K-12 Tax & Spending Climate: Nearly Half of U.S. Lives in Household Receiving Government Benefit

Sara Murray:

Families were more dependent on government programs than ever last year.

Nearly half, 48.5%, of the population lived in a household that received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2010, according to Census data. Those numbers have risen since the middle of the recession when 44.4% lived households receiving benefits in the third quarter of 2008.

The share of people relying on government benefits has reached a historic high, in large part from the deep recession and meager recovery, but also because of the expansion of government programs over the years. (See a timeline on the history of government benefits programs here.)

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 7, 2011 1:32 AM
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