Do Maine welfare recipients get an average of $40,000 in yearly benefits? | Fact brief

While, according to one source, Maine spends $40,000 on welfare per person in poverty, welfare recipients do not receive an average of $40,000 in yearly benefits.

At a recent debate, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ben Midgley cited Census Bureau data compiled by the Center of the American Experiment, a Minnesota conservative think tank. The center reported on “spending on public welfare per person in poverty,” though that metric isn’t searchable on the census site.

Welfare spending includes cash assistance, Medicaid-related payments to health care providers, administration and other services. Due to the cost of administering the programs, the amount the government spends does not equal the amount of benefits received.

On average each year in Maine, MaineCare enrollees receive $11,200, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients $2,091 and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cases $10,224.

A Mainer receiving the average amount of all three major benefits would get about $23,500.