Medical studies might focus on specific populations, including Medicaid and/or lower income populations. If reporting on one of these studies for a local market, reporters might want to try to localize the data since the study population is likely to be either national data or regional data from a place outside the reporter’s coverage area. If the study focuses specifically on food stamps or individuals using food stamps, reporters can discover state-level and county-level estimates of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The SNAP Data System on the USDA website also include “area estimates of total population, the number of persons in poverty, and selected socio-demographic characteristics of the population,” each for a specific point in time each year and including benefit levels. The data is three to five years old but can provide an overview reporters can use to localize the data found in a study relating to lower-income populations or SNAP recipients.
