How Much Does the Nation Spend on Welfare? - Private Welfare Expenditures

The private sector is an important source of social welfare funding. These expenditures can be grouped into four program categories: health and medical care, welfare services, education, and income maintenance. Welfare services funded by private sources include:

• Individual and family services (counseling and referral services for families and children, family service agencies, adoption services, emergency and disaster services, child day-care services, and senior citizen services).
• Residential care (group foster homes, halfway homes, and housing and shelter for the homeless).
• Recreation and group work (YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts).
• Civic, social, and fraternal organizations.
• Job training and vocational rehabilitation, such as sheltered workshops, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and skill-training centers.

TABLE 1.5
Total spending for income-tested benefits, by type of benefit, selected fiscal years, 1968–2000
[In millions of constant FY 2000 dollars]

Fiscal year	Medical	Cash	Food	Housing	Education	Jobs/training	Services	Energy	Total
1968	24,122	37,810	4,486	3,933	4,320	3,777	2,507	0	80,954
1973	43,195	55,358	15,384	15,069	7,267	3,907	8,863	0	149,043
1975	53,416	64,279	23,080	16,757	7,661	7,216	8,855	0	181,265
1976	57,755	69,590	25,752	18,057	11,860	14,309	10,507	86	207,916
1977	63,207	68,370	24,542	18,885	10,488	15,695	11,488	865	213,540
1978	65,080	65,407	25,099	20,650	11,514	26,118	11,439	730	226,038
1979	66,810	61,860	26,126	22,049	12,277	22,662	10,970	638	223,392
1980	69,606	61,332	28,924	21,869	11,052	18,589	9,818	3,675	224,866
1981	72,817	61,426	31,271	21,438	9,763	14,608	10,235	3,862	225,419
1982	72,660	58,612	29,341	22,088	14,415	7,274	8,955	3,657	217,002
1983	73,415	59,156	32,645	21,770	13,358	7,930	9,344	3,581	221,198
1984	75,371	60,081	32,666	23,165	13,808	9,061	8,868	3,636	226,657
1985	79,204	60,294	32,667	24,207	15,972	6,370	8,773	3,672	231,158
1986	82,624	63,248	31,655	22,269	16,496	5,784	8,271	3,510	233,858
1987	90,833	64,273	32,015	22,145	15,626	5,857	8,493	3,313	242,555
1988	96,029	66,729	31,177	23,173	17,068	5,577	9,619	2,921	252,293
1989	102,328	69,200	30,657	23,214	18,159	5,452	9,158	2,521	260,689
1990	115,250	72,020	33,326	23,926	19,102	5,631	11,267	2,294	282,815
1991	138,881	77,873	37,048	24,521	19,474	6,101	12,546	2,425	318,869
1992	166,578	85,614	41,998	30,979	17,431	6,736	13,224	2,174	364,734
1993	170,155	89,003	43,237	32,671	17,942	6,346	12,890	1,910	374,152
1994	187,153	100,066	43,909	34,142	18,015	6,393	16,633	2,311	408,624
1995	196,922	103,291	43,558	35,764	18,146	6,131	12,775	1,897	418,484
1996	195,198	101,426	42,876	35,656	17,967	5,138	12,090	1,373	411,725
1997	198,815	99,463	39,908	35,561	18,737	4,246	12,588	1,502	410,821
1998	203,550	96,269	36,907	34,681	19,052	5,142	17,939	1,405	414,944
1999	213,619	96,576	35,718	29,848	19,058	5,831	19,291	1,438	421,379
2000	225,858	91,703	34,347	34,906	20,385	7,347	20,724	1,715	436,985
SOURCE: "Table K-4. Total Spending for Income-Tested Benefits by Form of Benefit, Selected Fiscal Years, 1968–2000," in The Green Book, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, 2003 [Online] http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/gree+F45nbook2003/AppendixK.pdf [accessed January 8, 2004]