The Food and Nutrition Service recently released a new report on SNAP household characteristics for fiscal year (FY) 2022.
📊 Top Takeaways
Who did SNAP Serve in 2022?
In FY 2022, an average of 41.2 million people in 21.6 million households received SNAP benefits each month; 79% of these households included children, older adults, or people with disabilities.
How Much Did They Receive?
The average SNAP household received $297 per month to spend on groceries. Families with kids got more—about $515—because their household size is larger.
SNAP Lifts People Up
Thanks to SNAP benefits and emergency allotments, 30% of SNAP households rose above the federal poverty line. Emergency allotments were in place for 45 states and territories at the start of FY 2022 and 36 states by the end of FY 2022.
Income Sources
About one-third of households had income from Social Security; earned income was the second most common income source.
📈 In-Depth Insights
Household Sizes
On average, SNAP households consisted of 1.9 people. Those with children averaged 3.3 members, while those without kids averaged 1.1 members.
Earnings and Income
The average gross income for SNAP households was $969 per month, with net income averaging $489. Twenty percent of households reported no countable income.
Work and Wages
Around 26% of households had earnings from employment, with an average of $1,454 per month. Half of households with children had earned income from employment
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For more information about SNAP benefits and research findings check out our SNAP in Action Dashboard.