Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food benefits to low-income families. SNAP is the Nation's largest nutrition assistance program, accounting for 69 percent of USDA nutrition assistance spending in fiscal year (FY) 2025. SNAP served 42.1 million participants per month in FY 2025 on average, at an annual Federal cost of $101.7 billion.

ERS research focuses on SNAP's effectiveness in meeting income support and diet quality objectives. ERS analyzes:

Determinants of SNAP participation, including program policies, economic conditions, and population characteristics
SNAP participants' outcomes, including food security, food consumption, spending, and broader economic well-being and health
Factors that influence the food environment and affordability of foods for SNAP participants, such as store format and location
The role of prices, income, and nutrition information in SNAP participants’ food choices
The program’s broader economic impacts

ERS publications related to SNAP can be found on the ERS Analysis page.

Program background

At the Federal level, SNAP is administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA; formerly Food and Nutrition Service). Federal regulations define eligibility requirements, benefit levels, and administrative rules, which are nationally uniform, with some exceptions. States (through local social service agencies) are responsible for day-to-day operations of the program and determine eligibility, calculate benefits, and issue benefits to participants.

SNAP benefits are targeted to those most in need. To receive monthly benefits, households must qualify based on their income, allowable deductions, and assets. Households with lower income receive higher benefits, up to a specified maximum. The maximum benefit amount depends on household size and the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, a minimal cost nutritious diet maintained and updated by the FNA Center for Nutrition and Policy Promotion (CNPP). Maximum benefit amounts are uniform across the contiguous United States but are higher in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. SNAP participants are required to meet work requirements to receive benefits unless they are exempted due to age, work-limiting disability, taking care of dependents, or other criteria. Non-citizens are not eligible for program benefits unless they meet certain criteria.

SNAP benefits can be used to purchase food from authorized food retailers, via an electronic system known as electronic benefit transfer (EBT). Benefits can be redeemed for most types of foods intended for preparation and consumption at home. Benefits cannot be spent on tobacco, alcohol, or nonfood items. Benefits also cannot be spent on foods sold hot, except in some areas under certain conditions.

Additional information on SNAP is available from FNA:

Program developments

SNAP is periodically reauthorized by the Farm Bill. SNAP is currently authorized by the Nutrition Title (Title IV) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Act), which maintains the program’s basic eligibility guidelines and work requirements, while providing additional funding for enhanced employment and training activities.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA; Public Law No. 119-21) was enacted in July 2025 and modified SNAP policy through several provisions, including:

Expanding and modifying work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) or “time-limited adults”
Limiting future Thrifty Food Plan reevaluations to cost-neutrality
Introducing a State share of benefit costs based on payment error rates
Increasing the State share of administrative costs
Eliminating Federal funding for the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed)
Restricting noncitizen eligibility for SNAP
Modifying standard utility allowances and the excess shelter expense deduction

Other recent changes include updates to staple food stocking requirements for SNAP retailers and USDA approval of various State SNAP food restriction waivers, which prohibit the redemption of benefits for certain unhealthy foods. These and other developments are covered in recent editions of ERS’s Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape report series:

Note: ERS is a Federal statistical agency that conducts research and analysis and produces data on agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. ERS does not process SNAP applications. If you are looking for information about eligibility for SNAP benefits, applying for benefits, or your personal SNAP case, please contact your local SNAP office.