Nearly 1 in 7 Americans Received Food Assistance

A sad commentary on our economy.

SNAP participation up more in some States than others

In 2011, nearly one in seven Americans (14.3 percent of the total population) lived in a household that received food assistance benefits from USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This represents a 3.4 percentage point increase from 2009 when 10.9 percent of Americans were receiving SNAP benefits. 

This chart is one of the new maps in ERS's Food Environment Atlas, updated on June 29, 2012. For more information on SNAP and other nutrition programs, visit the Food and Nutrition Assistance topic page on the ERS website.

Webinar: Essential Smart Growth Fixes: Ideas for Rural Communities, Thursday, August 16, 2012, 2:00-3:00 Eastern - This webinar will focus on tools and strategies that can help rural communities spur economic growth while maintaining their rural character. Presenters Ben Herman (FAICP and Principal of Clarion Associates, a national land use firm) and Dean Severson (AICP and Principal Agricultural and Rural Planning Analyst for the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Planning Commission) will highlight zoning strategies from EPA's recent publication, "Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning and Development Codes," and provide tips for implementation. Download the report from http://www.epa.gov/

smartgrowth/publications.htm.  AICP members can earn Certification Maintenance credits for this activity. Please note this is a repeat of the webinar held on July 19. No pre-registration is required. https://epa.connectsolutions.
com/epasmartgrowth