Report: 70% of All Food Stamp Recipients Had No Earned Income

A new report shows that some 70 percent of households that relied on food stamps last year, had no earned income. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 40 million individuals and nearly 19 million households tapped the food stamp program in 2010. The USDA's annual snapshot on the characteristics of food stamp households shows that seven in 10 households receiving food stamps had no earned income last year, though many got other forms of government benefits.

Key Points:

–Food stamps may be emerging as a lifeline for families after their unemployment insurance expired. Just 6.7% of households who received food stamps were getting jobless benefits.

– Nearly half of all food-stamp recipients, 47%, were children under the age of 18. Another 8% of recipients were age 60 or older.

– Whites made up the largest share of food stamp households, 35.7%. Some 22% of households receiving food stamps were counted as African American and 10% were Hispanic.

–U.S. born citizens made up the majority, 94%, of food stamp households.

Read more:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/SNAP/FILES/Participation/2010CharacteristicsSummary.pdf