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The Great Recession and the Changing Geography of Food Stamp Receipt

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  • Tim Slack
  • Candice Myers

Abstract

The Great Recession has been distinctive in driving up unprecedented levels of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This study extends the literature on the geography of SNAP receipt by (1) examining change in SNAP receipt across US counties during the Great Recession and (2) identifying how changes in other local characteristics were associated with this outcome. Our analysis draws on data from the US Department of Agriculture and other secondary sources. We use descriptive statistics, mapping, and weighted least squares spatial regression models to examine county-level variation (N = 2,485) in the percentage-point change in SNAP receipt between 2007 and 2009. Our findings reveal substantial local-level variation in the change in SNAP stamp use during the downturn. We find that counties with the greatest levels of change in SNAP participation tend to be regionally clustered. Our regression analysis shows that areas where the signature characteristics of the Great Recession were most pronounced (i.e., home foreclosures and unemployment) were precisely the places where SNAP use jumped most, not places with historically high levels of SNAP participation. Overall, this study demonstrates that change in SNAP receipt was geographically uneven during the Great Recession, and that local and regional configurations matter in shaping this variation. These results hold a range of implications for public policy, including opportunities for regionally targeted outreach and investment in SNAP and the use of the program as a responsive form of local stimulus during periods of economic crisis. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Slack & Candice Myers, 2014. "The Great Recession and the Changing Geography of Food Stamp Receipt," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(1), pages 63-79, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:33:y:2014:i:1:p:63-79
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-013-9310-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Clare Y. Cho & Jill K. Clark, 2020. "Disparities in Access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Retailers Over Time and Space," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(1), pages 99-118, February.
    2. Brian Thiede & Shannon Monnat, 2016. "The Great Recession and America’s geography of unemployment," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(30), pages 891-928.
    3. Karly S. Ford & Kelly Ochs Rosinger & Qiong Zhu, 2021. "Consolidation of Class Advantages in the Wake of the Great Recession: University Enrollments, Educational Opportunity and Stratification," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(7), pages 915-941, November.
    4. Chung, Yiyoon, 2015. "Does SNAP serve as a safety net for mothers facing an economic shock? An analysis of Black and White unwed mothers' responses to paternal imprisonment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 179-192.
    5. Alexandria J. Drake & Lora A. Phillips & Brajesh Karna & Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan & Lily K. Villa & Nathan A. Smith, 2023. "Food insecurity and disasters: predicting disparities in total and first-time food pantry visits during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 493-504, April.
    6. Andrew London & Colleen Heflin, 2015. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Use Among Active-Duty Military Personnel, Veterans, and Reservists," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(6), pages 805-826, December.

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