Most Food Stamp Recipients Have No Earned Income

We are quickly becoming a nation of do nothings.

Some 70% of households that relied on food stamps last year had no earned income, a new report shows.

More than 40 million individuals and nearly 19 million households tapped the food stamp program in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While the recession technically ended in 2009, a sluggish economic recovery left millions out of work or underemployed and leaning on the government for assistance last year.

The Agriculture Departments annual snapshot on the characteristics of food stamp households, released Friday, shows that seven in 10 households receiving food stamps had no earned income last year, though many got other forms of government benefits.