The recession may be over, but the number of Americans using food stamps continues to soar, up 17 percent over year ago levels, according to a report posted on The Wall Street Journal's website.
A stunning 42,389,619 now use food stamps, up 58.5 percent from August 2007, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data from August cited in the story.
That means nearly 14 percent of American households are still relying on government assistance to buy food as the economy continues to batter families. The total was up 1.3 percent from July.
The numbers range widely from state to state, with 20 percent or more using federal assistance to buy food in Mississippi, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. By contrast less than 10 percent of people in nine states led by Wyoming, New Jersey and new Hampshire.
Idaho saw the largest jump in food stamp recipients over the past year, rising 38.8 percent, but the rolls are fairly low with just 211,883 state residents collecting food stamps in August, of 13.7 percent of the population. The average benefit size per person nationwide in August was $133.90, while the average benefit size per household was $287.82, according to the Journal, which has a nice state-by-state breakdown here.
Food stamps, of course, no longer come in stamp form but instead are distributed through a type of debit card. The program was renamed several years ago and is now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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