One-fifth of population gets government aid

An estimated 21.3 percent of the U.S. population received some form of aid from the federal government during all 12 months of 2012, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Census bureau.

That amounted to approximately 52.2 million people, with the highest participation in Medicaid, at 15.3 percent, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, at 13.4 percent, the report stated.

The nutrition assistance program was formerly known as the food stamps program.

The average monthly participation rate in major means tested programs provided by the U.S. government increased from 18.6 percent in 2009 to nearly 21 percent in 2011. There was no significant change in the rate of participation between 2011 and 2012.

Between 2009 and 2012, the average monthly participation rates for Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income and the nutrition assistance program increased, while participation in Temporary Assistance For Needy Families/General Assistance dropped, according to the report.

“Participation in government programs is dynamic,” said Shelley Irving, an analyst with the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division, in a statement. “The [report] … shows how individuals move in and out of government programs and how long they participate in them.”