How Widespread are WIC-Only Stores?
According to USDA data, there were 523 WIC-only stores in 13 states in fiscal year 2000.[3] The next year, 12 states reported having 621 WIC-only stores — a 19 percent increase in one year.[4] By fiscal year 2002, states reported having 778 WIC-only stores, an increase of another 25 percent.[5] In this two-year period, the number of WIC-only stores thus grew by 49 percent. There almost certainly has been significant further growth since 2002. WIC-only stores are currently concentrated in California, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico, but are spreading to other states. In 2002, for example, Alabama and Maryland reported having WIC-only stores for the first time. The most telling indicator of the impact of WIC-only stores on WIC program costs is the percentage of WIC vouchers redeemed at such stores. In fiscal year 2002, although WIC-only stores represented only two percent of approved WIC vendors nationwide, they accounted for nine percent of WIC voucher redemptions. Over the pa
