Food Stamp Program Entry and Exit: An Analysis of Participation Trends in the 1990s

By Scott Cody, Phil Gleason, Bruce Schechter, Miki Satake, and Julie Sykes. ERS project representative: Kenneth Hanson

Contractor and Cooperator Report No. (CCR8) 101 pp, July 2005

This study examines the degree to which changes in entry and exit patterns into and out of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) contributed to the FSP caseload growth of the early 1990s and to the decline of the late 1990s. A rise in the FSP entry rate was the driving force behind caseload growth in the early 1990s. However, individuals tended to stay longer in the FSP during this period than at other points of the 1990s, which also contributed to the growth. Caseload decline of the late 1990s was driven predominantly by shorter participation length, although lower entry rates also contributed. The entry rate for single mothers remained relatively constant over the 1990s, but participation length declined in the late 1990s. Despite eligibility restrictions in the late 1990s, the entry rate for noncitizens also remained fairly constant. While the entry rate for able-bodied adults fell after time limits were imposed in the mid-1990s, their participation length appeared unaffected by these limits, which may reflect the tendency for able-bodied adults to have short participation spells even without time limits. Among all new entrants in the FSP in the 1990s, more than half exited the program within 8 months and two-thirds exited within 1 year. Among individuals participating in the FSP for longer than 1 year, the typical participation length declined over the 1990s.

Keywords: Food Stamp Program, FSP, food assistance, caseloads, FSPQC, SIPP, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP, ERS, USDA

In this report ...

Chapters are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

• Abstract, Acknowledgements, and Contents, 117 kb
• Introduction, 111 kb
• FSP Rates of Entry and Exit, 212 kb
• Trends in Participation Spells, 227 kb
• Conclusions, 45 kb
• References, 21 kb
• Appendix A: Inconsistencies in SIPP Data, 57 kb
• Appendix B: Results From Regressions to Adjust SIPP Replacement and Exit Rates for Increased Volitility in 1996 Panel, 21 kb

• Entire Document, 806 kb

Updated date: July 26, 2005