Background 

One important measure of a program’s 

performance is the ability to reach its target 

population. This report – the latest in an annual 

series – presents estimates of the percentage of 

eligible persons, by State, who participated in the 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

(SNAP) during an average month in fiscal year 

2009 and in the 2 previous fiscal years. 

This report also presents estimates of State 

participation rates for eligible “working poor” 

individuals (persons in households with earnings) 

over the same period. Although SNAP provides 

an important support for working families, the 

working poor have participated at rates that are 

substantially below those for all eligible persons. 

The addition of State-by-State information on 

participation among the working poor enables a 

comparison of these rates to the overall 

participation rates. 

Nationally, the SNAP participation rate 

among all eligible persons was 72 percent 

(Leftin, 2011) in fiscal year 2009. The 

participation rate for eligible working poor 

individuals was significantly lower (in a 

statistical sense) at 60 percent. 

Findings 

• SNAP participation rates for all eligible 

persons varied widely from State to State in 

fiscal year 2009. State participation rates 

ranged from a low of 53 percent to a high 

of 100 percent. 

• Eighteen States had rates that were 

significantly higher than the national rate, 

and 12 States had rates significantly lower. 

REACHING THOSE IN NEED: STATE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION 

ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PARTICIPATION RATES IN 2009 

Office of Research and Analysis December 2011 

• In 35 States, the participation rate for the 

working poor was significantly lower than the 

rate for all SNAP-eligible persons. Working 

poor rates were not significantly different than 

the rate for all eligible persons in 16 States. 

• Some States had consistently high participation 

rates relative to other States in all 3 fiscal years. 

In each year from 2007 to 2009, Iowa, Illinois, 

Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, 

Washington and West Virginia had significantly 

higher participation rates than two-thirds of the 

States. 

• Some States had consistently low participation 

rates relative to other States. California, New 

Jersey, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming had 

significantly lower rates than two-thirds of the 

States in all 3 fiscal years. 

 
Methodological Notes 

The estimates are derived using a statistical 

approach known as shrinkage estimation, which 

draws on data from the Current Population Survey, 

American Community Survey, 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. 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, within a 

State over time, and between estimates for all 

eligibles and the working poor. 

Periodically, improvements are made in the 

methods for estimating the direct sample estimates 

of SNAP-eligible persons that are used in the 

shrinkage estimation. The participation rates cited 

in this report are not directly comparable to those 

presented in prior year reports because of some 

improvements to the methodology, which are 

described in Leftin (2011).

Since the focus of this report is on participation by 

persons eligible for SNAP benefits, the estimate of 

eligible persons in California is adjusted to reflect 

the fact that about 1.3 million Supplemental 

Security Income (SSI) recipients receive a small 

cash benefit for food assistance and are not legally 

eligible to receive SNAP benefits. In the absence 

of this exclusion, about half of this number of SSI 

recipients would be eligible for SNAP under 

current program rules. 

For More Information 

Cunnyngham, Karen E. Reaching Those in Need: 

State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

Participation Rates in 2009. Prepared by 

Mathematica Policy Research for the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition 

Service. December 2011. 

Leftin, Joshua, Esa Eslami, and Mark Strayer. 

Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program Participation Rates: Fiscal Year 2002 to 

Fiscal Year 2009. Prepared by Mathematica 

Policy Research for the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. August 

2011. 

Available online at www.fns.usda.gov/ora. 

Acknowledgement 

This summary was prepared by Christine Kissmer, 

Office of Research and Analysis, Food and 

Nutrition Service. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of 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, political beliefs, genetic information, 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 communication of program information (Braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

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

S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or 

(866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer.