Total expenditures in constant dollars on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as the Food Stamp Program prior to 2008, divided by the country’s total population.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides low-income households with “electronic benefits” they can use like a debit card to purchase food at stores authorized by the Department of Agriculture. More information about the program is available from the Department of Agriculture.
Total expenditures include benefits paid to program participants and other program costs, such as administrative expenses and the cost of nutrition education programs. Expenditures are adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Economic Analysis price index for Gross Domestic Product. See National Income and Product Accounts.