More than one in five Mississippians is on food stamps
By Zachary Roth | The Lookout – 18 hrs ago
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Bill Ricker, 74, of Hartford, Maine is on food stamps. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
More than one in five Mississippians is on food stamps, according to a government report that shows the number of Americans on government-sponsored food assistance continues to rise.
Fifteen percent of Americans, or 45.8 million people, participate in the food stamp program--officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)--according to a report from the Department of Agriculture. In the last year, as unemployment has remained high, the number of people receiving food stamps has risen 8.1 percent.
Fully 21.5 percent of Mississippi residents are on food stamps. After Mississippi, the states with the highest levels of food-stamp use are New Mexico (20.7 percent), Oregon (20.6), Tennessee (20.2), and Louisiana (19.9).
Go to the Wall Street Journal for an interactive map showing food stamp use state-by-state. |
