The effect of SNAP on poverty

The SNAP program cost one half of one percent, according to a 2013 estimate by Robert Moffitt. For that amount we get a 16 percent reduction in poverty (8 million fewer poor people) after an adjustment for underreporting, based on USDA Administrative data. Moreover we get a 41 percent cut in the poverty gap, which measures the depth of poverty and a 54 percent decline in the severity of poverty, when we add SNAP benefits to Census money incomes and recalculate the official poverty rate.

Research

SNAP Poverty

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PDF icon DP2013-06_tiehen et al.pdf

Author(s)

Laura Tiehen Dean Jolliffe Timothy Smeeding

URL

The effect of SNAP on poverty