This report – part of an annual series – presents estimates, by state, of the percentage of eligible persons and working poor individuals who participated in SNAP during an average month in fiscal year (FY) 2016 and in the two previous fiscal years.
Nationally, the SNAP participation rate among all eligible persons was 85 percent in FY 2016. The participation rate for eligible working poor individuals was significantly lower, at 75 percent. Participation rates for all eligible persons varied from state to state, ranging from a low of 56 percent to a high of 100 percent. Participation rate estimates for the working poor also varied widely across states. In no state was the rate for working poor people higher than the rate for all eligible people.