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Background 

One important measure of a program’s 

performance is its 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 

Food Stamp Program (FSP) in an average month 

in fiscal year 2004 and in the 2 previous 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 the FSP 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 participation rate among all 

eligible persons was 60 percent in fiscal year 

2004. The participation rate for 

eligible working poor 

individuals was 51 percent, a 

significant difference of 9 

percentage points. 

Findings 

• Although State food stamp 

participation rates for all 

eligible persons rose over 

this period, they continue to 

vary widely. In fiscal year 

2004, estimated rates for all 

eligible persons ranged from 

just below 50 percent in 

several States to over 80 in 

several others. 

• In every State, food stamp 

participation rates for 

working poor individuals 

were below the rates for all eligible persons. 

In 10 States, the working poor rate was more 

than 9 percentage points lower than the rate for 

all eligible persons. 

• Some States had consistently high 

participation rates relative to other States in 

all 3 fiscal years. In each year from 2002 to 

2004, Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Maine, 

West Virginia, Louisiana, Hawaii and Kentucky 

had significantly higher participation rates than 

two-thirds of the States. 

• Some States had consistently low 

participation rates relative to other States. 

New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Wyoming had 

significantly lower rates than two-thirds of the 

States in all 3 fiscal years. 

• With a few exceptions, a State ranked at the 

top or bottom of the distribution of 

participation rates for all eligible persons was 

similarly ranked for participation by 

working poor persons. 

REACHING THOSE IN NEED: STATE FOOD STAMP 

PARTICIPATION RATES IN 2004 

SUMMARY

Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation October 2006 
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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, within a 

State over time and between population and 

subgroup estimates. 

For More Information 

Cunnyngham, Karen E., Laura A. Castner and 

Allen L. Schirm. Reaching Those in Need: 

State Food Stamp Participation Rates in 2004. 

Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. 

for the Food and Nutrition Service. October 

2006. 

Barrett, Allison, and Anni Poikolainen. Food 

Stamp Program Participation Rates: 2004. 

Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. 

for the Food and Nutrition Service. June 2006. 

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, 

color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual 

orientation, genetic information , political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from 

any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 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 USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer.