Background 

This report is the latest in a series of publications 

presenting estimates of the percentage of eligible 

persons, by State, who participate in the Food 

Stamp Program. This issue presents food stamp 

participation rates for States in an average month 

in fiscal year 2001 and for the two previous 

fiscal years. These estimates differ slightly from 

those reported last year because of the change in 

the reference period from the month of 

September to the average month across the fiscal 

year, and improvements in data and methods. 

Findings 

Food stamp participation rates continue to vary 

widely among States in fiscal year 2001. 

Estimated rates in some States were below 50 

percent; in others, the estimated rates exceeded 

70 percent. 

Some States have had consistently high 

participation rates relative to other States. In all 

3 fiscal years from 1999 to 2001, West Virginia, 

Hawaii, Maine, Kentucky, the District of 

Columbia, Michigan, and Vermont have had 

significantly higher participation rates than twothirds of the States. Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, 

Alaska, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania have had 

significantly higher rates than half of the States. 

Some States have had consistently low 

participation rates relative to other States. 

Kansas, California, New Jersey, and Florida 

have had significantly lower rates than half of 

the States in all three years. North Carolina, 

Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Nevada, and 

Massachusetts have had significantly lower rates 

than two-thirds of the States. In most States, 

participation rates remained unchanged between 

fiscal year 2000 and 2001. Although the margin 

of error in estimating changes in a State's rates 

over short periods can be substantial, the data 

suggests that food stamp participation rates may 

have improved in Oregon, North Dakota and 

Wisconsin. 

The estimates are derived using a statistical 

approach known as shrinkage estimation that 

draws on data from the Current Population 

Survey, the decennial census, and administrative 

records. The shrinkage estimator averages direct 

sample estimates of participation rates with 

predictions from a regression model based on 

indicators of socioeconomic conditions. 

Shrinkage estimates are substantially more 

precise than direct sample estimates from the 

Current Population Survey even though larger 

sample sizes in recent years improved the 

precision of direct estimates for States with 

smaller populations. Nevertheless, the estimated 

participation rates are still based on fairly small 

samples of households in many States, and the 

uncertainty associated with these estimates is 

substantial. Users of these data should take the 

estimated confidence intervals into account 

when interpreting differences between States 

and within a State over time. 

REACHING THOSE IN NEED: FOOD STAMP PARTICIPATION

RATES IN THE STATES IN 2001

Office of Research and Analysis February 2004

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