Empirical Bayes Shrinkage Estimates of State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2009-2011 for All Eligible People and the Working Poor

This report presents estimates that, for each state, measure the need for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program’s effectiveness in fiscal years 2009 through 2011. The estimated number of people eligible for SNAP measure the need for the program. The estimated SNAP participation rates measure the program’s performance in reaching its target population. In addition to the participation rates that pertain to all eligible people, the report presents estimates of participation rates for the “working poor,†that is, people who were eligible for SNAP and lived in households in which someone earned income from a job.