Welfare caseloads have been going up in most states over the past year, but not in all of them. In fact, cases are going down in some areas — such as Michigan — where the economy has been hit hardest.
| State | Last month of data | Change in past year |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | March | 29% |
| Oregon | May | 27.2% |
| South Carolina | March | 23.1% |
| New Mexico | March | 20% |
| Washington | May | 18.4% |
| Colorado | March | 14.6% |
| Florida | June | 14.2% |
| Maryland | April | 14.2% |
| New Hampshire | June | 13.4% |
| Idaho | April | 11.5% |
| Ohio | March | 10.8% |
| California | March | 10.4% |
| Wyoming | March | 9.3% |
| North Carolina | June | 9.2% |
| Nevada | March | 9.1% |
| Virginia | April | 8.9% |
| Arizona | March | 7.5% |
| Minnesota | May | 5.9% |
| Tennessee | December | 5.7% |
| Massachusetts | April | 5.4% |
| Iowa | May | 4.4% |
| Wisconsin | March | 3.9% |
| Kansas | March | 3.7% |
| Illinois | May | 3.0% |
| Missouri | April | 2.8% |
| Alabama | March | 2.5% |
| South Dakota | March | 1.5% |
| New York | March | 1.2% |
| Arkansas | May | 0.7% |
| Connecticut | May | 0.2% |
| Kentucky | April | 0.1% |
| Pennsylvania | May | 0.1% |
| State | Last month of data | Change in past year |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | April | -9.5% |
| Nebraska | April | -5.5% |
| Montana | March | -5.5% |
| Indiana | April | -5.3% |
| Alaska | March | -5.1% |
| Georgia | April | -5.0% |
| Michigan | April | -4.8% |
| District of Columbia | April | -3.4% |
| New Jersey | March | -1.1% |
| Oklahoma | March | -0.5% |
| Louisiana | May | -0.4% |
| Mississippi | March | 0.0% |
Welfare caseloads have been going up in most states over the past year, but not in every state. In fact, cases are going down in some of the hardest-hit areas. That's raised questions about whether the program is an adequate safety net for families in need. (July 3, 2009)
