The share of people, including both adults and children, receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly called food stamps.
SNAP provides restricted government funding for low-income people that can only be used to buy food. It therefore is an indication of how many people in a region rely on government assistance to meet their basic needs.
In 2017, 15% of Berks County residents received SNAP benefits, slightly higher than the percentages at the state and national levels, which were roughly 13% and 14% respectively. The percentage in Berks represented a 10 point increase since 2000. The percentage increased steadily from 2000 to 2011 and then leveled out. The state had a smaller increase during the same period, rising from 6.1% in 2000 to 14% in 2011.
Among surrounding counties in 2017, smaller percentages of residents received SNAP benefits in Chester (4.9%), Montgomery( 6.2%), Lancaster (10%), and Lebanon (12%). Lehigh was similar to Berks and Schuylkill was slightly higher than Berks. The percentage rose in all counties since 2000. While Lehigh, and Schuylkill had increases similar to Berks, the increases elsewhere were smaller, particularly in Chester (4 percentage points) and Montgomery (5 percentage points).
Participation counts at the county level are provided primarily by the Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates program of the U.S. Census Bureau, which obtains raw data from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA. For most states, the Census Bureau uses counts of participants for the month of July, although some states can provide data only for other reference periods.
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| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
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| Pennsylvania | 6.1% | 6.2% | 6.5% | 7.5% | 8.3% | 8.7% | 9.0% | 9.3% | 10.2% | 12.0% | 13.3% | 14.1% | 13.9% | 14.1% | 14.2% | 14.6% | 14.5% | 14.3% |
| Berks County | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 7.1% | 8.1% | 8.7% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 10.9% | 13.0% | 14.3% | 15.4% | 15.2% | 15.2% | 15.1% | 15.4% | 15.0% | 14.7% |
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| Chester County | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 4.9% |
| Lancaster County | 2.4% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 8.2% | 9.8% | 10.7% | 10.6% | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Lebanon County | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 7.8% | 10.0% | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.4% | 12.6% | 12.4% | 12.0% |
| Lehigh County | 4.0% | 4.3% | 5.0% | 6.3% | 7.3% | 8.0% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 10.3% | 11.4% | 12.7% | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.1% | 14.3% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 14.6% |
| Montgomery County | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 6.4% | 6.2% |
| Schuylkill County | 4.5% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 5.9% | 6.7% | 7.1% | 7.8% | 8.4% | 9.9% | 12.1% | 14.1% | 15.2% | 15.2% | 14.8% | 15.3% | 15.8% | 16.0% | 16.3% |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
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| Pennsylvania | 751,008 | 761,419 | 795,450 | 930,851 | 1,026,142 | 1,083,477 | 1,121,802 | 1,171,858 | 1,285,078 | 1,521,979 | 1,686,558 | 1,793,280 | 1,779,463 | 1,795,656 | 1,815,216 | 1,863,359 | 1,847,222 | 1,828,626 |
| Berks County | 18,145 | 19,526 | 21,882 | 27,511 | 31,753 | 34,642 | 37,757 | 39,991 | 44,301 | 53,264 | 58,847 | 63,457 | 62,756 | 62,999 | 62,714 | 63,741 | 62,428 | 61,297 |
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| Chester County | 5,947 | 6,108 | 6,493 | 7,782 | 9,501 | 10,367 | 11,089 | 11,759 | 13,062 | 16,890 | 19,426 | 23,328 | 24,873 | 25,474 | 25,479 | 25,695 | 25,733 | 25,295 |
| Lancaster County | 11,440 | 12,679 | 15,596 | 20,397 | 25,682 | 28,906 | 31,116 | 29,515 | 32,324 | 42,362 | 50,858 | 55,873 | 55,833 | 55,345 | 55,019 | 55,247 | 54,230 | 51,748 |
| Lebanon County | 3,958 | 4,006 | 4,800 | 5,845 | 7,018 | 8,061 | 8,508 | 8,892 | 10,280 | 13,290 | 15,473 | 16,827 | 17,205 | 17,258 | 16,963 | 17,288 | 17,187 | 16,724 |
| Lehigh County | 12,429 | 13,492 | 15,879 | 20,157 | 23,655 | 26,487 | 28,745 | 31,867 | 35,516 | 39,545 | 44,259 | 48,320 | 46,810 | 50,201 | 51,141 | 53,021 | 53,342 | 53,407 |
| Montgomery County | 10,824 | 11,022 | 12,148 | 15,047 | 18,288 | 20,217 | 20,555 | 22,574 | 25,742 | 33,401 | 39,509 | 46,075 | 48,872 | 51,233 | 53,085 | 55,674 | 52,620 | 51,098 |
| Schuylkill County | 6,746 | 6,972 | 7,247 | 8,716 | 9,807 | 10,431 | 11,588 | 12,405 | 14,669 | 18,010 | 20,922 | 22,387 | 22,318 | 21,745 | 22,186 | 22,763 | 22,982 | 23,261 |
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