The Link between Population Density and Food Stamp Participation

Reuben Snipper for their helpful comments. Any errors are the sole responsibility of the authors. This paper explores a neglected topic in the social welfare, poverty, and demographic literatures: the link between population density and participation in the Food Stamp program. Although the role of geographic factors in affecting low-income household behavior is beginning to be addressed by poverty researchers, few studies have looked across wide geographic areas and assessed the impact of population density upon the behavior of low-income families. Longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to meet two objectives: first, to test whether there is a relationship between population density and Food Stamp utilization among eligible households; second, to explore the potential reasons behind such a relationship. Our findings indicate that population density has a strong and positive impact upon the likelihood of participating in the Food Stamp program. Low-income respondents in urban areas are significantly more likely to use Food Stamps in both an aggregate and multivariate context. We then turn to the underlying dynamic behind such an effect. Our analysis reveals that the driving mechanism behind a residence effect is that those in urban areas are more likely to possess accurate eligibility information and to hol