The number of Texas residents taking part in the federal nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) declined 23.1 percent from fiscal years 2015 to 2019, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service reported.
The participants receiving supplemental nutritional benefits numbered 886,409 in FY 2015, compared to 681,555 in FY 2019, a drop of 204,854. As a percentage of population, the decrease in Texas was the 11th largest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
To qualify for WIC, pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children up to 5 years old, must not come from households whose incomes exceed 185 percent of the U.S. poverty threshold. For a family of four, a household cannot earn more than $47,638 annually to take part in the program.
Participants also must be deemed at “nutritional risk.” The risk may involve medical conditions such as being underweight or having anemia, or they can result from poor diet, according to the Food and Nutrition Service.
Nationwide, WIC participation declined 20.2 percent over the five-year period, from just over 8 million in FY 2015 to 6.4 million in FY 2019. That’s a drop of more than 1.6 million participants, according to federal data released in January.
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WIC Participation Rates, State by State
State / Indian Tribe | FY 2015 | FY 2016 | FY 2017 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 (Preliminary) | Participation Decrease, FY 2015 to FY 2019 | % Decrease, FY 2015 to FY 2019 | % Decrease Rank |
Wyoming | 10,995 | 10,783 | 10,159 | 9,062 | 7,961 | 3,034 | 27.6% | 1 |
New Mexico | 55,234 | 51,902 | 49,975 | 46,187 | 40,487 | 14,747 | 26.7% | 2 |
California | 1,265,005 | 1,174,875 | 1,080,241 | 1,009,492 | 929,173 | 335,832 | 26.5% | 3 |
Illinois | 247,594 | 225,159 | 211,367 | 199,360 | 182,341 | 65,253 | 26.4% | 4 |
South Carolina | 114,562 | 107,257 | 99,332 | 92,153 | 84,596 | 29,966 | 26.2% | 5 |
Utah | 58,995 | 56,584 | 53,748 | 48,989 | 43,646 | 15,349 | 26.0% | 6 |
Tennessee | 150,116 | 143,730 | 136,303 | 127,814 | 112,155 | 37,961 | 25.3% | 7 |
Idaho | 40,506 | 39,010 | 36,526 | 33,717 | 31,000 | 9,506 | 23.5% | 8 |
Georgia | 264,299 | 253,653 | 237,224 | 217,695 | 202,915 | 61,384 | 23.2% | 9 |
Washington | 176,133 | 168,878 | 157,453 | 145,015 | 135,297 | 40,836 | 23.2% | 10 |
Texas | 886,409 | 859,819 | 821,873 | 746,246 | 681,555 | 204,854 | 23.1% | 11 |
Kansas | 62,850 | 58,955 | 54,135 | 50,681 | 48,536 | 14,314 | 22.8% | 12 |
West Virginia | 41,701 | 40,391 | 38,315 | 35,412 | 32,674 | 9,027 | 21.6% | 13 |
Virginia | 139,632 | 132,404 | 122,185 | 113,952 | 109,469 | 30,163 | 21.6% | 14 |
Ohio | 244,201 | 234,719 | 221,746 | 208,955 | 192,574 | 51,627 | 21.1% | 15 |
Missouri | 134,780 | 127,551 | 119,620 | 114,323 | 106,733 | 28,047 | 20.8% | 16 |
Arkansas | 84,220 | 80,555 | 76,519 | 73,607 | 67,231 | 16,989 | 20.2% | 17 |
Louisiana | 128,935 | 127,387 | 119,747 | 112,362 | 103,170 | 25,765 | 20.0% | 18 |
Maine | 21,781 | 20,806 | 19,364 | 18,320 | 17,475 | 4,306 | 19.8% | 19 |
New York | 471,869 | 459,101 | 435,382 | 416,173 | 378,946 | 92,923 | 19.7% | 20 |
Nevada | 73,144 | 70,467 | 66,625 | 62,531 | 58,744 | 14,400 | 19.7% | 21 |
Hawaii | 31,616 | 30,117 | 26,856 | 26,115 | 25,415 | 6,201 | 19.6% | 22 |
Kentucky | 116,179 | 111,926 | 107,885 | 101,743 | 94,296 | 21,883 | 18.8% | 23 |
Alaska | 19,682 | 19,121 | 18,188 | 17,092 | 15,978 | 3,704 | 18.8% | 24 |
Oklahoma | 112,892 | 110,725 | 105,846 | 98,551 | 91,650 | 21,242 | 18.8% | 25 |
District of Columbia | 14,526 | 14,363 | 13,580 | 12,466 | 11,844 | 2,682 | 18.5% | 26 |
Pennsylvania | 245,979 | 237,205 | 226,060 | 218,188 | 202,167 | 43,812 | 17.8% | 27 |
Vermont | 13,733 | 12,756 | 11,558 | 11,427 | 11,321 | 2,412 | 17.6% | 28 |
Oregon | 98,304 | 92,792 | 89,534 | 85,774 | 81,226 | 17,078 | 17.4% | 29 |
New Hampshire | 14,705 | 14,121 | 13,064 | 12,332 | 12,163 | 2,542 | 17.3% | 30 |
Wisconsin | 105,504 | 100,152 | 95,958 | 92,487 | 87,666 | 17,838 | 16.9% | 31 |
North Carolina | 248,860 | 241,288 | 230,660 | 221,719 | 207,351 | 41,509 | 16.7% | 32 |
New Jersey | 161,664 | 155,285 | 147,937 | 141,568 | 134,936 | 26,728 | 16.5% | 33 |
Minnesota | 119,403 | 116,031 | 111,121 | 105,961 | 100,123 | 19,280 | 16.1% | 34 |
Michigan | 244,829 | 234,546 | 224,106 | 213,964 | 205,364 | 39,465 | 16.1% | 35 |
Arizona | 167,072 | 163,998 | 153,510 | 149,513 | 141,959 | 25,113 | 15.0% | 36 |
Montana | 18,476 | 18,296 | 17,445 | 16,682 | 15,754 | 2,722 | 14.7% | 37 |
Maryland | 142,841 | 139,576 | 132,843 | 128,542 | 122,569 | 20,272 | 14.2% | 38 |
South Dakota | 19,474 | 19,120 | 18,367 | 17,667 | 16,730 | 2,744 | 14.1% | 39 |
Delaware | 18,998 | 18,097 | 17,162 | 16,797 | 16,358 | 2,640 | 13.9% | 40 |
Rhode Island | 20,728 | 20,375 | 19,501 | 18,950 | 17,962 | 2,766 | 13.3% | 41 |
Alabama | 132,133 | 129,160 | 123,993 | 120,605 | 115,410 | 16,723 | 12.7% | 42 |
Mississippi | 89,449 | 84,867 | 83,857 | 85,449 | 79,106 | 10,343 | 11.6% | 43 |
Florida | 483,811 | 481,520 | 468,867 | 450,624 | 429,378 | 54,433 | 11.3% | 44 |
Connecticut | 51,295 | 49,155 | 47,830 | 47,297 | 45,767 | 5,528 | 10.8% | 45 |
Indiana | 154,485 | 147,906 | 143,975 | 143,730 | 138,611 | 15,874 | 10.3% | 46 |
Colorado | 90,954 | 86,999 | 84,582 | 85,258 | 81,906 | 9,048 | 9.9% | 47 |
Nebraska | 37,601 | 38,125 | 37,440 | 35,833 | 33,989 | 3,612 | 9.6% | 48 |
Massachusetts | 113,262 | 114,419 | 112,763 | 108,593 | 103,315 | 9,947 | 8.8% | 49 |
Iowa | 63,481 | 61,163 | 61,996 | 60,249 | 58,064 | 5,417 | 8.5% | 50 |
North Dakota | 12,415 | 12,884 | 12,729 | 12,313 | 11,405 | 1,010 | 8.1% | 51 |
TOTAL | 8,023,742 | 7,696,439 | 7,286,161 | 6,870,128 | 6,400,238 | 1,623,504 | 20.2% | — |
Source: U.S. Food and Nutrition Service
This article was first published by The Center Square.
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