Now that we've outlined the benefits cliff and it's hazards, our next concern might be the magnitude of the effect in Forsyth County. How many people are at risk of falling off the cliff? Creating exact estimates is difficult, but we can look to 2017 US Census data for rough corollary figures.
The graph below shows the number of households at or below a given income point. Income represents total yearly income for the household. The vertical dotted line signifies the income threshold for Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), and is the monthly threshold converted to a yearly amount.
Again, the graph can only provide ballpark figures to how many people reside near the FNS cliff. It does not identify which households receive benefits, and just because a household's income is below the eligibility threshold on the graph does not mean that the household qualifies for the given benefit. Benefit eligibility depends on factors beyond income, and incomes are typically tied to monthly, not yearly, income.
But, the state does produce exact figures on the number of enrollees in each benefit and this data is presented below.
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