The Intersection of Place and Need: How Lack of Enrollment Offices Deters Participation in the Safety Net

Marianne Bitler, Jason Cook, Chloe N. East, Sonya R. Porter and Laura Tiehen

Tax Policy and the Economy, 2026, vol. 40, issue 1, 239 - 271

Abstract: Take-up of means-tested transfer programs in the United States remains incomplete despite their substantial value to eligible households. We contribute to the literature on determinants of program participation by providing the first causal estimates of how proximity to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offices affects program participation. Using administrative data on SNAP receipt in a single state linked to geocoded office locations, we exploit quasi-experimental variation from frequent office openings and closings. Event-study estimates show that SNAP participation in a Census tract decreases following the closure of an office by 7%–9% over 2 years, with suggestive evidence of increases in participation following office openings. These effects are concentrated in urban areas and are robust to alternative specifications and tests of endogeneity in changes in office placement.

Date: 2026
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