In response to the economic downturn and increasing food prices, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) raised the maximum Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit by 13.6 percent, effective April 2009. This study identifies how spending patterns, such as the rate at...

This report estimates states’ need for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program’s effectiveness from 2006 to 2008. The estimated numbers of people eligible for SNAP measure the need for the program. The estimated SNAP participation rates measure, state by state,...