This report provides welfare dependence indicators through 2016 for most indicators and through 2017 for some indicators, reflecting changes that have taken place since enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996. For the purposes of this report, welfare dependence is defined as the proportion of individuals who receive more than half of their total family income in one year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
The report shows that, while falling steadily from 1996 to 2000, the dependency rate increased after 2000, and increased more rapidly after 2007. The dependency rate peaked in 2010 before declining from 5.3 percent in 2010 to 4.4 percent in 2016.
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