Tuesday, May 18, 2010
During the middle of the recent recession, Americans increasingly turned to the government for assistance, with nearly half of all households receiving some kind of support. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 45% of the country during the third quarter of 2008 lived in households that were getting public benefits, such as Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
The Census Bureau also noted in its report (Economic Characteristics of Households in the United States: Third Quarter 2008) that one quarter of American homes received means-tested benefits. The most common of these were Medicaid (21.1 million), school meals (11.5 million) and food stamps (9.3 million).
However, the two programs people turned to the most for help did not require income eligibility—Social Security and Medicare. Each provided assistance to more than 30 million individuals.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Census Bureau Reports Nearly Half of U.S. Residents Live in Households Receiving Government Benefits (U.S. Census Bureau)
Economic Characteristics of Households in the United States: Third Quarter 2008 (U.S. Census Bureau) (pdf) (pages 5-7)
Comments