The number of people on food stamps, now called SNAP, exceeded 40 million in 2010. To qualify for SNAP, you must fall below gross income, net income, and resources thresholds. There are quite a few exclusions from resources (home, vehicles used for income), but otherwise, you can't have more than $2,000 in the bank. Gross income limits for a family of 4 is $2,389 and net income is $1,838. The formula for meeting the net income threshold also has quite a few deductions, but is considered the poverty level. Full details are here:
SNAP eligibility
The SNAP participation rate as a percent of US population has rocketed to a record 13.1%. Even without the rise from the 2008 crash, the trend line (dashed line) has been up since the program began.
Hi! I'm the guy who has the "Illusion of Prosperity" blog in your blog list.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time reading your blog today. Looks good. I'm adding you to my blog list.
Your first chart in this post needs a correction though. You say millions but it should be thousands.
Fixed!
ReplyDeleteExcellent. :)
ReplyDeleteA previous post of yours inspired me to create a chart today.
I compared the inflation adjusted US government debt to the inflation adjusted price of silver from 1913 to 2008.
http://illusionofprosperity.blogspot.com/2011/01/us-government-debt-vs-silver.html