An Overview of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
from CBO Recent CBO Publications
In fiscal year 2011, federal expenditures for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)—$78 billion—and participation in the program were the highest they have ever been. In an average month that year, about one in seven U.S. residents received SNAP benefits.
http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43175