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Effects of the Decline in the Real Value of SNAP Benefits From 2009 to 2011

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  • Nord, Mark

Abstract

The value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits has declined due to inflation since the increase in benefit size in April 2009 mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Earlier Economic Research Service (ERS) research documented improvements in food spending and food security from 2008 to 2009 that may have resulted from the ARRA SNAP-benefit increase. This report estimates the extent to which those gains may have been eroded from 2009 to 2011 as a result of the reduction in real value of SNAP benefits due to inflation in food prices. Changes in food spending and food security from 2009 to 2011 were compared between households that did and did not receive SNAP using Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data. The difference-in-difference analyses, which also adjusted for differences in households’ income, employment, and other characteristics, suggest that the decline in value of SNAP benefits may have resulted in an increase of 16.5 percent in the number of SNAP-recipient households with very low food security and a decline of 4.4 percent in median food spending by SNAP households. The size of these changes relative to the size of the reduction in the inflation-adjusted value of SNAP benefits was consistent with findings from the earlier ERS research on effects of the ARRA SNAP-benefit increase. Taken together, the two studies provide estimates of the effects that may be expected from potential future increases or decreases in SNAP benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Nord, Mark, 2013. "Effects of the Decline in the Real Value of SNAP Benefits From 2009 to 2011," Economic Research Report 155384, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:155384
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.155384
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nord, Mark, 2009. "Food Spending Declined and Food Insecurity Increased for Middle-Income and Low-Income Households From 2000 to 2007," Economic Information Bulletin 56627, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mancino, Lisa & Guthrie, Joanne & Ver Ploeg, Michele & Lin, Biing-Hwan, 2018. "Nutritional Quality of Foods Acquired by Americans: Findings From USDA's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey," Economic Information Bulletin 276248, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Li, Qingxiao & Cakir, Metin, 2020. "Thrifty Food Plan Panel Price Index and the Real Value of SNAP Benefits," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304201, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Geetha M. Waehrer, 2023. "Age differences in expenditure responses to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 372-391, March.
    4. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), September.
    5. Todd, Jessica E. & Gregory, Christian, 2018. "Changes in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program real benefits and daily caloric intake among adults," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 111-120.
    6. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Agricultural Economic Reports 305691, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), September.
    8. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2016. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2015," Economic Research Report 262191, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. Jun Zhang & Yanghao Wang & Steven T. Yen, 2021. "Does Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity among Households with Children? Evidence from the Current Population Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-15, March.
    10. Irma Arteaga & Colleen Heflin & Leslie Hodges, 2018. "SNAP Benefits and Pregnancy-Related Emergency Room Visits," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(6), pages 1031-1052, December.
    11. Marianne P. Bitler & Christian Gregory, 2019. "Food Access, Program Participation, and Health: Research Using FoodAPS," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 9-17, July.
    12. Qingxiao Li & Metin Çakır, 2024. "Estimating SNAP purchasing power and its effect on participation," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 106(2), pages 779-804, March.
    13. Brandon J. Restrepo & Matthew P. Rabbitt & Christian A. Gregory, 2021. "The Effect of Unemployment on Food Spending and Adequacy: Evidence from Coronavirus‐Induced Firm Closures," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 185-204, March.
    14. Pourya Valizadeh & Travis A Smith, 2020. "How Did The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Affect the Material Well‐Being of SNAP Participants? A Distributional Approach," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(3), pages 455-476, September.
    15. Yanliang Yang & George C Davis & Wen You, 2019. "Measuring Food Expenditure Poverty in SNAP Populations: Some Extensions with an Application to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(1), pages 133-152, March.
    16. Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Hales, Laura J. & Burke, Michael P. & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, 2023. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2022," Economic Research Report 338945, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    17. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2021. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2020," Economic Research Report 327186, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    18. Oliveira, Victor & Prell, Mark & Tiehen, Laura & Smallwood, David, 2018. "Design Issues in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Looking Ahead by Looking Back," Economic Research Report 276253, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    19. Jeehoon Han, 2016. "The Impact of SNAP on Material Hardships: Evidence From Broad‐Based Categorical Eligibility Expansions," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 83(2), pages 464-486, October.
    20. Valizadeh, Pourya & Smith, Travis A., 2017. "How Did the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Impact the Material Well-being of SNAP Participants? A Distributional Approach," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258496, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    21. Jacob Alex Klerman & Anne Wolf & Ann Collins & Stephen Bell & Ronette Briefel, 2017. "The Effects the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Demonstration has on Children’s Food Security," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 39(3), pages 516-532.
    22. Jessica E. Todd, 2015. "Revisiting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cycle of food intake: Investigating heterogeneity, diet quality, and a large boost in benefit amounts," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 37(3), pages 437-458.
    23. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2014. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2013," Economic Research Report 183589, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

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    Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Security and Poverty;

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