This dataset contains the full data from the analysis presented in the report, Are Young Adults Eligible for Safety Net Programs Receiving Benefits? Eligibility and Participation Rate Estimates for SNAP, TANF, and Housing Subsidies.
The data rely on Urban’s Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security (ATTIS) microsimulation model to estimate safety net eligibility and participation rates across states and demographic groups. We apply the model to combined 2022 and 2023 American Community Survey data, adjusted to reflect 2023 population and income characteristics. American Community Survey data were obtained from IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org. A description of our research methods is available in the technical appendix.
Our analysis includes results for all people and households, with a particular focus on young adults and young-adult-headed households. We provide data for the following three safety net programs:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
public and subsidized housing assistance (through US Department of Housing and Urban Development programs)
The dataset contains the following types of information nationally, by state, and for various demographic subgroups:
eligibility estimates for each program
eligibility rates for each program (percentage of the population who are eligible)
participation rates for each program (percentage of the eligible population who receive benefits)
participation gaps for each program (percentage of eligible individuals or households who do not receive benefits)
standard error estimates and confidence intervals for each program’s eligibility numbers
This analysis was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at urban.org/fundingprinciples.
Dataset Info
- Modified 2026-04-01
- Release Date 2026-03-26
- Temporal Coverage 2023-01-01T00:01:01
- License odc-by
- Granularity program, state, person, characteristics
- Contact Name Giannarelli, Linda; Minton, Sarah; Wheaton, Laura; Dehry, Ilham
- Contact Email [email protected]
- Public Access Level public
Urban Extended Info
- Modified 2026-04-01
- Release Date 2026-03-26
- Geographic Level
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Data Value
- Data Quality
- Urban Publications
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Citation Requirements
Giannarelli, Linda, Sarah Minton, Laura Wheaton, Ilham Dehry, and Doug Wissoker. “Young Adult Safety Net Access 2023 Data.” Urban Institute. Accessible from https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/young-adult-safety-net-access-2023-data.