U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: 

Participation in Government Programs, 

2009–2012: Who Gets Assistance?

Household Economic Studies

By Shelley K. Irving and Tracy A. Loveless

Issued May 2015

P70-141

This report focuses on the participation and characteristics 

of people who received benefits from any of the following 

means-tested assistance programs:1

• Medicaid

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)2

• Housing Assistance

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

• General Assistance (GA)

The data come from the 2008 Panel of the Survey of 

Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and cover calendar years 2009 through 2012.3 The SIPP is a longitudinal 

survey, which means that, unlike periodic point-in-time 

1 Means-tested programs are those that require the income and/or 

assets of an individual or family to fall below specified thresholds in order 

to qualify for benefits. There may be additional eligibility requirements 

to receive these programs, which provide cash and noncash assistance to 

eligible individuals and families. 2 The Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2008. 3 The 2008 Panel followed the same individuals over a period of 64 

months from May 2008 to November 2013. The data in this report were 

collected from February 2009 through April 2013 in Waves 2–14 of the 

2008 SIPP. The population represented (the population universe) is the 

civilian, noninstitutionalized population living in the United States. The 

sample of households in SIPP is divided into four interview groups called 

rotation groups. Each month, one of the four rotation groups is interviewed 

about the previous 4 months (the reference period). For more detail on the 

interview procedures, interview waves, or rotation groups, see Chapter 2 of 

the SIPP User’s Guide at <www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programssurveys/sipp/methodology/SIPP_USERS_Guide_Chapter2_2009.pdf>. 

surveys, such as the Current Population Survey (CPS), the 

SIPP follows the same people over time.4 This longitudinal 

quality allows examination of the SIPP sample from two 

perspectives.

First, it is possible to observe the same people over a 

span of time. The number of months within a period of 

time when individuals received benefits from one or more 

means-tested assistance programs can be examined, and 

entry and exit activity for each program can be measured. 

For example, the number, timing, and duration of people 

moving into and out of a particular situation within a time 

period can be studied, such as the length of time an individual continuously receives program benefits.

Second, a population of interest can be analyzed at single 

points of time over regular intervals measuring gross 

activity levels. This cross-sectional perspective captures 

changes over time in the level of an activity, such as the 

proportion of the population receiving assistance from a 

particular program at selected points in time.

This report examines means-tested program participation 

rates and the extent to which the programs are used. The 

4 The longitudinal estimates presented here are based on people who 

were interviewed in all waves of the reference period or for whom imputed 

information exists. Efforts were made during the life of the panel to ensure 

that the sample remained representative of the civilian, noninstitutionalized 

population of the United States by attempting to follow people who moved 

to their new address. If the people included in the estimates have different experiences in program participation than those who did not respond 

initially, left the sample, or missed two or more consecutive waves, these 

longitudinal estimates may be biased.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

appendix tables display the average monthly participation rates in 

major means-tested programs by 

selected characteristics and median 

monthly benefit amounts.

HIGHLIGHTS

In 2012, approximately 52.2 million people, or 21.3 percent of the 

population, participated in one or 

more major means-tested assistance 

programs, on average, each month.5

In 2012, the average monthly participation rate for Medicaid (15.3 

percent) was higher than those for 

SNAP (13.4 percent), housing assistance (4.2 percent), SSI (3.0 percent), and TANF/GA (1.0 percent).

About three-quarters of people 

living in poverty who ever received 

benefits from a major means-tested 

program between January 2009 

and December 2012 participated 

between 37 and 48 months during 

that time.

The average monthly participation 

rate for children under 18 increased 

from 34.6 percent in 2009 to 39.2 

5 Estimates in this report (which may be 

shown in text, figures, and tables) are based 

on responses from a sample of the population 

and may differ from actual values because 

of sampling variability or other factors. As 

a result, apparent differences between the 

estimates for two or more groups may not be 

statistically significant. All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and 

are significant at the 90 percent confidence 

level unless otherwise noted.

PROGRAM PARTICIPATION

This section investigates the degree of involvement in means-tested 

assistance programs using the following three concepts, each of which 

explores a different aspect of program participation.1

• Average monthly program participation rates: These are 

annual-average rates—one for each of the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 

and 2012. The measure represents the share of the group receiving 

assistance, on average, during each month of the year in question. 

The rate is a weighted average of the 12 monthly (cross-sectional) 

estimates of the proportion of people in the group who participated 

in means-tested assistance programs. 

• Program participation for 1 or more months in a (specified) 

year: Percentages are presented for 2009 to 2012. The measure 

represents the proportion of people who took part in any meanstested assistance program at any time during a specified year. It is a 

measure of gross activity and represents the population as it existed 

at the end of the year in question. 

• Accumulated months of participation in major means-tested 

programs in the 48-month period from January 2009 to 

December 2012: This measure is based on the number of accumulated (not necessarily consecutive) months a person participated in 

means-tested assistance programs throughout the entire 48-month 

time span. For purposes of this report, people who participated 

between 1 and 12 months in the 48-month time span are considered 

shorter-term participants, while people who participated between 37 

and 48 months during this time are considered longer-term participants. This analysis includes only people who participated in one or 

more major means-tested programs for 1 or more months during the 

48-month period. This analysis is limited to respondents who were in 

the sample for the entire 48-month period and represents the population at the end of the period.

1 A person is a program participant if he or she receives benefits from the program or is 

covered under the allotment of someone else’s benefits. For example, in a given month, two 

people in a household received SNAP benefits and two additional people in the household are 

covered by the benefit. In this case, the number of people from that household who participated in the food stamp program for that month would be counted as “four.”
U.S. Census Bureau 3

percent in 2012, and the average monthly participation rate for 

adults aged 18 to 64 increased 

from 13.7 percent to 16.6 percent 

during that time. From 2009 to 

2012, there was no change in the 

average monthly participation rate 

for adults 65 and older.

People in married-couple families who received benefits from 

any means-tested program from 

January 2009 through December 

2012 were slightly more likely to 

be shorter-term program participants (between 1 and 12 accumulated months of participation, 

37.3 percent) than longer-term 

participants (between 37 and 48 

accumulated months of participation, 34.8 percent). For people in 

male-householder families, 34.9 

percent were shorter-term program 

participants and 35.2 percent were 

longer-term program participants. 

However, the majority of people in 

female-householder families were 

longer-term program participants 

(58.5 percent). 

During an average month in 2012, 

37.3 percent of people who did 

not graduate from high school 

received means-tested benefits, 

compared with 21.6 percent of 

high school graduates and 9.6 percent of individuals with 1 or more 

years of college.

For people 18 years and older, 

33.5 percent of the unemployed 

received means-tested benefits in 

an average month of 2012, compared with 25.3 percent of those 

not in the labor force, 17.6 percent 

of part-time workers, and 6.7 percent of full-time workers.

Program Participation: 

2009 through 2012 

In 2012, approximately 52.2 million people, or 21.3 percent of the 

population, participated in one or 

more major means-tested assistance programs, on average, each 

month (Appendix Table 1). The 

average monthly participation rate 

in major means-tested programs 

increased from 18.6 percent in 

2009, to 20.2 percent in 2010, and 

to 20.9 percent in 2011. From 2011 

to 2012, there was no statistically 

significant change in the percentage of people who participated in 

one or more major means-tested 

assistance programs, 20.9 percent 

and 21.3 percent, respectively, 

(Figure 1).

In 2012, the average monthly participation rate for Medicaid (15.3 

percent) was higher than those for 

SNAP (13.4 percent), housing assistance (4.2 percent), SSI (3.0 percent), and TANF/GA (1.0 percent). 

The average monthly participation 

rates for Medicaid, SNAP, and SSI 

were higher in 2012 compared 

with their corresponding rates in 

2009. For TANF/GA, the average 

monthly participation rate in 2012 

was lower than that in 2009 (Figure 

1). Figure 2 shows the percentage 

of people who participated in major 

means-tested programs in 1 or 

more months of the year for 2009 

through 2012. In 2012, 27.1 percent of the population participated 

in one or more major assistance 

programs in 1 or more months of 

the year—up from 25.2 percent in 

2009. The percentage of people 

participating in Medicaid, SNAP, and 

SSI in 1 or more months of the year 

increased from 2009 to 2012, while 

the percentage of people participating in TANF in 1 or more months of 

the year fell during that time.

Figure 3 shows the accumulated 

(not necessarily consecutive) 

months of participation in major 

means-tested assistance programs for people who received 

the specified benefit type in 1 or 

more months over the 48-month 

observation period. Of people who 

participated in one or more major 

means-tested assistance programs 

between January 2009 and December 2012, a higher percentage of 

people participated between 37 

and 48 months (43.0 percent) than 

participated between 1 and 12 

months (31.2 percent), between 13 
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 1.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs: 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

2009 2010 2011 2012

One or more Medicaid SNAP Housing assistance SSI TANF/GA

major assistance

programs

18.6

13.9

4.2

12.1 10.5

4.3

13.1 13.4

4.24.2

20.2 20.9

2.6

14.9 15.315.2

1.2 3.03.02.8 1.2 1.01.1

21.3

One or more Medicaid SNAP Housing assistance SSI TANF/GA

major assistance

programs

Figure 2.

Program Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs (Participated 1 or

More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

25.2 26.5 26.6 27.1

5.3 5.3 5.4 5.2

16.4 17.1 17.4 14.5

20.3 20.9 20.7 20.9

2.2 2.0 1.9 1.7 3.73.6 3.8 4.0

2009 2010 2011 2012

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

One or more Medicaid SNAP Housing assistance SSI TANF/GA

major assistance

programs

Figure 3.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs:

January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs,

or specific program, for 1 or more months)

31.2

13.9

43.0

11.9

35.3

13.7 15.5

35.6

14.0

17.1

38.6

30.4

49.4

14.9

24.8

10.9 11.9

38.2 35.6

14.3 16.0

62.9

9.8 11.3
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Figure 4.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major 

Means-Tested Programs by Income-to-Poverty Status:

2009–20121

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

Under 1.00 1.00 and over

56.1 59.1 60.5 61.3

11.4 12.5 12.7 13.1

2009 2010 2011 2012

Figure 5.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested 

Programs by Income-to-Poverty Status (Participated

1 or More Months): 2009–20121

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

Under 1.00 1.00 and over

69.9 72.7 72.7 73.8

17.6 18.4 18.2 18.6

2009 2010 2011 2012

Figure 6.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major

Means-Tested Programs by Income-to-Poverty Status:

January 2009–December 20121

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or

more major means-tested programs for 1or more months)

Under 1.00 1.00 and over 1 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio

under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher than or equal

to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty.

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel

are not available for the entire period. For concept definitions, see text box "Description

of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 

2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

9.3 8.4 9.8

72.5

16.3

40.6

30.3

12.8

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 month

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 month

s

s

and 24 months (13.9 percent), and 

between 25 and 36 months (11.9 

percent). Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance, and SSI recipients 

between January 2009 and December 2012 tended to be shorter-term 

participants (between 1 and 12 

accumulated months of participation) or longer-term participants 

(between 37 and 48 accumulated 

months of participation). However, for TANF, about 60 percent 

of recipients were short-term 

program participants (between 1 

and 12 accumulated months of 

participation). 

Participation by Income-toPoverty Ratio 

Among those with family incometo-poverty ratios under 1.00, the 

average participation rate for at 

least one type of major meanstested benefit was 61.3 percent in 

2012, compared with 13.1 percent 

for those with family income-topoverty ratios of 1.00 and over 

(Figure 4).6 The average monthly 

participation rate for people with 

income-to-poverty ratios under 

1.00 rose every year from 2009 to 

2012. For people with income-topoverty ratios of 1.00 and over, the 

average monthly program participation rate increased from 2009 to 

2010 and from 2011 to 2012. In 

2012, nearly three-quarters of people with an income-to-poverty ratio 

of less than 1.00 participated in a 

means-tested program in 1 or more 

months of the year—compared 

with about one-fifth of people with 

income-to-poverty ratios of 1.00 

and over (Figure 5). 

6 The family income-to-poverty threshold 

ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A 

ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is 

in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher than or 

equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not 

in poverty. The poverty threshold for a family 

of three with one child was $17,268 in 2009, 

$17,552 in 2010, $18,106 in 2011, and 

$18,498 in 2012. Data on poverty thresholds 

by family size and number of children under 

18 years for the reported years are available 

at <www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty

/data/threshld/index.html>.
6 U.S. Census Bureau

About 73 percent of people with 

income-to-poverty ratios of less 

than 1.00 who ever participated in 

one or more major means-tested 

program from January 2009 through 

December 2012 did so between 37 

and 48 months. By comparison, just 

9.3 percent participated between 

1 and 12 months, 8.4 percent 

between 13 and 24 months, and 

9.8 percent between 25 and 36 

months. Of people with income-topoverty ratios of 1.00 and over who 

participated in one or more major 

means-tested programs at any time 

between January 2009 and December 2012, about 40 percent participated between 1 and 12 months 

and about 30 percent between 37 

and 48 months (Figure 6). 

Receipt of Means-Tested 

Assistance by Age 

Children under 18 years of age 

were more likely to receive meanstested benefits than those aged 18 

to 64 and those 65 years and older. 

In an average month during 2012, 

39.2 percent of children received 

some type of means-tested benefit, 

compared with 16.6 percent of people aged 18 to 64 and 12.6 percent 

of people 65 years and older (Figure 7). A higher percentage of children under age 18 and adults aged 

18 to 64 received some type of 

means-tested benefit in 1 or more 

months in 2012 compared with 

2009. However, for people 65 and 

over, a lower percentage received 

some type of means-tested benefit 

in 1 or more months in 2012 compared with 2009 (Figure 8). 

Of the children that received 

means-tested assistance, participation tended to be longer-term, with 

approximately one-half collecting 

benefits between 37 to 48 months 

from January 2009 through December 2012, compared with 20.2 

percent collecting benefits between 

1 and 12 months, 11.9 percent 

collecting benefits between 13 and 

24 months, and 11.9 percent collecting benefits between 25 and 36 

months (Figure 9). 

Program Participation by Race 

and Hispanic Origin

Both the likelihood of receiving 

means-tested assistance and the 

length of benefit receipt differed 

among racial groups. In 2012, 

the average monthly participation 

rate for Blacks, 41.6 percent, was 

higher than that of Asians or Pacific 

Islanders at 17.8 percent and nonHispanic Whites at 13.2 percent.7

The average monthly participation rates for non-Hispanic Whites, 

Blacks, and Asians was higher in 

2012 compared with 2009 (Figure 

10). With respect to any participation during the calendar year, rates 

in 2012 were 48.6 percent for 

Blacks, 21.9 percent for Asians or 

Pacific Islanders, and 18.2 percent 

for non-Hispanic Whites (Figure 11). 

The percentage of Blacks who were 

longer-term program participants 

7 Individuals who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race are 

referred to as the race-alone population or the 

group that reported only one race category. 

This report will refer to the White-alone population as White, the Black-alone population as 

Black, the Asian-alone population as Asian, and 

the White-alone non-Hispanic population as 

White, non-Hispanic, unless otherwise noted.

(between 37 to 48 accumulated 

months of participation) from January 2009 through December 2012 

was larger than the percentage of 

Asians or Pacific Islanders and of 

non-Hispanic Whites: 56.3 percent 

compared with 47.2 percent and 

36.9 percent, respectively (Figure 

12). The corresponding figures for 

shorter-term participation (between 

1 and 12 accumulated months of 

participation) were 22.0 percent for 

Blacks, 29.5 percent for Asians or 

Pacific Islanders, and 37.3 percent 

for non-Hispanic Whites. 

The likelihood of receiving meanstested assistance varied by ethnicity.8 In 2012, the average monthly 

participation rate for Hispanics, 36.4 

percent, was higher than that of 

non-Hispanic Whites, 13.2 percent 

(Figure 10). Similarly, Hispanics 

were more likely than non-Hispanic 

Whites to receive benefits for at least 

1 month in 2012—45.7 percent of 

Hispanics participated in a program 

for at least 1 month compared with 

18.2 percent of non-Hispanic Whites 

(Figure 11). As shown in Figure 12, 

Hispanics were more likely than nonHispanic Whites to be longer-term 

program participants, with 43.6 

percent of Hispanics participating 

between 37 and 48 months from 

January 2009 to December 2012, 

compared with 36.9 percent of nonHispanic Whites. 

8 Because Hispanics can be any race in this 

report, data for Hispanics overlap with data 

for the Black population. Based on data in the 

2008 SIPP panel and using the panel weight, 

4.2 percent of the Black population was 

Hispanic. For this report, data for American 

Indians and Alaska Natives are not presented 

due to small sample sizes.
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Figure 7.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs by Age:

2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

Under 18 years 18 to 64 years 65 years and over

34.6

12.6

16.0 16.6

13.7 15.1

38.2 39.2 37.3

13.3 12.9 12.6

2009 2010 2011 2012

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Under 18 years 18 to 64 years 65 years and over

Figure 9.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs by Age:

January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs for 1

or more months)

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

20.2

40.5

37.0

12.5 15.5

35.1

56.0

11.9 11.9

38.5

9.2 11.7

Figure 8.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested Programs by Age (Participated 

1 or More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

2009 2010 2011 2012

44.5

17.5

21.8 22.6 19.9 21.3

46.4 46.0 46.7

17.5 16.5 16.6

Under 18 years 18 to 64 years 65 years and over
8 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 10.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs by Race and

Hispanic Origin: 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

Non-Hispanic White Black Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic (any race)

2009 2010 2011 2012

11.8

18.0 17.4 14.9 12.7 13.213.2

17.8

33.0

40.9 38.9

35.7 37.2 36.4

41.3 41.6

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Non-Hispanic White Black Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic (any race)

Figure 12.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs by Race and

Hispanic Origin: January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs for

1 or more months)

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

37.3

12.3 11.1

29.5

36.9

11.6 14.3

47.2

27.6

11.6

22.0

43.6

13.6 15.2

56.3

10.1

Non-Hispanic White Black Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic (any race)

Figure 11.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested Programs by Race and Hispanic

Origin (Participated 1 or More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

2009 2010 2011 2012

17.2

22.6 22.0

18.218.1 19.5 18.0

21.9

44.1

48.1 46.7 46.3 45.8 45.7 48.0 48.6
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Figure 13.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs by Family

Type: 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

Families with female householder,

no husband present

Families with male householder,

no wife present

Married-couple families

2009 2010 2011 2012

12.3

48.5 46.3

14.3 14.7

26.5 28.1 27.9 29.5

13.9

49.9 50.0

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Families with female householder,

no husband present

Families with male householder,

no wife present

Married-couple families

Figure 15.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs by Family

Type: January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs for

1 or more months)

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

37.3

11.8

18.6

34.8

12.9

34.9

16.7

13.2

35.2

15.0

58.5

11.1

Married-couple families Families with male householder, Families with female householder,

Figure 14.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested Programs by Family Type

(Participated 1 or More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population)

2009 2010 2011 2012

18.2

57.2 55.7

19.3 19.9

35.1 35.3 35.8 37.2

19.6

57.5 58.0

no wife present no husband present
10 U.S. Census Bureau

Participation Rates by 

Family Type 

Individuals in female-householder 

families were more likely to participate in major means-tested 

programs in an average month in 

2012 than were people in marriedcouple families and people in malehouseholder families—50.0 percent 

compared with 14.7 percent and 

29.5 percent, respectively (Figure 

13).9 Similarly, 58.0 percent of 

individuals in female-householder 

families participated in meanstested programs for at least 1 

month of 2012, in contrast to 19.9 

percent of individuals in marriedcouple families and 37.2 percent 

of individuals in male-householder 

families (Figure 14). 

People in married-couple families 

who received benefits from any 

means-tested programs from 

January 2009 through December 

2012 were slightly more likely to 

be shorter-term program participants (between 1 and 12 accumulated months of participation, 37.3 

percent) than to be longer-term 

program participants (between 

37 and 48 accumulated months 

of participation, 34.8 percent). 

9 In this report, male-householder families 

and female-householder families are those 

with no spouse present.

For people in male-householder 

families, 34.9 percent were 

shorter-term program participants 

and 35.2 percent were longer-term 

participants. However, the majority 

of people in female-householder 

families (58.5 percent) were 

longer-term program participants 

(Figure 15). 

Participation Rates by 

Educational Attainment

For people aged 18 and older, 

lower educational attainment was 

associated with higher program 

participation rates. During an average month of 2012, 37.3 percent 

of people who did not graduate 

from high school received meanstested benefits, compared with 

21.6 percent of high school graduates and 9.6 percent of individuals 

with 1 or more years of college 

(Figure 16). Compared with 2009, 

a higher percentage of people in 

each education category received 

benefits from a major means-tested 

program in 1 or more months of 

2012 (Figure 17). 

Figure 18 shows that 49.4 percent 

of people with less than 4 years 

of high school, who ever received 

benefits from a major means-tested 

program between January 2009 and 

December 2012, were longer-term 

program participants (between 37 

and 48 accumulated months of 

participation). By comparison, 39.3 

percent of high school graduates 

and 29.0 percent of those with 1 or 

more years of college were longerterm participants.

Receipt of Means-Tested 

Benefits by Employment Status 

People without jobs—those who 

were unemployed or out of the 

labor force—were more likely to 

receive means-tested benefits in 

an average month of 2012 than 

were either full-time or part-time 

workers.10 For people 18 years and 

older, 33.5 percent of the unemployed received means-tested 

benefits in an average month of 

2012, compared with 25.3 percent 

of those not in the labor force, 

17.6 percent of part-time workers, 

and 6.7 percent of full-time workers (Figure 19). About 4 out of 10 

unemployed adults participated in 

means-tested programs for at least 

1 month of 2012, in contrast with 

about 1 out of 10 full-time workers 

(Figure 20). 

10 Individuals who are not working and 

on layoff from a job or are not working and 

looking for a job are considered unemployed. 

People who are jobless and not on layoff 

from a job or looking for work are not in the 

labor force.
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Figure 16.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs by Educational

Attainment: 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population. People 18 years and older)

Less than 4 years of high school High school graduate, no college 1 or more years of college

2009 2010 2011 2012

33.1

7.8 8.7

37.0 37.3

17.8 19.4 20.8 21.6

35.9

9.1 9.6

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Less than 4 years of high school High school graduate, no college 1 or more years of college

Figure 18.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs by Educational

Attainment: January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs for

1 or more months. People 18 years and older)

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

25.7

15.5

43.5

49.4

11.2

33.8

14.8 12.1

39.3

13.7

29.0

12.1

Less than 4 years of high school High school graduate, no college 1 or more years of college

Figure 17.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested Programs by Educational

Attainment (Participated 1 or More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population. People 18 years and older)

2009 2010 2011 2012

42.8

12.2 13.0

45.2 45.2

25.6 27.0 28.1 29.4

45.5

13.3 13.8
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 19.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Major Means-Tested Programs by Employment

Status: 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population. People 18 years and older)

Full-time work Part-time work Unemployed Not in labor force

2009 2010 2011 2012

5.1

24.4 23.3

6.76.4

14.2 16.0 16.5 17.6

5.9

24.9 25.3 28.3 29.0

33.5 31.0

Note: Data are not available for calendar year 2008 because data from the 2008 SIPP Panel are not available for the entire period. For concept

definitions, see text box "Description of Concepts."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Full-time work Part-time work Unemployed Not in labor force

Figure 21.

Accumulated Months of Participation in Major Means-Tested Programs by Employment

Status: January 2009–December 2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population participating in one or more major means-tested programs for 

1 or more months. People 18 years and older)

Participated between 25 and 36 months Participated between 37 and 48 months

Participated between 1 and 12 months Participated between 13 and 24 months

48.1

29.5

33.5

22.3

12.0

37.2

15.9 13.5

33.5

17.6

47.2

12.5 10.9

14.7

18.7

33.4

Full-time work Part-time work Unemployed Not in labor force

Figure 20.

Program Participation Rates in Major Means-Tested Programs by Employment Status

(Participated 1 or More Months): 2009–2012

(Percentage of noninstitutionalized civilian population. People 18 years and older)

2009 2010 2011 2012

9.3

30.5 31.0

10.4 10.7

20.5 23.0 23.0 24.2

10.3

31.3 32.0

38.3 35.6

40.2 41.5
U.S. Census Bureau 13

For full-time and part-time 

employed adults who ever participated in a major means-tested 

program between January 2009 

and December 2012, participation 

was most likely to be between 1 

and 12 months (48.1 percent and 

37.2 percent, respectively). For 

unemployed adults, 33.4 percent 

participated between 1 and 12 

months and 33.5 percent participated between 37 and 48 months. 

Participation between 37 and 48 

months was most common for 

adults not in the labor force (47.2 

percent, Figure 21).

Monthly Benefit Amounts by 

Monthly Participation

Figure 22 shows median monthly 

benefit amounts for people receiving means-tested benefits from 

TANF/GA, SSI, SNAP, and the total 

from all programs in the 2009–

2012 period.11 The median monthly 

benefit amount from all programs 

was $404. Median SSI benefit 

amounts ($698) were larger than 

those from TANF/GA ($321) and 

SNAP ($300). 

11 The Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is used 

to express the 2009 through 2012 monthly 

benefit amounts in 2012 dollars.

Figure 22.

Median Monthly Benefit Amount for People Receiving

Benefits by Program: 2009−2012

Note: The dollar amounts are inflation-adjusted to 2012 dollars.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP),

2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

SNAP

SSI

TANF/GA

All programs

$321

$404

$698

$300

People with family income-topoverty ratios less than 1.00 had 

a median monthly benefit amount 

of $449, compared with $377 

for people with family income-topoverty ratios of 1.00 and over 

(Figure 23). The median monthly 

benefit amount for children under 

18 ($447) was higher than that for 

adults 18 to 64 ($393) and people 

65 and older ($303). Compared with 

non-Hispanic Whites ($377), both 

Blacks ($446) and Hispanics ($410) 

had higher median monthly benefit 

amounts. People living in femalehouseholder families had lower 

median monthly benefit amounts 

($337) than people living in malehouseholder families ($447) and 

those living in married-couple families ($420). Median monthly benefit 

amounts were higher for adults not 

in the labor force ($472) than for 

those employed full-time ($316), 

employed part-time ($381), and 

those who were unemployed ($352). 
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 23.

Median Monthly Benefit Amount for People Receiving Benefits by Selected

Characteristics: 2009–2012

Note: The dollar amounts are inflation-adjusted to 2012 dollars.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.

Not in labor force

Unemployed

Employed part-time

Employed full-time

Families with a male householder, no wife present

Families with a female householder, no husband present

In married-couple families

Hispanic

Black

Non-Hispanic White

65 years and older

18 to 64 years

Under 18 years

Income-to-poverty

1.00 and over

Income-to-poverty

under 1.00 $449

$410

$303

$393

$377

$447

$377

$447

$420

$446

$352

$337

$472

$381

$316

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the 

population universe) in the 2008 

Panel of the SIPP is the civilian noninstitutionalized population in the 

United States. The SIPP is a longitudinal survey conducted at 4-month 

intervals. The data in this report 

were collected from February 2009 

through April 2013 in Waves 2–14 

of the 2008 SIPP and refer to the 

period from January 2009 through 

December 2012. The institutionalized population, which is excluded 

from the population universe, is 

composed primarily of the population in correctional institutions and 

nursing homes (91 percent of the 

4.1 million institutionalized population in Census 2000).

ACCURACY OF THE 

ESTIMATES

Statistics from surveys are subject 

to sampling and nonsampling error. 

All comparisons presented in this 

report have taken sampling error 

into account and are significant at 

the 90 percent confidence level, 

unless otherwise noted. This means 

the 90 percent confidence interval for the difference between the 
U.S. Census Bureau 15

estimates being compared does not 

include zero. 

Nonsampling errors in surveys 

may be attributed to a variety of 

sources, such as how the survey is 

designed, how respondents interpret questions, how able and willing respondents are to provide correct answers, and how accurately 

the answers are coded and classified. To minimize these errors, the 

U.S. Census Bureau employs quality 

control procedures throughout the 

production process, including the 

overall design of the surveys, the 

wording of questions, the review 

of the work of interviewers and 

coders, and the statistical review of 

reports to minimize these errors.

The SIPP weighting procedure uses 

ratio estimation, whereby sample 

estimates are adjusted to independent estimates of the national 

population by age, race, sex, and 

Hispanic origin. This weighting 

partially corrects for bias due to 

undercoverage, but biases may still 

be present when people who are 

missed by the survey differ from 

those interviewed in ways other 

than age, race, sex, and Hispanic 

origin. How this weighting procedure affects other variables in the 

survey is not precisely known. All 

of these considerations affect comparisons across different surveys or 

data sources.12

For further information on the 

source of the data and accuracy of 

the estimates, including standard 

errors and confidence intervals, go 

to <www.census.gov/content

/dam/Census/programs-surveys

/sipp/tech-documentation/source

-accuracy-statements/2008/

SIPP%202008%20Panel%20Wave%20

04%20-%20Core%20Source%20and

%20Accuracy%20Statements.pdf>.

Additional information on the SIPP, 

including questions on the topical 

modules, can be found at the following Web sites: <www.census

.gov/sipp/> (main SIPP Web site), 

<www.census.gov/programs

-surveys/sipp/tech-documentation

/complete-technical-documentation

/complete-documents-2008.html> 

(2008 Panel Complete Technical 

Documentation), and 

<www.census.gov/programs

-surveys/sipp/methodology/users

-guide.html> (SIPP User’s Guide).

12 For a more detailed discussion of SIPP 

sampling and weighting, see <www.census.gov

/programs-surveys/sipp/methodology.html>.

CONTACTS

For further information on the 

source of the data and accuracy of 

the estimates, including confidence 

intervals, e-mail Tracy Mattingly of 

the Census Bureau’s Demographic 

Statistical Methods Division at 

<tracy.l.mattingly@census.gov> 

or Jamie Choi of the Census 

Bureau’s Demographic Statistical 

Methods Division at <jamie.choi

@census.gov>.

For information on the content of 

the report, e-mail John J. Hisnanick,

Chief, Program Participation 

and Income Transfer Branch at 

<john.j.hisnanick@census.gov> or 

301-763-2295. 

USER COMMENTS

The Census Bureau welcomes the 

comments and advice of users of 

its data and reports. If you have any 

suggestions or comments, please 

e-mail <www.ask.census.gov>.

SUGGESTED CITATION:

Irving, Shelley K. and Tracy A. 

Loveless, “Dynamics of Economic 

Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009–2012: Who 

Gets Assistance?” Current Population Reports, P70-141, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Washington, DC, 2015. 
16 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 1.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Any Major Means-Tested Program by Selected 

Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Participation rates in any means-tested program1

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 44,823 600 48,304 617 49,923 624 52,249 635

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.6 0.2 20.2 0.3 20.9 0.3 21.3 0.3

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio2 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.1 0.8 59.1 0.8 60.5 0.8 61.3 0.8

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 0.2 12.5 0.2 12.7 0.2 13.1 0.2

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.6 0.6 37.3 0.6 38.2 0.6 39.2 0.6

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.7 0.3 15.1 0.3 16.0 0.3 16.6 0.3

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.6 0.6 13.3 0.6 12.9 0.6 12.6 0.5

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.6 0.3 18.3 0.4 18.9 0.4 19.3 0.4

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.4 0.4 22.1 0.4 22.7 0.4 23.2 0.4

 

Race and Hispanic Origin3 

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2 0.3 16.7 0.3 17.4 0.3 17.6 0.3

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 0.3 12.7 0.3 13.2 0.3 13.2 0.3

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.9 0.9 40.9 0.9 41.3 0.9 41.6 0.9

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.9 1.2 18.0 1.3 17.4 1.2 17.8 1.2

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.0 0.8 35.7 0.8 37.2 0.8 36.4 0.7

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.0 0.3 17.2 0.3 17.7 0.3 18.1 0.3

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.0 0.3 20.8 0.3 21.4 0.3 21.8 0.3

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 0.3 13.9 0.3 14.3 0.3 14.7 0.3

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.5 1.3 28.1 1.3 27.9 1.3 29.5 1.3

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 46.3 0.8 48.5 0.8 49.9 0.8 50.0 0.8

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4 0.6 17.5 0.6 18.4 0.6 18.6 0.6

 

Marital Status (people 18 and older) 

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 0.3 9.1 0.3 9.5 0.3 9.8 0.3

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.3 0.7 21.2 0.7 21.7 0.7 22.0 0.7

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 0.6 22.5 0.6 23.3 0.6 24.0 0.6

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.1 1.0 35.9 1.0 37.0 1.1 37.3 1.1

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.8 0.6 19.4 0.6 20.8 0.6 21.6 0.6

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 0.3 8.7 0.3 9.1 0.3 9.6 0.3

 

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 0.2 5.9 0.3 6.4 0.3 6.7 0.3

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 0.6 16.0 0.7 16.5 0.7 17.6 0.7

Unemployed..................................... 28.3 1.5 29.0 1.5 31.0 1.6 33.5 1.7

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.3 0.5 24.4 0.5 24.9 0.5 25.3 0.5

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.5 1.0 42.3 1.0 44.1 1.0 44.7 1.0

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.8 0.3 11.9 0.3 12.3 0.3 13.0 0.3

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.0 0.3 19.4 0.3 20.1 0.3 20.5 0.3

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.6 0.6 24.3 0.7 24.8 0.7 24.8 0.7

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 17

Appendix Table 1.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Any Major Means-Tested Program by Selected 

Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Participation rates in any means-tested program1

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5 0.6 21.2 0.6 21.4 0.6 22.5 0.6

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.5 0.5 17.8 0.5 18.6 0.5 18.4 0.5

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.8 0.4 20.7 0.4 21.7 0.4 22.4 0.4

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5 0.5 21.0 0.6 21.3 0.5 21.2 0.5

1

 Major means-tested programs include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), General Assistance (GA), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and housing assistance. 2

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 3

 Hispanics may be any race. 4

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
18 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 2.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Medicaid by Selected Characteristics: 

2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Medicaid participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 33,607 534 35,558 547 36,256 551 37,520 559

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.9 0.2 14.9 0.2 15.2 0.2 15.3 0.2

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio1 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.5 0.8 44.1 0.8 44.6 0.8 44.3 0.8

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 0.2 9.1 0.2 9.1 0.2 9.3 0.2

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.8 0.6 33.3 0.6 34.0 0.6 34.9 0.6

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 0.2 9.2 0.2 9.4 0.2 9.7 0.2

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 0.5 8.3 0.5 8.1 0.5 7.8 0.4

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.5 0.3 13.5 0.3 13.8 0.3 13.9 0.3

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.3 0.3 16.2 0.3 16.4 0.3 16.6 0.3

 

Race and Hispanic Origin2 

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 0.2 12.3 0.2 12.7 0.2 12.6 0.2

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 0.2 9.3 0.2 9.4 0.2 9.3 0.2

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.3 0.8 29.1 0.8 29.1 0.8 29.3 0.8

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 1.1 14.5 1.1 14.2 1.1 14.2 1.1

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.5 0.7 27.1 0.7 27.9 0.7 26.9 0.7

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 0.2 12.5 0.2 12.7 0.2 12.9 0.2

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.6 0.2 15.7 0.3 16.0 0.3 16.0 0.3

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 0.2 10.4 0.2 10.5 0.2 10.7 0.2

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8 1.2 20.6 1.2 20.9 1.2 21.1 1.2

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 36.2 0.8 37.5 0.8 38.0 0.8 37.3 0.8

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.6 0.5 10.8 0.5 11.1 0.5 11.4 0.5

 

Marital Status (people 18 and older) 

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 0.2 5.1 0.2 5.1 0.2 5.2 0.2

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.0 0.6 12.9 0.6 13.0 0.6 13.1 0.6

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4 0.5 14.8 0.5 15.0 0.5 15.3 0.5

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.7 0.9 22.7 0.9 23.1 0.9 22.7 0.9

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 0.5 11.8 0.5 12.3 0.5 12.8 0.5

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 0.2 5.2 0.2 5.3 0.2 5.5 0.2

 

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.2 2.6 0.2 2.5 0.2 2.7 0.2

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 0.5 9.2 0.6 9.3 0.6 9.6 0.6

Unemployed..................................... 16.0 1.2 15.9 1.2 15.9 1.3 16.4 1.3

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.6 0.5 16.8 0.5 17.1 0.5 17.2 0.5

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.0 1.0 31.7 1.0 33.3 1.0 33.1 1.0

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 0.2 7.0 0.2 6.9 0.2 7.3 0.2

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.6 0.2 14.4 0.2 14.8 0.2 15.0 0.2

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.6 0.6 17.1 0.6 17.1 0.6 16.8 0.6

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 19

Appendix Table 2.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Medicaid by Selected Characteristics: 

2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Medicaid participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.6 0.5 16.7 0.6 16.7 0.6 17.3 0.6

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 0.4 13.0 0.5 13.1 0.5 12.8 0.5

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.0 0.4 14.0 0.4 14.6 0.4 14.8 0.4

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.8 0.5 16.8 0.5 16.8 0.5 16.9 0.5

1

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 2

 Hispanics may be any race. 3

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
20 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 3.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

(SNAP) by Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

SNAP participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 23,254 472 28,970 501 31,239 518 33,032 530

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.5 0.2 12.1 0.2 13.1 0.2 13.4 0.2

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio1 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.3 0.8 44.9 0.8 46.9 0.8 47.8 0.8

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 0.1 5.6 0.2 6.1 0.2 6.4 0.2

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.6 0.5 21.1 0.5 22.4 0.5 22.9 0.6

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 0.2 10.0 0.2 10.9 0.3 11.5 0.3

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 0.4 6.1 0.4 6.6 0.4 6.9 0.4

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 0.3 10.6 0.3 11.4 0.3 11.8 0.3

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.9 0.3 13.5 0.3 14.6 0.3 15.0 0.3

 

Race and Hispanic Origin2 

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 0.2 9.4 0.2 10.4 0.2 10.6 0.2

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 0.2 7.3 0.2 8.0 0.2 8.1 0.2

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.0 0.8 29.0 0.8 30.1 0.9 30.1 0.8

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 0.7 7.5 0.9 7.5 0.9 7.9 0.8

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.3 0.6 20.8 0.6 22.7 0.7 22.0 0.6

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 0.2 10.5 0.2 11.2 0.2 11.7 0.2

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.9 0.2 12.6 0.2 13.5 0.2 13.8 0.2

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 0.2 7.1 0.2 7.7 0.2 8.1 0.2

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 1.1 17.2 1.1 17.2 1.1 18.8 1.1

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 31.4 0.8 34.8 0.8 37.0 0.8 36.7 0.8

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 0.4 10.0 0.5 11.1 0.5 11.7 0.5

 

Marital Status (people 18 and older) 

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 0.2 5.7 0.2 6.3 0.2 6.6 0.2

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 0.5 13.4 0.6 14.4 0.6 14.8 0.6

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 0.5 14.0 0.5 15.0 0.5 15.7 0.5

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.2 0.8 23.6 0.9 25.1 0.9 26.4 1.0

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4 0.4 12.0 0.5 13.7 0.5 14.4 0.5

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 0.2 5.3 0.2 5.8 0.2 6.1 0.2

 

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 0.2 3.8 0.2 4.3 0.2 4.5 0.2

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 0.5 10.1 0.6 11.2 0.6 12.0 0.6

Unemployed..................................... 21.1 1.4 22.3 1.4 24.7 1.5 26.8 1.6

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.9 0.4 14.5 0.4 15.5 0.5 16.1 0.4

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.0 0.9 25.9 0.9 27.7 0.9 28.7 0.9

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 0.2 7.7 0.2 8.4 0.2 8.8 0.2

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 0.2 11.4 0.2 12.4 0.2 12.8 0.2

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.1 0.5 15.7 0.6 16.5 0.6 16.7 0.6

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 21

Appendix Table 3.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

(SNAP) by Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

SNAP participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1 0.5 12.1 0.5 13.2 0.5 13.7 0.5

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.0 0.4 11.2 0.4 12.4 0.4 12.4 0.4

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 0.3 13.7 0.4 14.8 0.4 15.5 0.4

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 0.4 10.5 0.4 10.8 0.4 10.9 0.4

1

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 2

 Hispanics may be any race. 3

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
22 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 4.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Housing Assistance by Selected Characteristics: 

2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Housing assistance participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 10,097 309 10,110 309 10,338 313 10,248 311

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 0.1 4.2 0.1 4.3 0.1 4.2 0.1

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio1 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.8 0.6 14.5 0.6 14.8 0.6 14.4 0.5

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.1 2.2 0.1 2.2 0.1 2.1 0.1

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 0.3 6.2 0.3 6.2 0.3 6.1 0.3

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.1 3.3 0.1 3.5 0.2 3.4 0.1

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 0.4 5.1 0.4 4.8 0.4 4.2 0.3

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.2 3.3 0.2 3.3 0.2 3.3 0.2

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 0.2 5.2 0.2 5.3 0.2 5.0 0.2

 

Race and Hispanic Origin2

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.1 2.5 0.1 2.5 0.1 2.4 0.1

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.1 2.0 0.1 2.0 0.1 1.9 0.1

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.5 0.7 15.4 0.7 15.8 0.7 14.5 0.6

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.5 3.3 0.6 3.7 0.6 3.9 0.6

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 0.4 5.9 0.4 5.8 0.4 5.3 0.3

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 0.1 3.9 0.1 4.0 0.1 3.9 0.1

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 0.1 3.8 0.1 3.8 0.1 3.7 0.1

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.3 0.1

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.5 2.5 0.5 2.6 0.5 2.3 0.4

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 15.0 0.6 15.2 0.6 15.4 0.6 14.7 0.6

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 0.4 6.6 0.4 6.8 0.4 6.5 0.4

Marital Status (people 18 and older)

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 0.4 6.6 0.4 6.5 0.4 6.1 0.4

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 0.4 6.7 0.4 7.0 0.4 6.7 0.4

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 0.6 9.4 0.6 9.3 0.6 8.9 0.6

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 0.3 4.6 0.3 5.1 0.3 4.8 0.3

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.1 2.1 0.1 2.1 0.1 2.1 0.1

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.1 1.1 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 0.3 3.3 0.3 3.3 0.3 3.5 0.3

Unemployed..................................... 7.0 0.9 6.3 0.8 7.0 0.9 7.7 1.0

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 0.3 6.8 0.3 6.8 0.3 6.3 0.3

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.8 0.7 10.6 0.7 11.4 0.7 10.7 0.6

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.1 2.4 0.1 2.4 0.1 2.4 0.1

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 0.1 4.3 0.1 4.4 0.1 4.2 0.1

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 0.3 4.1 0.3 4.1 0.3 3.8 0.3

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 23

Appendix Table 4.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Housing Assistance by Selected Characteristics: 

2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

Housing assistance participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 0.4 7.1 0.4 7.4 0.4 7.4 0.4

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 0.3 3.5 0.3 3.5 0.3 3.4 0.2

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 0.2 3.6 0.2 3.6 0.2 3.4 0.2

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 0.3 3.8 0.3 3.9 0.3 3.8 0.3

1

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 2

 Hispanics may be any race. 3

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
24 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 5.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) by Selected 

Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

SSI participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 6,387 248 6,655 253 7,086 261 7,465 267

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.1 2.8 0.1 3.0 0.1 3.0 0.1

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio1 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 0.4 6.3 0.4 6.4 0.4 6.7 0.4

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.1 2.1 0.1 2.3 0.1 2.3 0.1

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.2 1.6 0.2 1.6 0.2 1.8 0.2

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 0.1 2.9 0.1 3.1 0.1 3.2 0.1

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 0.3 4.4 0.3 4.4 0.3 4.3 0.3

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.1 2.5 0.1 2.8 0.2 2.9 0.2

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 0.2 3.0 0.2 3.1 0.2 3.2 0.2

 

Race and Hispanic Origin2 

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.1 2.2 0.1 2.3 0.1 2.3 0.1

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.1 2.0 0.1 2.1 0.1 2.1 0.1

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 0.5 6.4 0.5 6.7 0.5 7.0 0.5

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 0.6 3.5 0.6 3.9 0.6 3.6 0.6

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 0.3 3.2 0.3 3.3 0.3 3.4 0.3

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.1 2.7 0.1 2.9 0.1 3.0 0.1

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.1 2.2 0.1 2.4 0.1 2.5 0.1

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.1 1.4 0.1 1.5 0.1 1.5 0.1

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 0.6 3.4 0.5 3.9 0.6 3.8 0.6

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 0.4 5.6 0.4 5.7 0.4 6.1 0.4

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 0.4 5.5 0.4 5.7 0.4 5.8 0.4

 

Marital Status (people 18 and older) 

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.1 1.4 0.1 1.6 0.1 1.7 0.1

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 0.4 6.1 0.4 6.2 0.4 6.2 0.4

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 0.3 4.9 0.3 5.2 0.3 5.0 0.3

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 0.6 10.0 0.6 10.3 0.7 10.1 0.7

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 0.3 3.9 0.3 4.4 0.3 4.4 0.3

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.1 1.5 0.1 1.7 0.1 1.8 0.1

 

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.1

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.2 1.4 0.2 1.5 0.2 1.7 0.2

Unemployed..................................... 1.2 0.4 1.6 0.4 1.6 0.4 1.6 0.4

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 0.4 8.3 0.3 8.6 0.4 8.4 0.3

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.8 0.8 19.1 0.8 20.2 0.8 20.2 0.8

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.6 0.1

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.1 2.7 0.1 2.9 0.1 3.0 0.1

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.3 3.0 0.3 3.2 0.3 3.4 0.3

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 25

Appendix Table 5.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) by Selected 

Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

SSI participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.3 3.5 0.3 3.7 0.3 3.8 0.3

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.2 2.2 0.2 2.2 0.2 2.1 0.2

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 0.2 2.8 0.2 3.1 0.2 3.3 0.2

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.2 2.8 0.2 2.9 0.2 3.0 0.2

1

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 2

 Hispanics may be any race. 3

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
26 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 6.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 

or General Assistance (GA) by Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

TANF or GA participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 Total number of recipients (in thousands) . . . 2,938 169 2,759 164 2,615 160 2,377 152

As percentage of the population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.1 0.1 1.0 0.1

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio1 

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 0.4 4.6 0.3 4.3 0.3 4.0 0.3

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.4 0.0

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.2 3.2 0.2 3.0 0.2 2.6 0.2

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.1

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.1 1.0 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.8 0.1

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.1 1.3 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.1 0.1

Race and Hispanic Origin2 

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.7 0.1

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.4 0.1

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 0.4 3.4 0.3 3.0 0.3 2.5 0.3

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.2 2.3 0.2 2.4 0.2 1.9 0.2

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.8 0.1

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.1 1.3 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.1 0.1

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.4 0.1

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.3 1.6 0.4 1.4 0.4 1.2 0.3

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 0.4 4.9 0.4 4.6 0.4 3.7 0.3

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.1

 

Marital Status (people 18 and older) 

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.1

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.2 1.1 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.9 0.1

 

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older) 

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.2 1.2 0.2 1.1 0.2 1.2 0.2

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.1 0.7 0.1 0.7 0.1 0.6 0.1

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.0

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older) 

Employed full-time3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.1

Unemployed..................................... 2.0 0.5 1.5 0.4 1.7 0.4 1.6 0.4

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.9 0.1

 

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old) 

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.3 1.6 0.3 1.6 0.3 1.5 0.3

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.1 1.1 0.1 1.1 0.1 1.0 0.1

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.2 1.2 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.9 0.1

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 27

Appendix Table 6.

Average Monthly Participation Rates for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 

or General Assistance (GA) by Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In percent)

Characteristic

TANF or GA participation rate

2009

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2010

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2011

Margin 

of error 

(±) 2012

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.2 1.4 0.2 1.7 0.2 1.5 0.2

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 1.0 0.1 0.9 0.1

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.2 1.9 0.2 1.7 0.2 1.5 0.2

1

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 2

 Hispanics may be any race. 3

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.
28 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 7.

Median Monthly Benefit Amount for People Receiving Means-Tested Program Benefits by 

Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In dollars)

Characteristic

Median monthly benefit amount1

All 

programs

Margin 

of error 

(±)

TANF/

GA

Margin 

of error 

(±) SSI

Margin 

of error 

(±) SNAP

Margin 

of error 

(±)

 All recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 11 321 16 698 11 300 7

 

Family Income-to-Poverty Ratio2

Under 1.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 15 321 26 642 61 361 8

1.00 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 12 321 38 725 32 240 13

Age 

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 16 340 38 330 69 385 8

18 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 13 316 14 734 22 273 9

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 39 277 185 633 61 138 9

 

Sex 

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 14 319 25 700 9 292 12

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 12 321 24 693 13 306 10

Race and Hispanic Origin3

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 9 330 32 698 14 294 13

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 15 301 30 693 18 267 18

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446 25 316 25 688 18 316 22

Asian or Pacific Islander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 162 329 357 838 89 238 23

Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 23 343 50 711 29 336 18

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401 14 313 19 694 13 287 14

 

Family Status 

In families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 15 327 29 698 12 337 9

Married-couple families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 14 342 44 722 48 346 14

Male householder, no wife present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 17 319 25 677 40 330 14

Female householder, no husband present . . . . . . . . . . . 337 34 403 98 701 55 229 34

Unrelated individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 11 209 64 695 15 141 7

Marital Status (people 18 and older)

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 19 332 44 773 54 314 15

Separated, divorced, or widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 24 313 29 694 15 197 7

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 21 306 16 721 26 248 15

Educational Attainment (people 18 and older)

Less than high school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439 29 300 31 717 21 262 17

High school graduate, no college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411 26 351 37 744 30 256 19

One or more years of college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 11 294 22 700 9 230 16

Employment and Labor Force Status 

(people 18 and older)

Employed full-time4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 12 294 42 698 60 265 16

Employed part-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 15 393 51 710 57 304 19

Unemployed..................................... 352 20 346 33 710 77 289 38

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 22 300 28 717 13 211 5

Disability Status (people 15 to 64 years old)

With a work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577 30 279 31 739 22 206 3

With no work disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 11 342 31 705 33 314 11

 

Residence 

Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 14 325 29 700 8 296 12

Nonmetropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 20 274 78 677 34 317 17

 See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 29

Appendix Table 7.

Median Monthly Benefit Amount for People Receiving Means-Tested Program Benefits by 

Selected Characteristics: 2009–2012—Con.

(In dollars)

Characteristic

Median monthly benefit amount1

All 

programs

Margin 

of error 

(±)

TANF/

GA

Margin 

of error 

(±) SSI

Margin 

of error 

(±) SNAP

Margin 

of error 

(±)

Region 

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 41 251 59 717 28 237 23

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 17 345 30 660 38 306 17

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 10 244 30 686 15 299 11

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 38 431 60 774 65 326 28

1 The dollar amounts are inflation-adjusted to 2012 dollars. 2

 Family income-to-poverty threshold ratio reflects the monthly poverty status. A ratio under 1.00 indicates that a person is in poverty, whereas a ratio of higher 

than or equal to 1.00 indicates that a person is not in poverty. 3

 Hispanics may be any race. 4

 Full-time and part-time employment reflect the monthly employment status.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2008 Panel, Waves 2–14.