Thirty-five percent of SNAP recipients are children. | Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
What you probably already know: SNAP benefits are now currently being fully funded after the confusing back-and-forth during the record-long 44-day government shutdown. A recent in-depth analysis by Pew Research Center sheds light on who, exactly, uses SNAP, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, and why it’s so important. The program first launched in 1939 and has undergone several iterations, with the current program introduced in 1964. It was known as “Food Stamps” until 2008, when it was changed “in efforts to fight stigma.” Today, 42.4 million Americans in 22.4 million households depend on SNAP, or one in every eight people across the country. Thirty-five percent of recipients are children.
Why it matters: SNAP plays a crucial role in reducing hunger and improving health. It’s particularly important for women: It’s estimated that more than 60% of SNAP recipients are single-parent households headed by women. A household qualifies for SNAP if it has gross monthly income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, and the average monthly benefit is about $188 per person, or $351 per household. New Mexico has the highest percentage of SNAP recipients (21.5%), followed by the District of Columbia. Wyoming and Utah have the lowest rates at 4.6% and 5.1%, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of recipients are in the South, the largest share by region. All told, almost 267,000 establishments — including grocery stores, farmers markets, meal delivery services and senior centers — are authorized to accept SNAP benefits. Supermarkets and superstores (Think Walmart or Target) account for nearly 74% of all redemptions.
What it means: Changes in the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” stand to significantly weaken the program. For the first time, states will be required to pay a portion of SNAP benefits beginning in fiscal year 2028, anywhere from 5% to 15% depending on “payment error rate,” or combined overpayment and underpayment of benefits. Pew calls this a “major shift fundamentally reshaping the program,” noting that the federal government has historically covered 100% of the cost. The bill cuts access and eligibility for certain non-citizens, though the vast majority of recipients are born in the U.S. It also shifts more of the administrative burden to states; caps benefit increases; and requires recipients up to age 64 to work or receive training to remain eligible.
What happens next: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that many states will struggle to absorb those costs, and may be forced to raise taxes, cut eligibility, reduce benefits or even not fund SNAP at all (though every state offers it, it’s an optional program). The report says cutting federal resources while adding policy changes that make errors more likely, along with “unprecedented and disproportionate error rate penalties,” might force states to “erect barriers that make it much harder for low-income people who are eligible for food assistance to access it.”
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