For immediate release                                                   Contact: John Hutchins,           

Monday, June 17, 2002                                                (202) 906-8013, jhutchins@clasp.org

New Data Show Most States Had

Welfare Caseload Increases in the Last Year

Twenty-two states saw increases and 28 saw decreases in the first quarter of 2002

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has just released new data on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads through March 2002 for 49 states and the District of Columbia.  When looking back at the year ending in March 2002, most states (34) reported caseload increases, a trend which CLASP began documenting nine months ago.  The picture is less clear for caseloads in the most recent quarter (January to March 2002), as 22 states reported increases and 28 states reported declines. 

Since California has not reported March 2002 data, CLASP is unable to track national-level trends through the most recent quarter.  When we sum the data for the 49 other states and the District of Columbia, however, we find that the summed caseload for those states declined by 1.3 percent from March 2001 to March 2002.  Over the most recent quarter, the summed caseload dropped by less than one percent. 

To put these new data in historical context, it is helpful to consider the dramatic change in the pace of caseload decline.  When reviewing official caseload data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the past five years, it is clear that caseloads nationally are no longer dropping at the rates experienced in the mid- to late-1990s.  Between December 1996 and December 1997, the national caseload declined by 19 percent; between December 2000 and December 2001, the national caseload declined by only three percent.

To read the complete, two-page analysis of the data, visit: http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/2002_Q1_Caseload_061702.pdf

To view a spreadsheet containing the data from states, visit: http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/Final_2002_Q1_caseload.pdf

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A national, nonprofit organization founded in 1968, CLASP conducts research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and advocacy on issues related to economic security of low-income families with children.