| Identifiers |
| STATE_CD |
Two-digit U.S. Postal Service code identifying State. |
| STFIPS |
Two-digit Federal Information Processing Standards
(FIPS) code identifying State. |
| |
|
| County-level file only: |
| FIPS |
FIPS code. |
| FIPSTXT |
FIPS code in text format with leading zeros. |
| COFIPS |
County code portion of total FIPS code (last three
digits), not unique across States. |
| CODEF |
Source of county definition: BEA_ONLY for Bureau
of Economic Analysis, CEN_ONLY for Census Bureau,
and CEN_BEA for both Census Bureau and BEA using same
definition. |
| CONAME |
County name and two-digit State identifier. |
| URBCODE |
2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Code per ERS. For more information about the rural-urban code, see 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes. |
| METRO |
Metro/nonmetro code per U. S. Census Bureau. For
the metropolitan/non-metropolitan codes used in the
data set, see New
Definitions for 2003. |
|
| SNAP
participant counts Participation counts are provided by the Small Area Income
& Poverty Estimates program of the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the Census
Bureau’s website, the Census Bureau obtains
raw data from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.
For most States, the Census Bureau uses counts of participants
for the month of July, although some States can provide
data only for other reference periods.
For state-level figures, the Census Bureau calculates the number of participants as a 12-month average running from July to June.
|
| PRGNUMxx |
Estimated number of active SNAP/Food Stamp Program
(FSP) program participants. The last two digits (xx)
indicate the year for the data. Data are available
for 1989, 1993, 1995, and every year from 1997 through
2008. |
| |
These data are provided by the Small Area Income
& Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) section of the U.S. Census
Bureau. The original data come from the Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS), USDA. |
| |
For the county-level file, participant counts are
usually for the month of July. The Census Bureau controls
the county-level values to the State-level value.
When the original data cover an area larger than a
single county, the Census Bureau uses a measure of
poverty in the multiple areas to apportion the SNAP/FSP
caseload numbers across the multiple areas. |
| |
State-level data represent a 12-month average, with
a 6-month delay. For instance, the values presented
for 1995 are based on the monthly average between
July 1995 and June 1996. |
| |
Data fields for years prior to the introduction
of the Food Stamp Program in a particular county or
State are coded as “-9995.” If the county’s
number of FSP participants was fewer than 50, the
field is coded as “-9998.” See “Coding
Conventions” below for more details. |
| PRGxx_yy |
Percentage change in the number of SNAP/FSP participants
between the two years represented by “xx”
and “yy” in the variable name. Three of
the six variables that are included—PRG89-93,
PRG93-97, and PRG97-06—correspond to periods
of major caseload increases and declines. The variable—PRG07-08—represents
the most recent comparison of average monthly participant
counts available in the dataset. |
| |
Users may construct their own change variables using
estimates for any combination of years. However, data
are missing or not valid for some counties in some
years, and the convention is to code any derived variable
based on a variable with missing or invalid data as
“-9993”. See “Coding Conventions” below
for more details. |
|
| SNAP
participant benefits Estimates of total annual benefits issued by area are provided by the Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. State and county estimates are based on county tabulations of the distributed benefits from FNS, USDA.
Benefit amounts are expressed in nominal dollars. There is no adjustment for inflation.
|
| PRGBENxx |
Estimated total annual amount of SNAP/FSP benefits
(in thousands) issued to State or county residents
in a year. The last two digits indicate the calendar
year for the data. Data are available for every year
from 1969 through 2009. |
| |
To obtain an estimate of average total benefits
issued to all State or county residents during a month,
multiply the data value by 1,000 and divide by 12. |
| |
These data are provided by the Regional Economic
Accounts Directorate of the Bureau of Economic Analysis
(BEA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The data
measure the value of program benefits issued to qualifying
low-income households to supplement their ability
to purchase food. The State estimates are based on
USDA's tabulations of the value of distributed benefits.
County estimates are either based on payment data
from the various State departments of social services or imputed from the percentage change in benefits at the State level. See BENFLGxx below. |
| |
All benefit data and related variables are presented
in nominal dollars and have not been adjusted for
inflation. |
| |
In some States (notably Alaska, Hawaii, and Virginia),
BEA data on benefits are for different geographic
units than Census Bureau data on participant counts.
To sum across county records to derive State or national
totals and to avoid double-counting, use the variable
CODEF to exclude either CEN_ONLY or BEA_ONLY records.
BEA usually releases benefits data every December,
about 1 year after the end of the calendar year in
question. For example, data for calendar year 2010
are expected to be released in December 2011. |
| BENFLGxx |
A flag indicating that the corresponding value
of PRGBENxx—same year and location—has
been imputed by BEA. See a table of imputed values.
The variable equals 1.0 if the corresponding value
is imputed and 0.0 if not. In a few cases a value
of 0.5 indicates that some, but not all, county values
appear to be imputed. The imputation procedure generally
applies the annual percentage change in benefits at
the State level to county-level values. Users of these
data may want to consider alternative imputation procedures
that take into account changes in participation levels. |
|
| Population counts Area estimates of population counts are obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau’s website, which includes a description of the methods used to create the estimates.
|
| POPxx |
Estimated population count, with the year for the
data indicated by the last two digits of the variable
name. Data are provided for 2000 and every year from
2005 through 2008. The reference date for estimates
is July 1. |
| |
Data are provided by the Population Estimates Program
of the U.S. Census Bureau. With each new release of
July 1 estimates, the Census Bureau revises estimates
for years back to the last decennial census. |
|
| Poverty counts Area estimates of the number of persons in households with total income below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) are provided by the Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates program of the U.S. Census Bureau.
|
| NUMPOVxx |
Estimated total number of poor people, with the
year for the data indicated by the last two digits
of the variable name. Data are provided for 1999,
2000, 2006 and 2007.
|
| |
Data are provided by the Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates (SAIPE) program of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Estimates are based on models that combine survey
data with population estimates and administrative
records. |
|
Ratios
A number of variables in the file compare participant
counts or program benefits to an underlying population
group. |
| PRG_POPxx |
The ratio of program participants to area population,
with the last two digits of the variable name indicating
the data year. Values are provided for 2000, 2006,
and 2007. |
| PRG_POVxx |
The ratio of program participants to area count
of poor persons, with the last two digits of the variable
name indicating the data year. Values are provided
for 2000, 2006, and 2007.
|
| |
Note that the value of this variable will be less
than one to the extent that poor people are ineligible
for the program for reasons other than income or that
eligible persons elect not to participate in the program.
The value may exceed one because the program’s
gross income limits are higher than 100 percent of
the Federal poverty level. |
| AMB_POPxx |
The ratio of total average monthly program benefits
issued to all participants in an area to that area’s
total population count, with the last two digits of
the variable name indicating the data year. Values
are provided for 2000 and 2006. |
| AMB_POVxx |
The ratio of total average monthly program benefits
issued to all participants in an area to that area’s
count of poor persons, with the last two digits of
the variable name indicating the data year. Values
are provided for 2000 and 2006. |
| AMB_PARxx |
The ratio of total average monthly program benefits
issued to all participants in an area to that area’s
count of program participants, with the last two digits
of the variable name indicating the data year. This
variable estimates average monthly benefits per participant
over the course of a year. Values are provided for
years 2000 through 2006. |
|
Coding Conventions
Data values are not always available for every variable
and every county. The following codes have been assigned
for missing data in the original files: |
Code |
When Used |
-9992 |
Data not available for a county unit used by BEA
(CODEF=BEA_ONLY). |
-9993 |
Computed variable for which at least one underlying
data value is missing. |
-9994 |
Data not available for a county unit used by Census
Bureau (CODEF=CEN_ONLY). |
-9995 |
Data not defined for years prior to introduction
of the Food Stamp Program (rollout of the FSP began
in 1969 and was not fully nationwide until 1976). |
-9996 |
Data missing due to data suppression by BEA or Census. |
-9997 |
Data not available in specific year. Coded as (N)
in original data files from BEA or Census. |
-9998 |
Actual value less than 50. Coded as (L) in original
data files from BEA or Census. |
-9999 |
Data not available for reasons other than those
listed above, including division by a true zero in
a computed variable. |
