Statistics

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, statistics for the food stamp program are as follows:

    * 51 percent of all participants are children (17 or younger), and 65 percent of them live in single-parent households.
    * 55 percent of food stamp households include children.
    * 9 percent of all participants are elderly (age 60 or over).
    * 79 percent of all benefits go to households with children, 14 percent go to households with disabled persons, and 7 percent go to households with elderly persons.
    * 36 percent of households with children were headed by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of whom were women.
    * The average household size is 2.3 persons.
    * The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $640.
    * 41 percent of participants are white; 36 percent are African-American, non-Hispanic; 18 percent are Hispanic; 3 percent are Asian, 2 percent are Native American, and 1 percent are of unknown race or ethnicity.

An annual report released by the USDA about the composition of households participating in the Food Stamp Program is identified as the Characteristics Report.