According to an article recently published by USA Today, these are the 5 states that have the most people using food stamps. Their ranking is based on the most food stamp recipients per capita.
#1 - District of Columbia: D.C. comes in number 1 at 21.97 percent of the state's population. Total amount of people receiving food stamps = 144,768
#2 - Mississippi: ranks number 2 with 21.74 percent of its population receiving a total of 650,911 food stamps.
#3 - New Mexico: has a total of 448,328 on food stamps, representing 21.5 percent of its population.
#4 - West Virginia: 19.96 percent of West Virginia's population receives food stamps, or a total of 369,249.
#5 - Oregon: comes in number 5 with 791,222 receiving food stamps, or 19.93 percent of its population.
To be eligible for food stamps, a family of four could earn no more than $31,008 per year. Food stamp benefits are about $257 per household. Although some taxpayers object to the cost of food stamps, consider this: with groceries running as high as $1,000 or more per month for some families, the $257 is still a small amount to pay in order for families to put food on their tables.
To read more, visit www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap