Social welfare expenditures under public programs, fiscal year 1977

Social welfare expenditures under public programs reached $362.3 billion in fiscal year 1977, which covered the 12-month period from October 1, 1976, to September 30, 1977. This figure was about $30 billion higher than the $331.9 billion spent in fiscal year 1976 (July 1, 1975, through June 30, 1976) and represented a 9-percent increase. When adjusted for price and population changes, real per capita expenditures rose from $1,623 in fiscal year 1976 to $1,646 in 1977, reflecting a 1-percent real increase in per capita spending under these programs. Social welfare expenditures as a proportion of the Nation's gross national product dropped slightly from 20.4 percent in fiscal year 1976 to 19.7 percent in 1977. The decline resulted from lower rates of growth during 1977 in most of the major social welfare categories and a higher rate of growth in the gross national product.