SNAP access rates in Texas are typically lower for Spanish speakers from linguistically isolated households

A household’s lack of English proficiency can pose a barrier to the receipt of needed food assistance. The U.S. Census Bureau developed the concept of “linguistic isolation” to measure the numbers and characteristics of households that might have difficulty interacting with government and social services. According to the Census Bureau definition, a household is considered linguistically isolated if all adults speak a language other than English and none speaks English “very well.” Estimates from Texas administrative records for USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) linked to the American Community Survey reveal that in six of Texas’ largest counties, SNAP access rates are typically lower for Spanish-speaking households that are linguistically isolated relative to those that are not (i.e., at least one adult in the household speaks English “very well”). One exception is Hildago County, in which the SNAP access rates for the two groups are roughly equal. County-level estimates like these—generated by linking survey data and administrative records—can provide SNAP administrators with important information about areas in which language barriers or other household characteristics may be linked to lower SNAP participation rates. This chart appears in “Illuminating SNAP Performance Using the Power of Administrative Data” in the November 2016 issue of ERS’s Amber Waves magazine.

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