The number of Iowans signed up for welfare has slightly decreased over the past 12 months. There were just over 51-thousand Iowa adults and children were signed up for welfare benefits from the state in December. A year ago, there were about three-thousand more Iowans on the welfare rolls. Roger Munns, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Human Services, says there a couple of factors involved. Munns says the numbers are basically flat, which reflects that people aren’t staying on welfare as long as they used to, and some folks have reached the five year limit. (as said in wrap above) About one-thousand Iowans have received benefits for five years, and have been kicked out of the system. About 100 more will reach the five-year limit this month and be denied benefits hereafter. The statistics show there are few so-called “welfare queens” having lots of kids. Half of welfare recipients in Iowa have just one kid; another third have two kids, which he says belies the stereotype that welfare families are large and growing. Seventy-seven percent of welfare recipients in Iowa are white; the rest are from minority groups. He says there is a disproportinate number of African-Americans and other minoirities, which he says has to do with economic status, not race.Just over 14 percent of Iowans who receive public assistance are black; just under three percent are Hispanic. The stats also show most welfare recipients are young. Just over half of welfare recipients in Iowa are in their 20s. Another 30 percent are in their 30s. And over 80 percent of welfare recipients are women.