Utah's share of households receiving public assistance in 2010 lower than the national average

The Census Bureau has just released a "brief" using American Community Survey data that indicates the share of households receiving public assistance during 2009 and 2010. In this definition, public assistance refers to cash assistance given to poor families under the General Assistance and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) programs. The figures do not include non-cash or in-kind benefits such as medical care or food stamps.

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As you can see, 2.4 percent of Utah households received public assistance in 2010. That represents a 0.2 point increase from 2009. However, that change is not large enough (given the margin of error) to be statistically significant. Utah share of public-assistance-receiving families is slightly lower than the national average (2.9 percent).

Only 1.3 percent of households in Louisiana received cash public assistance some time in 2010. States with low shares of households of public assistance tend to be in the southern part of the country (with the exception of Wyoming). On the other end of the scale, Alaska showed a public assistance participation rate of 6.7 percent. States with high levels of public assistance tended to be in the Northeast or West Coast.

Keep in mind that demographics (age/marital distribution) as well as economics can affect the rate of public assistance in an area.

To read the full report, click here.