Food stamp use continues to rise (by William Spain)
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Food stamp use continued to rise in the U.S last year, with almost 12% of all households receiving some form of the assistance, the Census Bureau said Thursday. In 2010, 13.6 million households reported receiving food stamps, a 16% increase over the previous year. The state with the highest percentage was Oregon at 17.9%. Other states near the top of the list include Tennessee and Michigan. Among those with the lowest level of food stamp use were California, New Jersey, and Wyoming. Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 45 reported increases while only one - Louisiana - posted a decrease. Nevada, Idaho and Rhode Island had the fastest rates of growth in food stamp use.