As joblessness increases, wages fall, food prices rise and hunger grows, millions more Americans are seeking SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. (SNAP is the acronym for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the new federal name of the Food Stamp Program.) Growth in the program has been so pronounced that, as of August 2008 (the last month for which data have been released):
* In nearly one-half of the states (22 states plus the District of Columbia), at least one in ten residents was receiving SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. Those states are: Mississippi; District of Columbia; Missouri; Louisiana; West Virginia; Kentucky; Tennessee; South Carolina; Maine; Arkansas; Oregon; Alabama; New Mexico; Michigan; Oklahoma; Georgia; Texas; North Carolina; Arizona; New York; Illinois; Indiana; and Ohio.

* In 14 of those states, more than one in eight residents was receiving SNAP/Food Stamps. Those states are: Mississippi; District of Columbia; Missouri; Louisiana; West Virginia; Kentucky; Tennessee; South Carolina; Maine; Arkansas; Oregon; Alabama; New Mexico; and Michigan.
Click here for state-by-state numbers. (pdf)

The number of people receiving SNAP/Food Stamps nationally has grown from 26.3 million in April 2007 to 29.5 million in August 2008. Experts predict this number will rise by millions more in the months ahead.

While lower ratios in some wealthier states may mean that fewer people are eligible, the lower ratios also reflect the relatively poor job that some states are doing in connecting eligible low-income families to benefits. For example, six of the ten states with the lowest ratios of participants in August 2008 (Wyoming, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Colorado, California, and Maryland) rank among the 13 worst states in the nation in reaching eligible people, according to USDA data for state participation rates in 2005 (the most recent available).

The fact that nearly half the states have more than one in ten residents receiving SNAP/Food Stamps underlines as well how critical it is - for both low-income people and the economy - for Congress to quickly enact a boost in SNAP/Food Stamp allotments and also help states handle rising caseloads by providing increased funds for administrative costs. SNAP/Food Stamp benefits are falling further and further behind inflation, and economists from all across the political spectrum say that, dollar-for-dollar, increased SNAP/Food Stamp benefits are the best stimulus.