Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Individuals in Tennessee

Note:   These benefits, under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly called food stamps), are issued to qualifying low-income individuals in order to supplement their ability to purchase food. Eligibility is determined by each state's interpretation of federal regulations; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pays the cost of the benefits. The state estimates are based on tabulations of the value of the distributed benefits from the Department of Agriculture. The state estimates are allocated to counties based on payments data from the various state departments of social services. When payment data are not available, data on the number of SNAP recipients from the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program are used to extrapolate or interpolate. For a complete list of regional statistics, see Regional Definitions. -bea.gov