MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 31: A ‘We Accept (Food Stamps)’ sign hangs in the window of a grocery store on October 31, 2025 in Miami, Florida. The food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), could run out of funding on Nov. 1 due to the federal government shutdown, now entering its second month. In Miami-Dade County, nearly one in six residents receive food assistance. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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As the US government shutdown drags on, the first batches of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients haven’t scraped together funds to buy groceries. New rounds of monthly payments normally begin on the 2nd, but even as of Nov. 6, benefits had not been paid, leaving those who depend on them scrambling, including many working families, single mothers and disabled and elderly Americans across the country.
The Trump administration said in early November that it would pay only 50 percent of SNAP payments this month because, because of the termination, it had no other funds available within the Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. He refused to use emergency funds provided during the shutdown by Congress. A revised guidance on Wednesday night to states said to pay only 35% of original SNAP benefit levels. On Thursday, a federal judge finally ordered the government to pay all benefits by Friday, a decision the USDA has appealed.
This chart shows the characteristics of SNAP participants at the individual and household level (FY2023).
Statistics
More than 40 million Americans — or 1 in 8 — received SNAP benefits last year. While spending on the program rose by as much as $128 billion a year during the pandemic, it has dropped to about $100 billion again in 2024. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have already this year $186 billion in cuts to SNAP; over 10 years, as set forth in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July.
Nearly 4 in 10 SNAP recipients in 2023 were children; data from the USDA showas families, especially single-family households with adults, are more often struggling with finances. In addition, about 2 in 10 recipients were over the age of 60, and 1 in 10 was a child or non-elderly adult with a disability. One-third of SNAP recipients were adults without disabilities between the ages of 18 and 59. However, at the household level, only 16.9% of households receiving SNAP contained only adults under the age of 50.
How many SNAP recipients are working?
Last year, 27.3% of households receiving SNAP had earned income, and able-bodied adults up to age 54 without dependents are already subject to a work requirement if they want to receive more than three months of payments in three years. The proportion of households with income from work rose to 54.9% among households with children, once again highlighting the plight of many working parents to make ends meet. Between married families, this percentage amounts to more than 80%.
All recipients aged 16-50 are also subject to less stringent work requirements, unless they have health problems or qualify for another limited exemption. However, observers point out that many issues that SNAP recipients have, such as homelessness or mental health conditions, are not already covered by them, and that the bureaucracy surrounding SNAP also creates additional barriers.
More than 60% of the household receiving SNAP also received some form of cash benefits, such as Social Security payments or Supplemental Security Income, while 20% received no income or cash benefits. African Americans are overrepresented among recipients at 25.7% (vs. about 14% of the population), while Latinos are underrepresented (15.6% of SNAP recipients vs. 19.5% of the population).
Mapped by Statistics
