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There is a lot of misinformation about welfare so I thought I'd make a thread specifically about the facts so that, in the future, we can have more informed discussions about the topic. First of all how much is spent on welfare, who is on welfare, and in what states is welfare most common?
Here are some facts:
Quote:
Welfare Statistics
Total number of Americans on welfare 4,300,000
Total number of Americans on food stamps 46,700,000
Total number of Americans on unemployment insurance 5,600,000
Percent of the US population on welfare 4.1 %
Total government spending on welfare annually (not including food stamps or unemployment) $131.9 billion
Welfare Demographics
Percent of recipients who are white 38.8 %
Percent of recipients who are black 39.8 %
Percent of recipients who are Hispanic 15.7 %
Percent of recipients who are Asian 2.4 %
Percent of recipients who are Other 3.3 %
Welfare Statistics Total amount of money you can make monthly and still receive Welfare $1000
Total Number of U.S. States where Welfare pays more than an $8 per hour job 40
Number of U.S. States where Welfare pays more than a $12 per hour job 7
Number of U.S. States where Welfare pays more than the average salary of a U.S. Teacher 9
Average Time on AFCD (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) Time on AFDC Percent of Recipients
Less than 7 months 19%
7 to 12 months 15.2%
1 to 2 years 19.3%
2 to 5 years 26.9%
Over 5 years 19.6%
Map of which states have the lowest welfare rate as a percentage of population (lowest = 1st place) to states with the highest welfare participation rate as a percentage of population (50 = highest).
Finally, we can consider food stamps (SNAP) which technically isn't welfare as it isn't run by the department of health and human services and instead is run by the department of agriculture under the farm subsidy program. Here is a graph with the percentage of population receiving food stamps by state.
Percent of State Population Participating in SNAP Program, FY2011
There is a lot of miss information about welfare so I thought I'd make a thread specifically about the facts so that, in the future, we can have more informed discussions about the topic. First of all how much is spent on welfare, who is on welfare, and in what states is welfare most common?
Map of which states have the lowest welfare rate as a percentage of population (lowest = 1st place) to states with the highest welfare participation rate as a percentage of population (50 = highest).
Finally, we can consider food stamps (SNAP) which technically isn't welfare as it isn't run by the department of health and human services and instead is run by the department of agriculture under the farm subsidy program. Here is a graph with the percentage of population receiving food stamps by state.
Percent of State Population Participating in SNAP Program, FY2011
Hopefully these facts will help produce more knowledgable discussion on this topic instead of the usual demagoguery.
I'd also like to point out that food stamps does not allow someone to buy luxurious food like filet mignon, salmon, king crab, ribeye, etc. in decent quantities like so many tea partiers have allegedly witnessed on here. $250 a month per person is not a lot of food and usually is enough to buy cheap, unhealthy, per-processed crap and soft drinks. $1.80 for a 2 liter soda or almost $4.50+ for a gallon of milk. Talk about the easy life
Even in California the max on food stamps is $200 per person per month and only ~40% get that full amount. The average is $120 per month or $4 per day or $1.33 per meal.
That's hardly lavish and, no, $1.33 doesn't buy many luxury foods.
There was a "third group" of AFDC recipients who cycled on and off welfare, thereby allowing both sides of the welfare debate to spin their numbers in a way favorable to them.
there was a large group of short-term recipients who were off welfare within 12-24 months, there was a small group of lifers (who were soaking up mopst of the money), and athird group in the middle of recipients who might go on welfare for 6 months, go off welfare for a year, go back on welfare for a year, etc. On one side people were saying the average time on welfare is short, on the other side people were saying that the average recipient is on welfare (total time on welfare, over multiple episodes) for a long time.
Even in California the max on food stamps is $200 per person per month and only ~40% get that full amount. The average is $120 per month or $4 per day or $1.33 per meal.
That's hardly lavish and, no, $1.33 doesn't buy many luxury foods.
I just looked it up. $200 a month for one person seems to be the federal max. I don't know if other states allow higher amounts.
People in HouseholdMaximum Monthly Allotment 1 $ 200
2 $ 367
3 $ 526
4 $ 668
5 $ 793
6 $ 952
7 $ 1,052
8 $ 1,202
Each additional person $ 150
I’m actually shocked that Oregon’s SNAP participation is 20% (just below number 1 on the list, Mississippi at 21%) and Maine’s participation is 19% (same as Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia) – very interesting.
I’m actually shocked that Oregon’s SNAP participation is 20% (just below number 1 on the list, Mississippi at 21%) and Maine’s participation is 19% (same as Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia) – very interesting.
Great thread, by the way .
I'm not. There aren't a lot of jobs in that state outside of a few big cities.
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