Connecticut ............................ 175 143 81.5 1 0.5 32 18.1

Delaware ................................ 50 31 61.9 3 5.8 16 32.3

District of Columbia .............. 65 27 42.1 3 4.1 35 53.8

Florida .................................... 1,365 705 51.7 159 11.6 501 36.7

Georgia ................................... 675 433 64.1 21 3.1 221 32.8

Guam ...................................... 11 – – 6 49.8 6 50.2

Hawaii .................................... 68 0 0.2 29 42.1 40 57.7

Idaho ...................................... 77 55 71.7 4 5.6 18 22.8

Illinois .................................... 770 383 49.8 79 10.2 308 40.0

Indiana .................................... 345 201 58.4 13 3.9 130 37.7

Iowa ........................................ 154 105 68.0 19 12.2 31 19.8

Kansas .................................... 121 83 69.2 8 6.4 29 24.4

Kentucky ................................ 347 227 65.4 8 2.3 96 27.7

Louisiana ................................ 344 220 64.0 16 4.6 97 28.0

Maine ..................................... 113 79 69.6 13 11.7 21 18.7

Maryland ................................ 258 121 46.7 34 13.2 103 40.0

Massachusetts ........................ 400 294 73.5 57 14.3 49 12.2

Michigan ................................ 859 695 80.9 41 4.7 120 14.0

Minnesota ............................... 208 80 38.7 34 16.2 60 28.9

Mississippi ............................. 246 140 57.0 2 0.9 74 30.2

Missouri ................................. 400 260 65.0 15 3.8 125 31.2

Montana ................................. 50 31 60.9 3 6.9 16 32.2

Nebraska ................................ 69 47 67.4 6 8.0 17 24.7

Nevada ................................... 125 74 59.4 4 2.8 47 37.8

New Hampshire ..................... 49 38 77.6 8 15.6 3 6.8

New Jersey ............................. 300 297 99.0 1 0.5 – –

New Mexico ........................... 148 95 64.2 8 5.6 42 28.2

New York ............................... 1,428 958 67.1 122 8.5 27 1.9

North Carolina ....................... 603 386 63.9 19 3.2 175 29.1

North Dakota .......................... 27 20 73.0 2 8.2 5 18.8

Ohio ........................................ 744 476 63.9 37 5.0 232 31.1

Oklahoma ............................... 247 166 67.0 14 5.5 68 27.5

Oregon .................................... 369 268 72.5 8 2.2 93 25.2

Pennsylvania .......................... 735 507 68.9 65 8.8 141 19.2

Rhode Island .......................... 72 72 100.0 ––––

South Carolina ....................... 353 182 51.6 2 0.7 148 41.9

South Dakota .......................... 40 26 64.9 2 5.3 10 25.8

Tennessee ............................... 562 313 55.6 18 3.1 232 41.3

Texas ...................................... 1,405 870 61.9 125 8.9 383 27.2

Utah ........................................ 97 53 54.3 5 5.1 39 40.5

Vermont ................................. 42 31 74.9 5 13.0 5 12.1

Virgin Islands ......................... 8 – – 0 2.9 8 97.1

Virginia .................................. 353 188 53.1 31 8.8 130 36.9

Washington ............................ 471 407 86.6 61 13.0 2 0.4

West Virginia ......................... 151 109 72.5 6 3.9 36 23.7

Wisconsin ............................... 315 314 99.5 2 0.5 – –

Wyoming ................................ 14 9 65.1 0 2.5 5 32.4

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Because this deduction is not used in their benefit determinations, 33,550 MFIP households and 484,695 SSI-CAP households in

States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this category.

b Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

– No sample data in this category.

80
Table B.15. Distribution of Participating Categorically Eligible Households by Public Assistance Status and by

State

State 

Total SNAP

Households

(000)

Categorically Eligible Households

Total Households Pure Cash PA Householdsa Other Categorically Eligible

Households

Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent Number

(000)

Percent

Totalb ................................. 18,369 13,824 75.3 4,403 24.0 9,421 51.3

Alabama ............................. 338 252 74.7 64 18.9 188 55.7

Alaska ................................ 30 9 28.1 7 24.3 1 3.8

Arizona ............................... 428 428 100.0 51 11.9 377 88.1

Arkansas ............................. 191 36 18.8 33 17.1 3 1.7

California ........................... 1,377 1,048 76.1 491 35.7 557 40.4

Colorado ............................. 176 44 25.2 35 19.9 9 5.3

Connecticut ........................ 175 174 99.7 51 29.0 124 70.7

Delaware ............................ 50 50 100.0 12 23.4 39 76.6

District of Columbia .......... 65 45 69.2 20 31.5 24 37.7

Florida ................................ 1,365 583 42.7 275 20.1 309 22.6

Georgia ............................... 675 675 100.0 81 12.0 594 88.0

Guam .................................. 11 11 100.0 2 17.9 9 82.1

Hawaii ................................ 68 23 34.0 21 30.2 3 3.8

Idaho .................................. 77 77 100.0 11 14.0 66 86.0

Illinois ................................ 770 522 67.8 137 17.8 385 50.0

Indiana ................................ 345 73 21.2 69 20.1 4 1.1

Iowa .................................... 154 36 23.1 33 21.6 2 1.5

Kansas ................................ 121 31 25.5 28 22.8 3 2.7

Kentucky ............................ 347 183 52.8 88 25.4 95 27.4

Louisiana ............................ 344 161 46.9 61 17.7 101 29.2

Maine ................................. 113 76 66.6 31 27.3 45 39.3

Maryland ............................ 258 179 69.2 67 26.0 111 43.1

Massachusetts .................... 400 399 99.9 165 41.3 234 58.6

Michigan ............................ 859 859 100.0 174 20.2 686 79.8

Minnesota ........................... 208 208 100.0 94 45.3 114 54.7

Mississippi ......................... 246 124 50.4 59 24.1 65 26.3

Missouri ............................. 400 112 28.0 82 20.5 30 7.5

Montana ............................. 50 50 100.0 9 18.4 41 81.6

Nebraska ............................ 69 19 28.0 17 23.9 3 4.1

Nevada ............................... 125 125 100.0 22 17.4 103 82.6

New Hampshire ................. 49 33 67.0 13 27.1 19 39.9

New Jersey ......................... 300 226 75.4 123 41.0 103 34.4

New Mexico ....................... 148 101 68.1 44 30.0 56 38.0

New York ........................... 1,428 1,428 100.0 557 39.0 871 61.0

North Carolina ................... 603 231 38.3 83 13.8 148 24.5

North Dakota ...................... 27 27 100.0 5 17.0 22 83.0

Ohio .................................... 744 744 100.0 194 26.1 550 73.9

Oklahoma ........................... 247 247 100.0 49 19.9 198 80.1

Oregon ................................ 369 369 100.0 71 19.3 298 80.7

Pennsylvania ...................... 735 735 100.0 245 33.3 490 66.7

Rhode Island ...................... 72 72 99.9 22 30.1 50 69.8

South Carolina ................... 353 353 100.0 48 13.6 305 86.4

South Dakota ...................... 40 10 24.8 6 15.7 4 9.1

Tennessee ........................... 562 127 22.5 113 20.0 14 2.5

Texas .................................. 1,405 1,405 100.0 200 14.3 1,205 85.7

Utah .................................... 97 23 23.8 17 17.6 6 6.3

Vermont ............................. 42 42 100.0 12 28.5 30 71.5

Virgin Islands ..................... 8 8 100.0 1 17.6 7 82.4

Virginia .............................. 353 91 25.7 84 23.8 7 1.9

Washington ........................ 471 471 100.0 139 29.6 331 70.4

West Virginia ..................... 151 151 100.0 41 27.3 109 72.7

Wisconsin ........................... 315 315 100.0 43 13.6 272 86.4

Wyoming ............................ 14 2 16.5 2 14.9 0 1.5

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Pure cash PA households are those in which every member 1) received SSI income, or 2) was covered by a cash TANF benefit,

or 3) received either SSI income, GA income, or was covered by a cash TANF benefit.

b Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

81
Table B.16. Distribution of Participating Households by Poverty Status and by State, and Effect of SNAP Benefits on the Poverty Status of

SNAP Households

State 

Total SNAP

Households

(000)

Distribution of Households in Relation to Poverty Guidelinea

Based on Cash Only Based on Cash and SNAP Benefits Difference in Percentage Points

50 Percent or

Less

51 Percent to

100 Percent

101 Percent

or More

50 Percent or

Less

51 Percent to

100 Percent

101 Percent

or More

50 Percent or

Less

51 Percent to

100 Percent

101 Percent

or More

Totalb ................. 18,369 43.2 42.1 14.7 27.1 45.2 27.7 -16.1 3.1 13.0

Alabama ............. 338 41.7 46.7 11.6 29.5 48.8 21.7 -12.2 2.1 10.1

Alaska ................ 30 43.2 43.7 13.1 27.5 40.1 32.5 -15.8 -3.6 19.4

Arizona ............... 428 49.6 33.1 17.3 35.4 37.1 27.4 -14.1 4.0 10.1

Arkansas ............. 191 41.7 47.3 11.0 27.8 52.2 20.0 -13.9 4.9 9.0

California ........... 1,377 67.2 27.0 5.8 31.4 55.5 13.0 -35.8 28.5 7.3

Colorado ............. 176 46.4 41.6 12.0 29.6 46.2 24.2 -16.8 4.6 12.2

Connecticut ........ 175 38.0 40.1 21.9 23.8 36.8 39.4 -14.3 -3.2 17.5

Delaware ............ 50 42.1 34.6 23.3 26.2 40.9 32.9 -15.9 6.3 9.6

District of

Columbia ............ 65 62.5 29.5 8.0 40.5 48.1 11.5 -22.0 18.6 3.4

Florida ................ 1,365 46.6 43.5 9.9 33.4 46.0 20.6 -13.2 2.5 10.7

Georgia ............... 675 49.0 38.1 12.8 34.3 43.5 22.2 -14.7 5.4 9.4

Guam .................. 11 57.6 30.1 12.3 17.3 44.8 37.8 -40.3 14.8 25.6

Hawaii ................ 68 45.2 45.5 9.3 21.4 53.1 25.5 -23.8 7.6 16.2

Idaho .................. 77 39.0 47.6 13.4 25.6 44.6 29.8 -13.4 -2.9 16.3

Illinois ................ 770 49.9 40.8 9.3 35.5 44.5 19.9 -14.4 3.7 10.6

Indiana ................ 345 44.2 40.7 15.1 29.8 45.0 25.2 -14.3 4.3 10.0

Iowa .................... 154 40.0 43.8 16.1 23.4 47.5 29.1 -16.6 3.7 13.0

Kansas ................ 121 38.5 45.4 16.1 24.5 47.2 28.2 -13.9 1.8 12.1

Kentucky ............ 347 42.2 49.9 8.0 28.0 56.4 15.6 -14.1 6.5 7.6

Louisiana ............ 344 40.9 48.0 11.1 27.9 50.4 21.7 -13.1 2.4 10.6

Maine ................. 113 31.9 44.1 24.0 20.0 39.1 40.9 -12.0 -5.0 16.9

Maryland ............ 258 47.9 36.7 15.4 32.7 41.4 25.9 -15.2 4.8 10.5

Massachusetts .... 400 27.6 49.2 23.2 12.9 40.8 46.3 -14.6 -8.4 23.0

Michigan ............ 859 40.8 37.3 21.9 26.0 36.6 37.4 -14.8 -0.7 15.5

Minnesota ........... 208 43.1 42.8 14.1 34.3 43.2 22.5 -8.8 0.4 8.4

Mississippi ......... 246 40.5 50.1 9.4 26.4 54.8 18.8 -14.1 4.7 9.4

Missouri ............. 400 41.4 43.9 14.7 26.7 48.7 24.6 -14.7 4.8 9.9

Montana ............. 50 38.5 43.1 18.4 25.4 41.8 32.7 -13.0 -1.3 14.3

Nebraska ............ 69 37.2 44.8 18.0 21.7 48.3 29.9 -15.5 3.5 11.9

Nevada ............... 125 42.5 37.5 20.0 28.3 41.6 30.1 -14.2 4.1 10.1

New Hampshire 49 24.8 48.6 26.6 12.4 43.8 43.8 -12.4 -4.9 17.2

New Jersey ......... 300 38.1 46.4 15.5 20.5 49.0 30.5 -17.6 2.6 15.0

New Mexico ....... 148 44.8 42.6 12.7 23.7 54.2 22.1 -21.1 11.6 9.5

New York ........... 1,428 28.6 53.2 18.2 13.1 35.2 51.7 -15.5 -18.0 33.5

North Carolina ... 603 45.4 41.8 12.9 31.0 47.5 21.5 -14.4 5.8 8.6

North Dakota ...... 27 33.3 40.0 26.7 20.8 37.3 41.9 -12.5 -2.8 15.2

Ohio .................... 744 42.0 44.3 13.7 25.7 47.7 26.6 -16.3 3.4 12.9

Oklahoma ........... 247 43.5 46.4 10.1 30.7 49.4 19.9 -12.7 3.0 9.8

Oregon ................ 369 38.4 40.0 21.6 26.7 40.5 32.7 -11.6 0.5 11.1

Pennsylvania ...... 735 29.2 49.5 21.2 17.5 48.2 34.3 -11.7 -1.4 13.1

Rhode Island ...... 72 30.4 49.4 20.2 16.5 38.2 45.3 -13.9 -11.2 25.1

South Carolina ... 353 48.5 41.7 9.8 32.9 47.5 19.6 -15.6 5.8 9.8

South Dakota ...... 40 40.5 39.4 20.1 25.9 40.7 33.4 -14.6 1.3 13.4

Tennessee ........... 562 45.0 43.6 11.5 33.6 44.4 22.0 -11.4 0.8 10.6

Texas .................. 1,405 45.5 38.3 16.2 29.6 43.8 26.6 -16.0 5.6 10.4

Utah .................... 97 46.8 41.8 11.4 29.9 48.7 21.4 -16.8 6.9 10.0

Vermont ............. 42 25.3 40.2 34.4 15.3 24.4 60.4 -10.1 -15.9 26.0

Virgin Islands ..... 8 57.8 29.5 12.7 23.9 49.4 26.7 -33.9 19.9 14.0

Virginia .............. 353 44.0 43.9 12.1 28.8 49.6 21.6 -15.2 5.7 9.5

Washington ........ 471 39.3 39.2 21.5 19.9 47.0 33.1 -19.4 7.8 11.6

West Virginia ..... 151 34.3 50.1 15.6 20.2 55.5 24.3 -14.1 5.4 8.7

Wisconsin ........... 315 32.4 39.0 28.6 21.8 31.8 46.5 -10.6 -7.2 17.8

Wyoming ............ 14 40.5 48.4 11.1 27.5 47.5 25.0 -13.0 -0.9 13.9

 Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

a Defined as the fiscal year 2010 SNAP net income screen (see Appendix C).

b Due to rounding, the sum of individual categories may not match the table total.

82
APPENDIX C

FISCAL YEAR 2010 SNAP PARAMETERS
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85

Table C.1. Fiscal Year 2009 HHS Poverty Income Guidelinesa

Household Size

Contiguous

United States,

Guam, and the

Virgin Islands Alaska Hawaii

1 $10,830 $13,530 $12,460

2 14,570 18,210 16,760

3 18,310 22,890 21,060

4 22,050 27,570 25,360

5 25,790 32,250 29,660

6 29,530 36,930 33,960

7 33,270 41,610 38,260

8 37,010 46,290 42,560

Each Additional Member +3,740 +4,680 +4,300

Source: 74 Federal Register 14, January 23, 2009.

a HHS issued these numbers, which provide the basis for the fiscal year 2010 SNAP 

gross and net monthly income eligibility standards. The Bureau of the Census 

establishes different poverty thresholds that are used primarily for statistical 

purposes.
86

Table C.2. SNAP Maximum Allowable Gross Monthly Income Eligibility 

Standards in Fiscal Year 2010a

Household Size

Contiguous

United States, 

Guam, and the 

Virgin Islands Alaska Hawaii

1 $1,174 $1,466 $1,350

2 1,579 1,973 1,816

3 1,984 2,480 2,282

4 2,389 2,987 2,748

5 2,794 3,494 3,214

6 3,200 4,001 3,679

7 3,605 4,508 4,145

8 4,010 5,015 4,611

Each Additional Member +406 +507 +466

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

a The fiscal year 2010 SNAP gross monthly income limits were based on the 

2009 poverty guidelines issued by HHS (see Table C.1). FNS derived the fiscal 

year 2010 gross income limits by multiplying the 2009 poverty guidelines by 

130 percent, dividing the results by 12 and then rounding up to the nearest 

dollar. The 2009 poverty guidelines were developed on the basis of the 2008

Census poverty thresholds; therefore, the gross income limits applied to SNAP 

households in fiscal year 2010 were based on 2008 poverty measures. 
87

Table C.3. SNAP Maximum Allowable Net Monthly Income Eligibility 

Standards in Fiscal Year 2010a

Household Size

Contiguous

United States, 

Guam, and the

Virgin Islands Alaska Hawaii

1 $903 $1,128 $1,039

2 1,215 1,518 1,397

3 1,526 1,908 1,755

4 1,838 2,298 2,114

5 2,150 2,688 2,472

6 2,461 3,078 2,830

7 2,773 3,468 3,189

8 3,085 3,858 3,547

Each Additional Member +312 +390 +359

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

a The fiscal year 2010 SNAP net monthly income limits were based on the 

2009 poverty guidelines issued by HHS (see Table C.1). FNS derived the fiscal 

year 2010 net income limits by dividing the 2009 poverty guidelines by 12 

and rounding up to the nearest dollar. The 2009 poverty guidelines were 

developed on the basis of the 2008 Census poverty thresholds; accordingly, 

the net income limits applied to SNAP households in fiscal year 2010 were 

based on 2008 poverty measures.
88

Table C.4. Value of Standard, Maximum Dependent-Care, and Excess Shelter Expense Deductions in 

the Contiguous United States and Outlying Areas in Fiscal Year 2010

Deduction

Contiguous

United States Alaska Hawaii Guam

Virgin 

Islands

Standard Deduction

1 2 people $141 $241 $198 $283 $124

3 people 141 241 198 283 127

4 people 153 241 198 305 153

5 people 179 241 205 357 179

6 or more people 205 256 235 409 205

Maximum Excess 

Shelter Expense 

Deduction

459 733 618 538 361

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Notes: The Homeless Household Shelter Estimate was $143.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (PL 110-246) eliminated the Maximum 

Dependent Care Deduction.

Certain State-specific programs did not apply all federal SNAP deductions in the benefit 

calculation. Only the earnings deduction was used in the benefit calculation for MFIP

households. No deductions were used for SSI-CAP households with standardized benefits. 

States with non-standardized SSI-CAP benefits used the standard deduction and the excess 

shelter deduction when calculating benefit levels for SSI-CAP households.
89

Table C.5. Value of Maximum Monthly SNAP Benefit in the Contiguous United States and Outlying 

Areas in Fiscal Year 2010a, b

Household

Size

Contiguous

United 

States

Alaska 

Urban

Alaska 

Rural I

Alaska 

Rural II Hawaii Guam

Virgin 

Islands

1 $200 $239 $304 $371 $314 $295 $257

2 367 438 559 680 575 541 472

3 526 627 800 974 824 775 676

4 668 797 1,016 1,237 1,046 985 859

5 793 946 1,207 1,469 1,243 1,169 1,020

6 952 1,135 1,448 1,762 1,491 1,403 1,224

7 1,052 1,255 1,600 1,948 1,648 1,551 1,353

8 1,202 1,434 1,829 2,226 1,884 1,773 1,546

Each Additional 

Member +150 +179 +229 +278 +236 +222 +193

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

a The maximum benefit values were effective from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010, and were 

based on 113.6 percent of the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in June 2008 for a reference family of four, 

rounded to the lowest dollar increment.

b 

accessible to food distributors. Therefore, the value of the maximum benefit was adjusted to account for 

differences in the estimated cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in various regions of the State. For this purpose, 

all regions of Alaska were classified as Rural I, Rural II, or Urban. 
90

Table C.6. Value of Minimum Monthly SNAP Benefit in the Contiguous United States and Outlying 

Areas in Fiscal Year 2010a, b

Household 

Size

Contiguous 

United 

States

Alaska 

Urban

Alaska 

Rural I

Alaska 

Rural II Hawaii Guam

Virgin 

Islands

1 2 $16 $19 $24 $30 $25 $24 $21

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

a The minimum benefit values were effective from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010.

b The minimum benefit, applicable to one- and two-person households, is equal to 8 percent of the 

maximum benefit for single-person households.
APPENDIX D

SOURCE AND RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES
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93

SOURCE AND RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES

The estimates in this report are derived from a sample of households selected for review as part 

of the SNAP Quality Control System (SNAP QC), an ongoing review of SNAP household 

circumstances. The system is designed to determine (1) if households are eligible for participation in 

SNAP and are receiving the correct benefit amount or (2) if household participation is correctly 

denied or terminated. It is based on State samples (from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 

Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) of approximately 60,000 participating SNAP households and a 

somewhat smaller number of denials and terminations. The State samples of participating units are 

stratified by month. Annual required State samples range from a minimum of 300 to 2,400 reviews, 

depending on the size of the State’s caseload. Each month, State agencies select an independent 

sample that is generally proportional to the size of the monthly participating caseload. 

Target Universe

The target universe of this study is all participating households (active cases) subject to quality 

control review in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.1

While most participating SNAP households are included in the target universe, certain types of 

households not subject to review are excluded. Specifically, the universe includes all households 

receiving SNAP benefits during the review period except those in which participants (1) died or 

moved outside the State; (2) received benefits through a disaster certification authorized by FNS; (3) 

were under investigation for SNAP fraud (including those with pending fraud hearings) and/or were 

appealing a notice of adverse action; or (4) received restored benefits in accordance with the State 

manual but were otherwise ineligible. The sampling unit within the universe each month is the active 

SNAP household as specified in FNS regulations.

Data Editing

The estimates in this report are derived from the fiscal year 2010 SNAP QC datafile, an edited 

version of the raw datafile generated by the Quality Control System. The raw fiscal year 2010 data 

are made up of monthly samples from October 2009 through September 2010. 

Households with an incomplete Quality Control review or who were found ineligible for SNAP 

benefits were dropped from the edited datafile. Of the 59,870 sample cases in the raw datafile, 2,660

were determined not subject to review. The Quality Control System did not deselect any cases to 

correct for oversampling (see Table D.1). Of those cases subject to review, 3,987 did not undergo a 

complete review because the household failed to cooperate, could not be located, or all members 

had died or moved. An additional 829 households were found either ineligible for SNAP or eligible 

for SNAP but ineligible for a positive benefit and thus were dropped from the data file because data 

on their characteristics are not collected. An additional 105 households were dropped from the file 

due to internal inconsistencies that could not be resolved, as discussed below. The final unweighted 

number of households in the final fiscal year 2010 SNAP QC file is 52,289. Table D.2 shows the 

distribution of these unweighted households by State.

 

1 Participating households in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been included in the target universe since 

fiscal year 1993. Before that year, the universe excluded households in those areas.
94

Table D.1. Number of Cases Sampled, Dropped from the Edited File, and 

Included in the Edited File, Fiscal Year 2010

Fiscal Year 2010

SNAP QC Sample

Number of cases sampled 59,870

Cases not subject to review 2,660

Cases deselected to correct for oversampling 0

Cases subject to review 57,210

Incomplete cases 3,987

Cases completed 53,223

Households not eligible for a positive 

benefit 38

Households not eligible for SNAP 791

Households eligible for a positive benefit 52,394

Households dropped due to 

inconsistencies 105

Households on the final file 52,289

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

Failure to complete reviews for all cases subject to review may bias the sample results if the 

characteristics of unreviewed households differ significantly from those of reviewed households. In 

the absence of direct measures of such differences, the ratio of completed reviews to total cases 

subject to review provides an indication of the magnitude of any potential bias. For fiscal year 2010, 

the completion rate is 93 percent, similar to the rate for fiscal year 2009. 

Consistent measures of unit size, income, and benefit level are important to any analysis of 

SNAP households. Inconsistencies may occur in the initial case record information, the transcription 

and data entry process, or the extraction of SNAP information for the selected months. 

To obtain the highest degree of consistency between related variables in the data, while 

maintaining the database’s integrity, the reported raw data are edited as described in the Technical 

Documentation for the Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC Database and QC Minimodel. For instance, in most 

cases, a household’s net countable income should always equal the household’s gross countable 

income minus the total deductions for which the household is eligible, and the SNAP benefit level 

should always equal the household’s maximum benefit minus 30 percent of the household’s net 

countable income. Exceptions are households participating in the MFIP or the SSI-CAP programs 

in States with standardized benefit amounts. The households are subject to different eligibility and 

benefit determination rules such that their data have been edited accordingly.

Although most inconsistencies in these basic relationships were resolved in the editing process, 

the measures could not be reconciled for 105 records in the raw datafile. These 105 records were 

therefore dropped from the edited datafile.
Table D.2. Unweighted Distribution of

Participating Households by State

State 

SNAP Households

Number Percent

Total ...................................... 52,289 100.0

Alabama ................................. 1,001 1.9

Alaska .................................... 522 1.0

Arizona ................................... 1,120 2.1

Arkansas ................................. 1,392 2.7

California ............................... 973 1.9

Colorado ................................. 1,027 2.0

Connecticut ............................ 1,077 2.1

Delaware ................................ 843 1.6

District of Columbia .............. 968 1.9

Florida .................................... 1,115 2.1

Georgia ................................... 1,040 2.0

Guam ...................................... 388 0.7

Hawaii .................................... 1,050 2.0

Idaho ...................................... 1,056 2.0

Illinois .................................... 1,065 2.0

Indiana .................................... 1,136 2.2

Iowa ........................................ 870 1.7

Kansas .................................... 1,196 2.3

Kentucky ................................ 1,349 2.6

Louisiana ................................ 1,197 2.3

Maine ..................................... 1,082 2.1

Maryland ................................ 944 1.8

Massachusetts ........................ 948 1.8

Michigan ................................ 974 1.9

Minnesota ............................... 1,019 1.9

Mississippi ............................. 1,242 2.4

Missouri ................................. 1,015 1.9

Montana ................................. 854 1.6

Nebraska ................................ 936 1.8

Nevada ................................... 980 1.9

New Hampshire ..................... 770 1.5

New Jersey ............................. 1,019 1.9

New Mexico ........................... 1,045 2.0

New York ............................... 926 1.8

North Carolina ....................... 1,044 2.0

North Dakota .......................... 503 1.0

Ohio ........................................ 1,498 2.9

Oklahoma ............................... 1,358 2.6

Oregon .................................... 1,018 1.9

Pennsylvania .......................... 998 1.9

Rhode Island .......................... 1,024 2.0

South Carolina ....................... 1,177 2.3

South Dakota .......................... 718 1.4

Tennessee ............................... 1,085 2.1

Texas ...................................... 1,335 2.6

Utah ........................................ 966 1.8

Vermont ................................. 650 1.2

Virgin Islands ......................... 334 0.6

Virginia .................................. 1,013 1.9

Washington ............................ 995 1.9

West Virginia ......................... 946 1.8

Wisconsin ............................... 1,005 1.9

Wyoming ................................ 483 0.9

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program Quality Control sample.

95
96

Weighting

The estimates for fiscal year 2010 in this report are based on a sample of 52,289 valid 

observations. The sample records have been weighted to match SNAP Program Operations totals 

after adjustment to remove households ineligible for benefits as well as households receiving 

benefits issued through the SNAP disaster assistance program, as these households are not included 

in the SNAP QC datafile.2 The weighting procedure matches to SNAP Program Operation totals for 

(1) the monthly number of participating households by State and stratum, (2) the monthly number 

of participants by State, and (3) the monthly total benefits issued by State. Table D.3 compares the 

Quality Control System sample-based estimates to aggregate program participation data for fiscal 

year 2010.

The fiscal year 2010 weighting methodology is similar to the weighting methodology used for 

the fiscal year 2005 through fiscal year 2009 SNAP QC datafiles. However, it differs from the 

weighting methodology used in the development of the SNAP QC datafiles prior to fiscal year 2005, 

which matched to Program Operation totals for households only and not to individuals or benefits. 

The fiscal year 2003 and fiscal year 2004 SNAP QC datafiles are weighted to match the disaster- and 

error-adjusted monthly numbers of SNAP households by State and stratum. SNAP QC datafiles 

before fiscal year 2003 are weighted to match the monthly number of SNAP households by State 

and stratum, unadjusted for ineligible households or the disaster assistance program.

Table D.3. Comparison of Program Data to Edited SNAP QC Datafile, Fiscal Year 2010

Average Monthly Value

Fiscal Year 2010

Program Data

Adjustments for 

Disaster Assistance

Adjustments for 

Ineligible 

Households

Edited SNAP QC 

Datafile

Number of households 18,618,363 4,062 245,073 18,369,228

Number of participants 40,301,666 13,021 529,433 39,759,212

Value of benefits $5,392,062,368 $2,618,652 $115,506,524 $5,273,937,192

Average household size 2.16 3.21 2.16 2.16

Average benefit per person $133.79 _

a $218.17 $132.65

Sources: Fiscal Year 2010 Program Data and SNAP QC datafile.

a We adjust households and individuals for new disaster SNAP households only, and adjust benefits for disaster SNAP 

benefits issued to new households as well as supplemental benefits issued to qualifying on-going SNAP households. As 

a result, the average disaster SNAP benefit per person cannot be calculated from the information in this table.

 

2 The adjusted total number of households and benefits is lower than Program Data figures by about 1 and 2 

percent, respectively.
97

Comparison to Reported Data

Table D.4 compares the reported and calculated values of selected variables for fiscal year 2010.

Reported values and averages reflect those in the SNAP QC datafile before any editing has taken 

place. Calculated values and averages are based on the edited datafile used for this report. 

Table D.4. Comparison of Calculated and Reported Values for Selected Variables of Participating 

Households, Fiscal Year 2010

Variable

Households with:

All Households

Earned 

Income

Elderly

Individuals Children

Disabled 

Nonelderly 

Adults

Average Gross Income (Dollars)

Calculated...........................................

Reported.............................................

731

731

1,174

1,174

813

813

923

923

946

946

Average Net Income (Dollars)a

Calculated...........................................

Reported............................................

336

334

544

542

381

378

452

450

475

472

Average Total Deduction (Dollars)b

Calculated...........................................

Reported.............................................

491

492

674

679

498

497

555

557

509

509

Average SNAP Benefit (Dollars)

Calculated...........................................

Reportedc............................................

287

286

343

344

144

142

419

419

219

218

Percent with Zero Gross Income

Calculated...........................................

Reported.............................................

19.7

19.8

0.0

0.1

6.0

6.0

12.4

12.4

0.0

0.0

Percent with Zero Net Income

Calculated...........................................

Reported.............................................

38.3

39.8

21.4

21.4

18.5

22.0

32.3

32.8

13.2

16.7

Percent with Minimum Benefit

Calculated...........................................

Reported.............................................

3.8

3.6

2.5

2.3

10.7

10.2

0.7

0.7

5.9

5.7

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC data file.

a Because net income is not used in their benefit determination, 33,550 households participating in MFIP and 484,695

households participating in an SSI-CAP program in States that use standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from 

this comparison.

b Because deductions are not used in their benefit determination, 484,695 SSI-CAP households in States that use 

standardized SSI-CAP benefits are excluded from this comparison.

c Reported benefit adjusted for reported overissuance errors, underissuance errors, and prorated benefits. 
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APPENDIX E

SAMPLING ERROR OF ESTIMATES
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101

SAMPLING ERROR OF ESTIMATES

The estimates of the characteristics of SNAP households in this report are based on a sample of 

households and, consequently, are subject to statistical sampling error. One indicator of the 

magnitude of the sampling error associated with a given estimate is its standard error. Standard 

errors measure the variation in estimated values that would be observed if multiple replications of 

the sample were drawn. The magnitude of the standard errors depends on: (1) the degree of 

variation in the variable within the population from which the sample is drawn; (2) the design of the 

sample, including such issues as stratification and sampling probabilities; and (3) the size of the 

sample on which the estimate is based. This appendix presents estimates of the standard errors 

associated with key statistics and outlines methods for estimating the standard errors of other 

statistics for which standard errors have not been directly calculated. 

Standard Errors

The standard error of an estimated proportion of households, sp, based on a simple random 

sample is:

where p is the weighted estimate of the proportion, N is the number of households in the 

population, and n is the sample size.1 The standard error of an estimated number of households, sN, 

based on a simple random sample is:

p

N

 (2) N s s

These formulas for the standard errors of estimates based on a simple random sample do not 

necessarily apply to estimates derived from more complex samples, such as the stratified sample of 

the SNAP QC. In this appendix, standard errors calculated using equations (1) and (2) are referred 

to as “naive standard errors.” Standard errors can be estimated more accurately using a bootstrap 

method.

 

1 More precisely, n is the sample size corresponding to the population that forms the denominator or “base” of the 

proportion being estimated. When the base is all SNAP households in fiscal year 2010, n = 52,289. Sample sizes for 

selected demographic subgroups for fiscal year 2010 are shown in the sample size column of Table E-1. For subgroups 

not shown in Table E-1, the sample size can be approximated by multiplying the total sample size (52,289) by the ratio 

of the subgroup population size to the total population size (N). For fiscal year 2010, N = 18,369 thousand and there are 

2,852 thousand elderly households. Hence the approximate sample size for elderly households in fiscal year 2010 would 

be calculated as (2,852 / 18,369) x (52,289) = 8,118. In this case the approximation can be compared to the true elderly 

sample size of 7,848, as shown in Table E-1.

[ (1 )( )] /[( 1) ] p (1) = p p N n n N s
102

The bootstrap method requires the computation of 500 sets of replicate household weights. 

Each set is calculated using a nonlinear programming method based on a random sample of the 

SNAP QC data file. These replicate weights are then used to calculate standard errors. The following 

discussion presents standard errors of selected estimates that were computed using the bootstrap 

method. It then presents a simple method for approximating standard errors of estimates for which 

individual standard errors have not been computed.

Standard Errors of Estimated Numbers of Households

The standard errors of selected estimates of SNAP households in Fiscal Year 2010 are shown in 

Table E.1. These standard errors can be used to compute confidence intervals for the estimated 

number of households with a particular characteristic.

2 For example, the estimated number of SNAP 

households that receive the minimum benefit is 689,000 (Table A.1), and the corresponding 

standard error is 20,940 (Table E.1). Therefore, the 95 percent confidence interval extends from 

647,120 to 731,880.

3

For standard errors not shown in Table E.1, the approximate standard error, SE, of an estimated 

number of households for Fiscal Year 2010 can be calculated using equation (3):

(3) SE = SN x d

where SN is the naive standard error from equation (2) above, and d is the square root of the design 

effect for the population subgroup and characteristic of interest, from Table E.2. The design effect 

reflects the loss of precision due to the different sampling rates in different strata of the SNAP QC 

sample. It is the ratio of the variance computed by the bootstrap method (Table E.1) to the naive 

variance.4 When the population subgroup (for example, households with elderly) is listed in Table 

E.2, but the characteristic of interest is not, use the average square root of the design effect for the 

subgroup, from the rightmost column of Table E.2. When neither the subgroup nor the 

characteristic is listed, use the average square root of the design effect for all SNAP households, 

1.48.

For example, to estimate the standard error of the number of households containing an elderly 

person with zero net income, the first step is to obtain the size of the estimate. As shown in 

appendix Table A.17, 528,000 elderly households have zero net income. The next step is to 

 

2 A confidence interval is a range of values that will contain the true value of an estimated characteristic with a 

known probability. For instance, a 95 percent confidence interval extends approximately 2 standard errors above and 

below the estimated value for a characteristic, and 95 percent of all confidence intervals will contain the true value.

3 Calculated as: (689,000 - (2 x 20,940)) = 647,120 and (689,000 + (2 x 20,940)) = 730,880.

4 The variance and naive variance are the standard error and naive standard error squared, respectively.
103

calculate the naive standard error. Using equations (1) and (2), the value is 12,489.

5 Multiplying 

12,489 by the square root of the design effect (d), 1.65, from Table E.2 yields an estimated standard 

error of 20,607.

Standard Errors of Estimated Percentages

Comparing equations (1) and (2), it is apparent that the standard error of an estimated 

percentage of households, Sp, is equal to the standard error of the corresponding count of 

households, SN, divided by the number of households in the population that forms the base of the 

percentage. That is:

(4) Sp = SN / N

For example, appendix Table A.17 shows that, of the 8,947,000 households with children, 

1,105,000 (12.4 percent) have no gross income. The standard error (SN) of the number of 

households with children with no gross income is 26,310 (Table E.1). To calculate Sp, the standard 

error of the corresponding percentage estimate, simply divide SN by the number of households in 

the population that forms the base of the percentage—in this case, 8,947,000 households with 

children. The resulting standard error of the percentage estimate is 0.3 percentage points, and the 

corresponding 95 percent confidence interval extends from 11.8 to 12.9 percent around the point 

estimate of 12.4 percent.

Equation (4) can also be applied to standard errors that are not shown in Table E.1. First, 

calculate the adjusted naive standard error of the number of households using equation (3). Then 

divide the resulting standard error by the size of the population that forms the base of the 

percentage. Returning to an earlier example—of the 2,852,000 households with elderly individuals, 

528,000 (18.5 percent) have zero net income. Dividing the adjusted naive standard error (calculated 

above as 20,607) by 2,852,000 yields an adjusted naive standard error of the percentage estimate of 

0.7 percentage points.

Standard Errors of Estimated Means

The standard errors for selected estimated means for Fiscal Year 2010 are provided in Table 

E.3. For example, the standard error of the mean gross income for all SNAP households in Fiscal 

Year 2010 is $2.61 (Table E.3), and the mean itself is $731 (Table A.20). Therefore, a 95 percent 

confidence interval extends from approximately $726 to $736.

 

5 Equation (1):

[(528,000/2,852,000)×(1-(528,000/2,852,000))×(2,852,000-7,848)]/[(7,848-1)×2,852,000] = 0.004379

Equation (2): 2,852,000 * 0.004379 = 12,489 

where 2,852,000 is the estimated population of elderly households, 528,000 is the estimated population of elderly 

households with zero net income, 7,848 is the sample size of elderly households (Table E-1), and 12,489 is the standard 

error.
104

Generalized approximation methods such as the one used in equation (3) work well for 

standard errors of estimated numbers and percentages, because the standard errors depend only on 

the sample size, the estimated proportion, and the design effects. Generalized methods are less 

appropriate for standard errors of means because the standard error depends on the variance as well 

as the sample size and design effects. Nevertheless, a rough approximation of the magnitude of 

standard errors of means not included in Table E.3 can be obtained from Table E.4. Table E.4 

shows for each variable in Table E.3 the average, minimum, and maximum value of that variable’s 

standard error as a percentage of the variable’s mean value. These three values are shown for all 

SNAP households and for selected subgroups. The standard errors in Table E.4 include design 

effects.
105

Table E.1. Standard Errors of Estimated Numbers of SNAP Households, Fiscal Year 2010a

Households (000) With:

Sample 

Size

Estimated 

Population 

(000)

Zero 

Gross 

Income

Zero 

Net 

Income

Minimum 

Benefits

Earned 

Income

Elderly 

Individuals Children

School Age 

Children

Disabled 

Nonelderly 

Individuals

All SNAP Households ........ 51.60 69.67 20.94 59.14 38.25 63.27 48.67 41.39 52,289 18,369

With Elderly 

Individuals................ 11.88 20.61 13.77 10.86 38.25 10.45 9.94 7.36 7,848 2,852

Without Elderly 

Individuals ............... 50.47 65.93 15.87 58.21 NA 62.97 48.20 41.22 44,441 15,517

With Children............ 26.31 40.49 6.51 53.86 10.45 63.27 48.67 26.63 25,231 8,947

With School Age 

Children ................... 21.59 35.09 5.65 43.05 9.94 48.67 48.67 24.73 18,726 6,739

Without Children ...... 44.09 57.39 19.68 28.31 37.43 NA NA 36.34 27,058 9,422

With Earnings ........... NA 29.20 9.19 59.14 10.86 53.86 43.05 14.85 15,889 5,498

With Disabled 

Nonelderly 

Individuals................ 0.84 18.50 11.41 14.85 7.36 26.63 24.73 41.39 11,130 3,633

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a Standard errors were estimated using the bootstrap method.

NA = not applicable.
106

Table E.2. Square Root of Design Effects (d) for Standard Errors of Estimated Numbers or Percentages of SNAP Households, Fiscal Year 

2010a

Base of Estimated Number

Households With:

Average 

Square Root of 

Design Effect

Zero Gross 

Income

Zero Net 

Income

Minimum 

Benefits

Earned 

Income

Elderly 

Individuals Children

School Age 

Children

Disabled 

Nonelderly 

Individuals

All SNAP Households......... 1.61 1.78 1.37 1.61 1.31 1.58 1.26 1.29 1.48

With Elderly Individuals 1.56 1.65 1.38 1.48 NA 1.43 1.44 1.48 1.49

Without Elderly 

Individuals .................. 1.65 1.82 1.39 1.66 NA 1.73 1.32 1.33 1.56

With Children .............. 1.42 1.54 1.35 1.91 1.42 NA 2.00 1.39 1.57

With School Age 

Children...................... 1.43 1.57 1.35 1.75 1.42 NA NA 1.39 1.49

Without Children......... 1.74 2.02 1.38 1.47 1.45 NA NA 1.45 1.58

With Earnings.............. NA 1.63 1.35 NA 1.50 2.97 2.01 1.37 1.80

With Disabled 

Nonelderly Individuals. 1.42 1.59 1.41 1.44 1.55 1.64 1.59 NA 1.52

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a The design effect is the ratio of the variance computed by the bootstrap method to the naive variance for the specific cell of the table. The average square root of 

design effect for each row is a simple arithmetic average of the values for each cell in the row.

NA = not applicable.
107

Table E.3. Standard Errors of Estimated Means, Fiscal Year 2010a

Gross 

Income

Net 

Income Benefits

All 

Deductions

Total 

Resources

Household 

Size

Certification 

Period Earningsb TANFb SSIb

Shelter 

Deductionb

All SNAP Households......... 2.61 1.09 0.25 1.74 1.18 0.00 0.05 6.40 4.70 3.83 1.44

With Elderly Individuals 6.69 6.16 1.74 5.93 4.62 0.01 0.20 36.45 23.20 7.34 5.75

Without Elderly 

Individuals ................. 3.04 1.36 0.53 1.81 1.10 0.00 0.04 6.42 4.78 4.60 1.37

With Children............. 3.96 2.96 1.96 2.36 1.58 0.02 0.03 7.97 4.84 8.61 1.79

With School Age 

Children..................... 5.45 4.37 2.44 2.78 2.00 0.02 0.03 9.90 6.29 9.64 2.06

Without Children........ 3.91 2.54 0.66 2.52 1.72 0.00 0.09 11.03 18.59 4.43 2.49

With Earnings............. 6.19 5.22 1.97 2.90 2.09 0.02 0.04 6.40 10.88 13.49 2.14

With Disabled 

Nonelderly Individuals 5.62 5.67 2.25 4.33 1.95 0.02 0.16 27.21 7.96 4.65 4.09

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a Standard errors were estimated using the bootstrap method.

b For households with a nonzero amount.
108

Table E.4. Range of Standard Errors of Mean Amounts Expressed as a Percentage of the Mean 

Amount, Fiscal Year 2010a

Number of Households in Base of Mean

(Thousands)

Standard Error as

Percent of Mean Amount

Averageb Lowestc Highestd

18,369 (All SNAP Households) 0.7 0.0 3.2

2,852 (Households With Elderly Individuals) 2.7 0.8 8.5

8,947 (Households With Children)................................................................ 1.0 ...... 0.3 4.0

5,498 (Households With Earnings) ................................................................ 1.3 ..... 0.4 4.1

3,633 (Households With Disabled Nonelderly Individuals)................................ 1.8 ... 0.6 6.3

Source: Fiscal Year 2010 SNAP QC sample.

a Standard errors from Table E.3 and mean amounts from applicable text tables.

b Average standard error across all 11 variables in Table E.3 expressed as a percentage of the mean 

amount.

c Lowest of the standard errors across all 11 variables in Table E.3 expressed as a percentage of the mean 

amount.

d Highest of the standard errors across all 11 variables in Table E.3 expressed as a percentage of the mean 

amount.
APPENDIX F

DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT
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4. Local Agency

9.SNAP Allotment Under Review

PRIVACY ACT/PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0299. The to complete this collection is estimated to average 1.05 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data rgather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. This report is required under provisions of 7 CFR 275.14. This needed for the review of State performance in determining recipient eligibility. The information is used to determine State compliance, anreport may result in a finding of non-compliance.

Section 2 - Detailed Error Findings

12. Element

3. State 

13. Nature

2. Case Number

14. Cause 15. Error Finding

1. QC Review Number

16. Error Amount 17. Discovery 18. Verified 19. Occurre

a. Date

Section 1 - Review Summary

8. Findings 

7. Disposition

5. Sample Month 

10. Error Amount

U.S. Department of Agriculture - Food and Nutrition Service

QUALITY CONTROL REVIEW SCHEDULE

FNS-380-1 (12/08) Previous editions Obsolete.

13425678

Electronic Form Version Designed in Adobe 8.1 Version

SBU
Section 3 - Household Characteristics

20. Most Recent Cert. Action  Month, Day, Year

21. Type of Action 22. Length of Cert. Period 

 #of months

23. Allotment Adjustment 24. A

Allot

 25. Number of Household Members

 26. Receipt of Expedited Service

27. Authorized Representative  Used at Application

28. Categorical Eligibility 29. Repor

Resources:

30. Liquid 31. Property 

(excluding home)

32a. Vehicle 32b. Status 

2nd Vehicle

33. Countable Vehicle Assests

Income:

35. Gross 36. Net

Deductions:

37. Earned Income 38. Medical 39. Dependent Care 40. Child Support 41. Shelte

 Additional Information on  Shelter Costs:

43. Rent/Mortgage 44. Use of SUA 

a. Usage b. Proration

45. Utilities (SUA or Actual)

FNS-380-1 (12/08) Previous editions Obsolete.
Section 4 - Information on Each Household Member

46. Person Number

47. SNAP Participation

48. Relation  to Head  of HH

49. Age 50. Sex 51. Race 52. Citizen 

Status

53. Edu. Level

54. Employment Status Hours

55. SNAP Work Reg.

56. SE & T

You may record information on up to 16 individuals using additional pages.

FNS-380-1 (12/08) Previous editions Obsolete.
FNS-380-1 (12/08) Previous editions Obsolete. 

Section 5 - Income Identified by Household Member

61. Amount Source 2 

62. Income Type

63. Amount Source 3 

64. Income Type

65. Amount So

66

Section 7 - Optional For State Use

1.2.3.4.

59. Person NumberYou may record income on up to 10 individuals by using additional pages.

Source 1 60. Income Type

Section 6 - Reserved Coding

68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76.
APPENDIX G

PREVIOUS REPORTS IN THIS SERIES
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117

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households, Fiscal Year 2009. U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 2010.

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households, Fiscal Year 2008. U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 2009.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2007. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 2008.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2006. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2007.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2005. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2006.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2004. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2005.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2003. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2004.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2002. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2003.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2001. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2003.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 2000. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2001.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1999. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2000.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1998. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, 2000.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1997. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1999.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1996. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1998.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Fiscal Year 1995. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Consumer Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1997.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1994. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Consumer Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1996.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1993. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1995.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1992. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1994.
118

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1991. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1993.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1990. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1992.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1989. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1991.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1988. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1990.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Winter 1988. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1990.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1987. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1990.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1986. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1988.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, Summer 1985. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1987.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, August 1984. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, February 1983. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, August 1982. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, August 1981. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 1984.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, August 1980. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, 1981.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, November 1979. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, 1981.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, February 1978. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, 1980.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, September 1976. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, 1977.

Characteristics of Food Stamp Households, September 1975. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, 1976.
INDEX
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121

INDEX

Page(s)

Able-bodied adults ................................................. (see Nonelderly nondisabled childless adults)

Age ................................... 22, 23, 35, 36, 39, 44, 45, 53, 55, 59, 60, 64, 77, 79, 105, 106, 107

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) ........................... 7, 10, 11, 22, 27, 31

Assets, Countable .................................................................................................(see Resources) 

Asset limit..................................................................................................... (see Resource limit) 

Asylees..................................................................................................................... 7, 27, 28, 30

Benefits .................................8, 9, 10, 17, 20, 23, 29, 35, 36, 39-41, 44, 45, 47, 

 48, 50, 51, 53-56, 59, 63, 67, 68, 89, 90, 94, 97

Maximum ............................... 8, 9-10, 29, 35, 36, 44, 45, 47, 48, 53, 55, 89, 94

Minimum ................................... 9, 29, 35, 36, 44, 45, 48, 53, 55, 62, 90, 97, 102, 105, 106

Prorated.............................................................................................................. 9, 22, 23, 59

Categorically Eligible Households.......................................................................... 3, 4, 6, 27, 81

Certification period (see also Expedited service, Recertification)........................ 8, 27, 36, 48, 51, 

54, 56, 68, 107

Child support payment deduction ................................................................ 5, 28, 33, 46, 53-56

Child support income................................................................................................... 18, 40, 41

Children .........................................................................................23, 28, 59, 60, 64, 77, 78, 79

Households containing................................................ 16, 18-21, 29, 30, 35-37, 39, 40, 42-48,

 50-55, 57, 58, 62, 71, 97, 103, 105-108

Citizenship (see also Noncitizen) ....................................7, 22, 23, 30, 35, 36, 58, 59, 62, 78, 79

Contributions ............................................................................................................... 31, 40, 41

Countable resources..............................................................................................(see Resources)

Deductions .....................................5, 15, 24, 28-31, 36, 41, 44-47, 53-56, 63, 68, 94, 97, 107

Child support payment deduction .......................................................... 5, 28, 33, 46, 53-56

Dependent care deduction................................................................ 5, 28, 44-46, 53-56, 88

Earned income deduction ................................................................. 5, 28, 44-46, 53-56, 74

Excess shelter expense deduction ........................................ 5, 28, 30, 44, 45, 47, 53-56, 88

Medical deduction ............................................................................ 5, 29, 44-46, 53-56, 62

Standard deduction .............................................................................................. 5, 9, 31, 88

Deemed income ..................................................................................................... 28, 31, 40, 41

Dependent care deduction ..................................................................... 5, 28, 44-46, 53-56, 88
122

Deportees ....................................................................................................................................... 7, 28

Disabled nonelderly individuals................................. 4-8, 15, 16, 19-22, 29, 35-37, 39, 40, 42-48, 

50-55, 57, 58, 62, 71, 97, 105-108

Earned income.............................. 9, 18, 19, 22, 28, 35, 36, 40-48, 52-58, 72-74, 97, 105, 106

Earned income deduction............................................................................... 5, 28, 44-46, 53-56, 74

Educational loans .................................................................................................................. 31, 40, 41

Elderly Individuals ............................................................................. 3, 4, 7-9, 19-23, 28, 59, 77, 79

Households containing........................................ 4-6, 15, 16, 18, 21, 29, 35-37, 39, 40, 42-48, 

50-55, 57, 58, 62, 71, 97 103, 105-108 

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT).......................................................................................... 10, 27, 28

Energy assistance.................................................................................................................. 31, 40, 41

Entrant households ............................................................................................................... 28, 49, 75

Excess shelter expense deduction................................................... 5, 28, 30, 44, 45, 47, 53-56, 88

Expedited service households..........................................................................................8, 28, 49, 75

Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002............................................................................... 7 

Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) .......................................... 5, 6, 9, 29 

Gender .......................................................................................................... 18, 20, 22, 50-52, 59, 64

General assistance (GA)..............................4, 21, 27, 30, 31, 35, 36, 40-42, 44, 45, 52-56, 72, 73

Gross income........................................................... 3-5, 8, 15-18, 20-22, 24, 29, 35-39, 41, 44, 45, 

51-56, 62, 63, 68, 69, 85, 86, 94, 97, 103, 105-107

Gross income screen .......................................................................................................... 3, 4, 29, 86

Homeless household shelter estimate ................................................................................... 5, 28, 29

Household composition................................. 15, 19, 20, 23, 26, 35, 36, 39, 44, 45, 50-53, 55, 71

Married head with children households............................................................. 18-20, 29, 50-52

Single adult with children households .........................................................18-20, 30, 50-52, 71 

Household head .................................................................................................................... 57, 61, 76

Household size.............15, 18, 20, 21, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 51, 53-56, 60, 63, 68, 85-90, 96, 107

Households, participating .........................15, 19, 35-58, 62, 67, 69-72, 74, 76, 80, 81, 93, 95-97

Income, monthly countable............................. 17, 18, 20, 28-30, 35-48, 51-58, 68, 69, 72, 73, 94

Earned..........................................9, 18, 19, 22, 28, 35, 36, 40-48, 52-58, 72-74, 97, 105, 106

Gross...................................................... 3-5, 8, 15-18, 20-22, 24, 29, 35-39, 41, 44, 45, 51-56, 

 62, 63, 68, 69, 85, 86, 94, 97, 103, 105-107

Net ................. 3-5, 8, 9, 15, 20, 22, 24, 30, 35-39, 41, 44, 45, 51, 53, 54, 5, 56, 62, 63, 68, 

 85, 94, 107, 102, 103, 105-107

Unearned ................................................................................................. 31, 35, 36, 40-45, 53-56

Child support .................................................................................................................. 18, 40, 41
123

General assistance (GA) ....................3, 21, 27, 30, 31, 35, 36, 40-42, 44, 45, 52-56, 72, 73

Social Security ......................................19, 21, 22, 31, 35, 36, 40, 41, 43-45, 52-56, 72, 73

Supplemental Security Income (SSI).................................... 3, 4, 8-10, 18, 19, 21, 22, 31, 35, 

36, 40, 41, 43-45, 52-56, 72, 73

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) .....................4, 6, 8, 10, 18, 19, 22, 27, 35, 

36, 40-42, 44, 45, 48, 52-58, 61, 62, 72, 73

Initial certification households ................................................................................... 29, 49, 107

Lawful permanent resident noncitizens ................................................................................ 6, 29

Married head with children households .............................................................18-20, 29, 50-52

Maximum benefit ...........................................8, 9-11, 29, 35, 36, 44, 45, 47, 48, 53, 55, 89, 94

Medical deduction .................................................................................. 5, 28, 44-46, 53-56, 62

Medical deduction demonstrations....................................................................................... 5, 29

Metropolitan households.............................................................................................. 29, 35, 36

Micropolitan households .............................................................................................. 29, 35, 36

Minimum benefit............................. 9, 29, 35, 36, 44, 45, 48, 53, 55, 62, 90, 97, 102, 105, 106

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)............4, 9, 10, 15, 20, 29, 30, 35-39, 41, 44, 45, 

47, 51, 53-56, 62, 63, 68, 80, 88, 94, 97

Net income........................... 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15, 20, 22, 24, 30, 35-39, 41, 44, 45, 51, 53, 54, 55, 

56, 62, 63, 68, 87, 94, 97, 102, 103, 105-107

Net income screen............................................................................................ 3, 5, 6, 17, 30, 87

Noncitizens .................................................................................................... 6, 7, 10, 22, 59, 78

Households containing ...................................................................22, 35, 36, 58, 59, 62, 78

Asylees ............................................................................................................... 7, 27, 28, 30

Deportees........................................................................................................... 7, 27, 28, 30

Lawful permanent resident noncitizens ................................................................ 6, 7, 30, 58

Nonimmigrant visitors to the United States ................................................................ 6, 7, 30

Refugees ....................................................................................7, 22, 27, 28, 30, 58, 59, 78

Nonelderly adults ...................................................................................... 22, 30, 59, 61, 77, 79

Households containing ........................................................................................................21

Nonelderly nondisabled childless adults..................................................................... 6, 7, 23, 59

Households containing .............................................................21, 35, 36, 50, 51, 52, 71, 77

Nonimmigrant visitors to the United States .......................................................................... 6, 30

Nonparticipating household head households.............................................................. 30, 57, 61

Participants ........................................1, 7-12, 15, 22, 23, 35, 50, 59-61, 64, 67, 77-79, 93, 96

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) .................. 7, 27, 30

Poverty, individuals in ........................................................................................ 4, 12, 13, 15-17
124

Poverty guidelines ................................3, 4, 5, 15-17, 29, 30, 35, 37-39, 54, 56, 63, 69, 85-87

Preschool-age children .......................................................................................... 23, 30, 59, 77

Households containing ................................................................... 35, 36, 39, 44, 45, 53-55

Prorated benefit ....................................................................................................... 9, 22, 23, 59

Race/Hispanic status.................................................................................................... 57, 59, 76

Recertification ...................................................................................................................... 8, 49

Refugees ..........................................................................................7, 22, 27, 28, 30, 58, 59, 78

Resources, Countable (Countable resources).............................................. 3, 6, 8, 28, 37-39, 53

Vehicles.................................................................................................................... 6, 10, 28

Resource limit .................................................................................................................. 3, 6, 30

Rural ............................................................................................................................ 30, 35, 36

School-age children ......................................................................................... 22, 23, 30, 59, 77

Households containing ................................................................... 35, 36, 39, 44, 45, 53-55

Self-employment income ................................................................................................... 40, 41

Sex............................................................................................................................ (see Gender) 

Shelter deduction .............................................................. (see Excess shelter expense deduction)

Single adult with children households ........................................................ 18-20, 30, 50-52, 71

Single-person households.............................................................................9, 18-22, 30, 50-52

Social Security ............................................19, 21, 22, 31, 35, 36, 40, 41, 43-45, 52-56, 72, 73

Social Security Administration (SSA) ............................................................................... 9, 27, 30

Standard Error .................................................................................................................101-108

Standard deduction .................................................................................................... 5, 9, 31, 88

Standard Utility Allowance (SUA)............................................................................... 9, 27, 31, 80

State diversion payments .................................................................................................. 40, 41

States ..................................................................................4-6, 7-11, 67-82, 85-99, 93, 95, 96

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) .....................................3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 18, 21, 22, 27, 31, 35,

36, 40, 41, 43-45, 52-56, 72, 73

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) ............3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 18, 19, 22, 27, 31 35, 36, 

40-42, 44, 45, 48, 52-58, 61, 62, 72, 73

Time limits ............................................................................. 6-8, 27, 35, 36, 50-52, 59, 71, 77

Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) .................................................................8, 9, 11, 22, 27, 29, 31, 60, 89

Unearned income ................................................................................. 31, 35, 36, 40-45, 53-56

Unemployment compensation ...................................................................................... 31, 40, 41

Vehicles.......................................................................................................................... 6, 10, 28

........................................................................................ 3, 21, 29, 31, 40, 41

Wage supplementation ................................................................................................. 31, 40, 41
125

Wages...............................................................................................................................28, 31, 40, 41 

Work registration ................................................................................................................ 6, 7, 31, 61 

Work requirements and a time limit......................................................................................... 6, 7, 31

Workers’ compensation..................................................................................................29, 31, 40, 41