Things you don’t hear about on TV: 1 in 6 Americans receive food stamps, By Mercedes White, July 17, 2013, Deseret News: “American food-stamp use rose nearly 3 percent between April 2012 and April 2013 according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Data from the Department of Agriculture shows that enrollment for food stamps (SNAP) is 47.5 million, or one in six Americans. An interactive map put together by the Wall Street Journal shows a state by state comparison of food stamp enrollment, along with information factors that likely contributed to higher enrollment in particular states. With 22 percent of residents relying on food stamps, Mississippi is at the top of the list for states with high enrollment in food support programs. The higher enrollment in Mississippi can be traced back to Hurricane Katerina in 2005 and the economic downturn of 2008, according to the Wall Street Journal. In Oregon, New Mexico, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky, one in five residents receives food stamps. Wyoming had the smallest share of its population on food stamps — 7 percent. Although food stamp use is pervasive, hunger is a relatively unexamined issue in American media…”…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty