SNAP Benefits by State

Millions of Americans have participated in the United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), getting access to basic food products that they might otherwise be unable to afford. Given that SNAP is a federal program, it would be easy to assume that it functions relatively uniformly throughout the U.S.

In practice, however, local SNAP offices, different benefit calculations, and varying regional economic circumstances result in some notable differences in SNAP benefits by state. This is most apparent in the colloquial names of programs and the average amount of benefits offered per household.

Understanding SNAP

SNAP is a government assistance program designed to provide low-income individuals and families with an alternate means of purchasing food from certain retailers, typically grocery stores and farmers markets.

Originally utilizing paper food stamps, electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards began to supersede these starting in 1990.

SNAP is one of several nutrition assistance programs available in the U.S. and is the largest overall. The program is intended to address the food insecurity aspects of poverty, rather than the root causes of it.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia offer SNAP benefits, though many of them refer to their programs with different names—SNAP in Idaho and CalFresh in California, for example.

Each state also has a unique EBT card issued as part of its benefits program that may also have a special name, such as the Lone Star Card (Texas) and Arizona Quest Card.

EBT cards are refilled on a monthly basis. They're used to purchase the following items but can't be used for those deemed ineligible by SNAP:

Program Eligibility

Individuals or families in 48 states and the District of Columbia are eligible for SNAP benefits if they meet the three criteria below.

• Gross monthly income: Household income before any of the program's deductions are applied must be at or below 130% of the poverty line. Households with members who are older (age 60+), have a disability, or who are "categorically eligible" due to participating in another economic security program are exempt from this criteria.
• Net income: After all deductions are applied, household income must be at or below the poverty line. Both gross monthly income and net income include earned (i.e., income from wages, salary, and tips) and unearned income (e.g., cash assistance, Social Security, unemployment insurance, and child support).
• Assets: Households without an older member (age 60+) or someone with a disability must own assets worth $2,750 or less. Households with such a member must have $4,250 or less in assets. In the context of SNAP, only resources that could be available to the household to purchase food are considered assets. Individual state governments may relax these asset limits if they so choose. Categorically eligible households are also exempt from this criteria.

Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are subject to different eligibility, benefit, and deduction criteria.

In fiscal year 2022, an average of 41.1 million Americans per month participated in SNAP. SNAP benefit amounts are based on an individual or family's income, household size, and certain expenses. The federal government expects those receiving SNAP benefits to spend 30% of their net income on food.

As such, the monthly SNAP benefit for a household that has a net income is equal to the maximum benefit for its size minus the household’s 30% expected contribution. Participants who have no net income will instead receive the maximum possible benefit.

Because SNAP benefit calculations are partially based on an individual or family's income, the existence of differing economic conditions among states means that participants may earn more or less depending on where they live.

Below is our analysis of SNAP benefits by state.

State-by-State Breakdown

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at $385, Hawaii had the highest average monthly SNAP benefit per household member in fiscal year 2023, followed by Alaska at $271. Additionally, Hawaii's monthly benefit was double the amount of many other states. The state with the lowest monthly benefit payment was Minnesota, at $157.

As the charts indicate, California had the largest number of SNAP participants—4,627,700—in its CalFresh program in 2022. Texas, with 3,440,700 participants, was next in line.

Florida's Food Assistance Program followed Texas, serving 2,847,100 participants the same year. The state with the lowest number of participants was Wyoming, with 30,200, followed by North Dakota with 47,400.

Although California had the largest number of participants, this group accounted for just 12% of the state's population in 2022. New Mexico's 518,800 participants are far fewer than California's, but they represent 25% of the state's total population—the highest percentage out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The District of Columbia, at 22%, had the second highest percentage of residents collecting SNAP benefits, while 18% of people in Louisiana and in West Virginia received aid in 2022. Meanwhile, New Hampshire, Utah and Wyoming tied for the lowest percentage, at 5%. However, as noted above, Wyoming has the lowest number of participants of any state.

SNAP and Low-Wage Jobs

SNAP exists to help workers in low-paying jobs afford a basic diet. These individuals frequently have inconsistent schedules and no benefits, which contribute to high turnover rates and periods of unemployment. Not surprisingly, recipients cluster in the nation's lowest-paying jobs.

According to the latest figures available from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4.52 million SNAP participants work in the service industry. Laborers in many of these fields have mean hourly wages far below the U.S. average wage and/or work fewer or less-consistent hours than they desire. As such, SNAP provides them with the support they need to make ends meet.

At 760,300, or 23% of the entire industry in 2017, cashiers accounted for the largest number of workers within a single occupation participating in SNAP. Conversely, graders and sorters of agriculture products, at 28%, made up the largest percentage of SNAP participants within a single occupation, even though this amounted to just 15,700 workers.

The Poverty Line and SNAP

According to Brookings, 30% of low-wage workers in 2019 (approximately 16 million people) earned below 150% of the poverty line. It makes sense that the three states with the highest percentages of their populations below the poverty line (Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico) were also among the top five states by SNAP participation as a percentage of the total population in 2022.

Conversely, the two states with the lowest percentages of their populations below the poverty line (New Hampshire and Utah) were two out of the three states with the smallest number of SNAP participants as a percentage of their total population that same year. Although these two factors don't perfectly correlate, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities data suggest that if a state is experiencing a high rate of poverty, its residents are more likely to require SNAP benefits.

The Bottom Line

SNAP has proved a major resource for millions of Americans in need, and it isn't the only nutrition assistance program available. Despite this, as reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 2021, researchers have estimated that SNAP benefits are approximately $11 per person below the amount needed to pay for a weekly, nutritious meal plan.

This is especially apparent in higher-cost areas, where healthy diets are particularly hard to afford for low-income families. The fact that SNAP can be more effective at counteracting poverty in some states than others shows that more needs to be done to ensure that our most economically vulnerable citizens are provided for and protected.