SNAP BY THE NUMBERS.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provides grocery assistance to people facing hunger, most of whom have others relying on them to live day to day. Because SNAP feeds families, and families build communities.
The average SNAP benefit comes out to about $6 per person, per day — or $187 per month. For families balancing rising grocery costs, that benefit often runs out before the end of the month.
79% of SNAP households — nearly 8 in 10 — include a child, an elderly individual or a person with a disability. Together, these households make up 88% of everyone the program serves, underscoring that SNAP is fundamentally a lifeline for neighbors who need it most.
Most SNAP participants who can work do so — 86% of households with a non-disabled, working-age adult had earnings within the year. And many SNAP participants are children, seniors, or people with disabilities who aren’t expected to work at all.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT SNAP DOES FOR FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES
SNAP helps families stretch their budgets so they can buy groceries while also covering essentials like housing, utilities, medicine, childcare, and transportation. For many families, SNAP provides support that helps them stay on track during challenging times and navigate rising costs with greater stability. The majority of SNAP households with children have earnings from work, demonstrating that SNAP works alongside wages to help families putfood on the table.
SNAP is a nutrition-focused program that helps families purchase groceries such as fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, breads, cereals, and other foods that support meals at home. By helping families access nutritious food, SNAP supports health, well-being, and the ability to focus on work, school, caregiving, and other responsibilities that strengthen families and communities.
Food banks play an essential role in helping people access food in their communities, but charitable food assistance alone cannot meet the need. For every meal provided by the Feeding America network, SNAP provides nine. SNAP helps families consistently afford groceries, while food banks provide additional support during difficult times. Together, SNAP and the charitable food sector create a stronger hunger-relief system that helps families access the food they need today while supporting healthier, more resilient communities put food on the table.