Numbers On Welfare Drop 1.3 Million

The number of welfare recipients has dropped by about 1.3 million people in the last three years, the Health and Human Services Department said Monday.

Forty-two states reported a decrease in the number of people receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children between January 1993 and January 1996, resulting in an overall decrease from 14.1 million to 12.8 million.

Reasons cited for the drop included an improved economy, stricter state welfare programs and changes in attitude among the poor about accepting welfare.