Fewer Americans receiving food stamps

In a further sign of the improving economy, the number of Americans receiving food stamps fell below 46 million people for the first time in more than three years.

As of February 2015, the most recent month available, 45.7 million people are receiving food stamps, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The main reason for the decrease is the improving economy, says Dorothy Rosenbaum, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policies Priorities, a Washington think tank that advocates for the poor.

During the recession, when unemployment was high, the number of people eligible for food stamps increased. The federal government pumped more money into the program to increase the maximum benefit.

The program "responded as it was designed to, by expanding with an increase in need," Rosenbaum says.

As the economy has improved, the rolls of those receiving SNAP benefits has been slowly but steadily shrinking.

"This downward trend is an encouraging sign that the economic recovery is reaching struggling families," said Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, in a statement. "The best way to reduce spending in the program is to continue improving the economy, connect recipients with job training and job placement assistance, and raise the minimum wage so working families can afford to make ends meet."

The Congressional Budget Office predicts a continuation of the slow decrease from a high of 47 million in 2012 to 43 million in 2017 to 35 million in 2022.

The number of Americans receiving food stamps peaked in December 2012, when a record 47.78 million people got benefits ranging from $194 a month for one person to $1,169 for a household of eight.

Thirty-eight states saw a decline in food stamp participation in February 2015 compared with the same month last year. The largest declines were in Maine, Wyoming and Massachusetts, all of which saw double-digit reductions in the number of people receiving food stamps.

Maine saw a 14.5% decrease.

Maine is one of 15 states that have re-instituted a limit on food stamps for childless adults. The limit, which was imposed by the federal government during 1996 changes to welfare law, was lifted during the recession for states that had high unemployment. It allows unemployed adults to receive benefits for up to three months in a 36-month period.

Rosenbaum says the limit will contribute to the decline in people receiving food stamps. By next year, she says, 1 million adults ranging in age from 18 to 49 will lose their food stamps.