SAN FRANCISCO – (INT) - The latest survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California found that California’s average monthly WIC enrollment was nearly 1.4 million women, infants, and children in the 2014 federal fiscal year. Nearly 80% of recipients are children.

The federally funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is the state’s third largest federal nutrition program after CalFresh, California’s food stamp program, and subsidized school meals.

Estimates indicate that 82.1% of Californians eligible for WIC received benefits in 2012. That represented the highest coverage rate in the country and was well above the national rate of 63.1%.

California’s coverage rate has consistently been above the national rate and has been increasing every year since 2009, when it was 73.7%.

In California’s 2014 fiscal year, 32.4% of all young children received WIC. Enrollment levels varied considerably across counties.

The largest shares of children receiving WIC benefits lived in Kern (49.6%), Yuba (47.6%), Merced (47.0%), and Los Angeles (46.1%) Counties. Relatively fewer children participated in Placer (11.0%), Marin (12.5%), and Orange (15.1%) Counties.

Because Latinos comprise the largest share of California’s low-income young children, they make up the highest percentage of WIC recipients. Latinos made up 77.9% of women, 65.7% of infants, and 72.9% of children enrolled in WIC in 2011–12.

Whites came next, accounting for 12.2% of women, 18.1% of infants, and 15.3% of children. Indeed, shares of low-income young children in California are essentially identical to shares on WIC:

Latinos made up 69.1% of all young children living in families with incomes less than 250% of the federal poverty level (or $57,625 for a family of four). Whites made up 15.2% of young children approximately income eligible for WIC. All other racial groups combined comprised 15.8% of such young children.

Story Date: July 23, 2015