We periodically examine SNAP benefit redemption patterns related to the timing, number, and dollar amount of transactions and the rate at which households spend down and exhaust their monthly benefits. These studies also report on the number of transactions made and the share of benefits redeemed at various types of stores.
The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program for Children , Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Seamless Summer Option , of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in program meals.
We release annual reports describing the persons and households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This report uses the fiscal year 2023 SNAP Quality Control data to examine the demographic characteristics and economic circumstances of SNAP households at the national and state level.
To ensure that tax dollars do not fund SNAP benefits to illegal aliens or other ineligible aliens, State agencies should carefully examine their identity and immigration status verification practices and make necessary enhancements.
Generally speaking, immigration status has changed recently for many aliens and state agencies are encouraged to continuously verify immigration status of all aliens in the state who receive SNAP.
We publish national SNAP participation rates, which are estimated percentages of people who are eligible for SNAP who participate in the program. On this page, you can access published reports that go back to 1994. Each report includes national participation and benefit receipt rates for all individuals, households, and certain subgroups. Most reports compare rates across fiscal years to demonstrate recent trends in SNAP participation.
We publish SNAP participation rates for each state, which are estimated percentages of all people who are eligible for SNAP who participate in the program. For most years, we also estimate participation rates for “working poor” people, who are eligible people that live in households with income from a job. On this page, you can access published reports that go back to 1994. Each link includes a research brief, and a technical report detailing the methodology used.
This memorandum reiterates these fundamental objectives and their interaction with the Secretary of Agriculture’s authority to grant state SNAP agencies requests to waive the time limit on receiving SNAP benefits by ABAWDs who do not meet statutory work requirements.
The March 25, 2025, notice issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security entitled “Termination of Parole Processes: Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans” terminates the categorical parole programs established in 2022 and 2023 for aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members (known as “CHNV parole programs”). Parole status for all aliens under the CHNV parole programs will terminate by April 24, 2025, if such status has not already expired before that date.
This final national caseload level ensures that resources are sufficient to provide full food packages to participants throughout the caseload cycle. We are allocating final caseload and administrative grants for 2025 to CSFP state agencies, including Tribes and U.S. territories.