Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2001

Notes that over half of the households receiving food stamps in 2001 contained children, 28 percent contained people with disabilities, and 20 percent contained elderly individuals. The average monthly benefit was $163 per household, and almost half of all food stamp households were located in eight states: California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The number of food stamp participants grew by one million between July 2000 and September 2001, after declining steadily for six years.