• 03
  • February
    2011

Although economists and government analysts continue to maintain that the U.S. economy is well into the recovery stage, many Americans would probably disagree as they continue to deal with unemployment, debt, foreclosure and bankruptcy in record numbers. One indicator of Americans' ongoing financial struggles is the over 14 percent increase in the receipt and use of food stamps throughout the United States from 2009 to 2010.

According to a recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture, over 43 million Americans relied on food stamps for their food purchases and consumption in November of 2010. This number, which was a 0.9 percent increase from food stamp use during the month of October 2010, indicates that more than 14 percent of the United States population is currently receiving food stamps.

The increase from October to November followed the now years-long trend of month-to-month and year-to-year increases in food stamp use. From November of 2009 to November of 2010, the receipt of food stamps increased by over 14 percent throughout the county. New Mexico reported the greatest increase, with a 3.2 jump from November of 2009. Several states, such as Idaho, Washington, D.C., Florida, Delaware and Texas, reported similar increases, indicating that Americans' debt problems persist in all parts of the country.

The state of Tennessee reported a similar increase, with over 1.2 million residents received food stamps in November of 2010. This number represents almost 20 percent of the state's population. Over 78,000 more people received food stamps in 2010 than did in 2009, which is an increase of 1.2 percent.

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Some 43 Million Use Food Stamps", Sara Murray, 2 February 2011