| The welfare statistics below represent anyone who receives any of the following government subsidies: – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps – Housing assistance – Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), or cash benefits – General Assistance – DOES NOT INCLUDE the 70.5 million people enrolled in Medicaid |
| Welfare Statistics | Data |
| Total number of Americans receiving welfare government assistance | 67,891,000 |
| Total number of Americans on SNAP / food stamps – VIEW GRAPH | 41,170,000 |
| Total number of Americans receiving (UI / EDD) – unemployment insurance | 10,200,000 |
| Total number of individuals living in a home that receives housing assistance | 7,676,000 |
| Total number of individuals who received TANF during the past 12 months | 4,306,000 |
| Number of individuals receiving some type of general assistance welfare not listed above | 4,537,000 |
| Percent of the US population on welfare programs | 21.2 % |
| Total Federal government spending on welfare programs annually (not including food stamps or unemployment) | $158,200,000,000 |
| Annual size of the Federal grant given to states for TANF | $16,489,000,000 |
| Welfare Demographics | Percent | Total Number |
| Percent of welfare recipients who are white / caucasian | 16.8 % | 11,405,000 |
| Percent of welfare recipients who are black | 39.6 % | 26,884,000 |
| Percent of welfare recipients who are Hispanic | 21.2 % | 14,392,000 |
| Percent of welfare recipients who are Asian or Pacific Islander | 18 % | 12,220,000 |
| Percent of welfare recipients who are Other / Mixed | 4.4 % | 2,987,000 |