A Grab Bag of Quick Facts About Recipients of Social Safety Net Benefits

What percentage of children in the United States received nutritional assistance? How did average monthly unemployment insurance payments differ among race and ethnicity groups?

To provide policymakers and stakeholders with quick answers to these and similar questions, the U.S. Census Bureau recently began releasing Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) fact sheets.

While formal reports are still a key part of the Census Bureau’s data product offerings even in a digital world, these new mobile-friendly one-pagers are designed to provide data in a more digestible way.

They are intended to give data users — ranging from students exploring income inequality to congressional staffers preparing for a hearing on funding for nutritional programs — swift and easy access to consumer-friendly stats.

The Census Bureau released the first set of SIPP fact sheets in the fall of 2023. The SIPP is a nationally representative longitudinal survey that provides comprehensive information on the dynamics of income, employment, household composition, and government program participation.

The newest batch includes 2022 data on more topics and programs:

• Children’s Nutrition Programs: 1 in 2 children ages 0 to 17 received assistance from at least one nutrition program.
• Receipt of One or More Means-Tested Benefits: 31% of people received benefits from at least one means-tested social safety net program.
• Retirement Income: 26% of adults age 65 and over received income from a pension.
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): 88% of recipients had health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
• Unemployment Insurance: 1.3% of adults ages 18 to 64 received unemployment insurance benefits.

Previously released fact sheets included stats on: child support; Economic Impact Payments; school meals; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Social Security; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); support for America’s veterans; and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Explore the existing fact sheets and stay tuned for updated and new fact sheets as fresh data become available.

Zachary Scherer is a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

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