SNAP Participation Compared to 150% of Poverty

The charts below shows the number of individuals below 150% of poverty (using ACS 2008-10 data, except where noted) compared to the number of individuals participating in SNAP during December 2011. The percentage given reflects the percentage of people below 150% of poverty who are participating in SNAP. All 67 PA counties have been placed into 1 of the 9 categories below, based on population size.

Statewide, only 69.4% of people below 150% of poverty participated in SNAP last December, equating to nearly 785,000 SNAP eligibles who are not enrolled. Though SNAP critics account for the sharp increase in participation to liberal policies and fraud (despite PA's lower than 1% fraud rate), these figures clearly show that the need continues to exceed participation in the program. Through pushing for improvements to accessibility and outreach efforts, advocates across the state are working every day to narrow this gap.

aaaaaaaa