Is the food-stamp program in Oklahoma plagued by a significant level of fraud ? There’s reason to believe that may be the case.

Public data shows 11.6 percent of Oklahomans live in poverty, but the share on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP , or “ food stamps ”) is around 17 percent.

That means the share of Oklahomans on food stamps is nearly 50-percent higher than the poverty rate .

The 5.4 percentage-point gap between Oklahoma’s poverty rate and SNAP-participation rate is larger than the gap in all but two other states. In most states, the share of those receiving SNAP benefits is comparable to those living in poverty, and in many cases the SNAP rate is actually lower.

That makes sense, since SNAP benefits are supposed to help pay for food for the poor, and

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