SNAP participation and food-at-home expenditures through the Great Recession: United States and the New York Area

Abstract

As a result of economic stressors experienced by vulnerable populations during the Great Recession of 2007–09, participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the nation’s largest food assistance program—nearly doubled from 2006 to a postrecession peak in 2013. Drawing on data from the 2006 to 2015 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey, this article compares SNAP-recipient households to non-SNAP recipient households in the New York area and the United States as a whole for the period before, during, and after the recession. Among the major findings, this study shows substantial differences in characteristics between SNAP and non-SNAP households, including rates of renting, percentage of bachelor’s degree holders, and levels of weekly food-at-home expenditures. The regression analysis shows that food-at-home expenditures remain stable over the business cycle. SNAP participation is positively associated with the probability of making weekly food shopping trips and with an increase in the amount spent per trip nationwide, whereas in the local area, the differences are not significant. Further analysis shows that an income increase from SNAP benefits or other sources results in relatively small increases in food-at-home expenditures.