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Background 

This report is the latest in a series presenting 

estimates of the percentage of eligible persons, by 

State, who participate in the Food Stamp Program. 

The participation rate – a ratio of the number of 

participants to the number of people eligible for 

benefits – is an important measure of program 

performance. 

The report presents food stamp participation rates for 

States in an average month in fiscal year 2002 and 

the two previous fiscal years. These estimates are 

lower than the estimates in previous reports for 

several reasons. Although the average monthly 

number of participants rose about 2 million across all 

States from fiscal year 2000 to 2002, even more 

families and individuals became eligible for program 

benefits. The expansion in the eligible population 

reflects (a) the updated limits on the value of vehicles 

than an eligible household can own, (b) the 

program’s response to changing economic 

conditions, and (c) technical changes that improved 

the accuracy of the estimates. Nationally, the 

participation rate among eligible persons declined 

from 55.7 percent in fiscal year 2000 to 53.8 percent 

in fiscal year 2002. 

Findings 

• Food stamp participation rates continue to 

vary widely among States in fiscal year 2002. 

Estimated rates were below 45 percent in some 

States and above 65 percent in others. 

• Some States have had consistently high 

participation rates relative to other States. In 

all three years from 2000 to 2002, Oregon, 

Hawaii, West Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, 

Kentucky, the District of Columbia, Michigan, 

and Vermont had significantly higher 

participation rates than two-thirds of the States. 

Tennessee, Alaska, and Vermont had 

significantly higher rates than half of the States. 

• Some States have had consistently low 

participation rates relative to other States. 

Kansas, New Hampshire, Colorado, Florida and 

New Jersey had significantly lower rates than 

half of the States in all three years. Texas, North 

Carolina, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and 

Massachusetts had significantly lower rates than 

two-thirds of the States. 

• In most States, participation rates remained 

unchanged between fiscal year 2000 and 2002. 

Although the margin of error when estimating 

changes in State rates over short periods can be 

substantial, the data suggest that food stamp 

participation rates may have improved in 

Oregon, Indiana and Arizona. Participation rates 

may have declined in Hawaii, West Virginia, the 

District of Columbia, Maine, Vermont, 

Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. 

The estimates are derived using a statistical approach 

known as shrinkage estimation that draws on data 

from the Current Population Survey, 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. 

For More Information 

Castner, L.A., and A.L. Schirm (2005). Reaching 

Those in Need: State Food Stamp Participation 

Rates in 2002. Prepared by Mathematica Policy 

Research, Inc., for the Food and Nutrition Service. 

(Available on-line at www.fns.usda.gov/fns.) 

Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation (2004). 

Explaining Changes in Food Stamp 

Participation Rates. Alexandria, VA: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture. (Available on-line at 

www.fns.usda.gov/fns.) 

REACHING THOSE IN NEED: STATE FOOD STAMP 

PARTICIPATION RATES IN 2002 

SUMMARY

Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation March 2005 
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race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family 

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To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 

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