FoodStampMapThe New York Times has a series on U.S. government aid to its citizens, including unemployment insurance, food stamps, and cash welfare.

The number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children.

I missed the story when it was published back on November 28, since I was busy ringing a cowbell, but as one who works amongst the poor and the homeless, this is an interesting story to me. Behind the numbers are real adults and children who depend upon the government, the kindness of charities, and the kindness of people, for their next meal.

The map and story brings out interesting facts, but you have to be careful to look at the underlying data. For example, the map states that California enrolls just half of those eligible for aid, while Missouri enrolls nearly all its eligible people. However, the data the New York Times links to from the article is from the USDA for 2006, which is prior to the recession. Yet the New York Times labels it as being from June, 2009. Using a search engine, I found USDA data that was for 2007, which makes me curious as to why the New York Times did not use it. At least the USDA in their report puts error bars on its estimations. (For the record, the error bars are +/- 2% for California.)

via Food Stamp Usage Across the Country – Interactive Map – NYTimes.com.