Access and Eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Varies County by County
Who’s eligible for and who actually accesses benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) varies from state to state, year to year, and county to county.
SNAP, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the nation’s largest federal effort to reduce hunger. It reached 38 million people in fiscal year 2019 but a recent report estimates that about one in six of those eligible did not participate in the program.
The visualization allows you to explore differences over time, between states and by individual and household characteristics.
Now, a new visualization produced by the U.S. Census Bureau with support from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, the USDA’s Economic Research Service, and data from multiple state partners shows estimates of SNAP eligibility and access rates at the state and county levels for 16 states for select years.
The visualization, which uses American Community Survey (ACS) and state administrative records data, aims to increase understanding of access to SNAP and inform future outreach.
We first used responses to the ACS on family structure, income, shelter costs and participation in other safety net programs to determine respondents likely to be eligible for SNAP benefits.
We then linked individual ACS records to state administrative records on SNAP participants to determine if those likely to be eligible actually received benefits during the reference period (see this 2013 report for more information on this process).
For the state-level estimates, we link one year of ACS data with two years of state administrative records. When we produce county-level estimates, we use additional years of data to improve the quality of our estimates for smaller geographies, using three years of ACS data linked with four years of state administrative records.
The visualization allows users to explore eligibility and access patterns in selected states, over time, and across counties within states.
For example, in Arizona, 28.8% of all individuals were eligible for SNAP benefits but only 70.1% of them claimed the benefits in 2018. In Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa, 26.8% of all individuals were eligible for and 67.7% of them accessed SNAP benefits between 2016 and 2018.
The interactive maps and graphics show modeled SNAP eligibility and access rates for all individuals.
The visualization allows you to explore differences over time, between states and by individual and household characteristics. Use the menus above the maps to select various states, year ranges, population characteristics and population subgroups.
The graphics in the bottom portion of the visualization show the distributions of characteristics of eligible SNAP participants and nonparticipants at the state and county level.
For example, in Maricopa County, children ages 17 and younger made up 43.9% of all SNAP participants and 18.7% of all nonparticipants.
We have also created a similarly designed Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program Eligibility and Participation data visualization.
Thomas B. Foster and Brian Knop are sociologists in the Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies.
Renuka Bhaskar is a senior researcher in the Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies.
Subscribe
Our email newsletter is sent out on the day we publish a story. Get an alert directly in your inbox to read, share and blog about our newest stories.
Contact our Public Information Office for media inquiries or interviews.
-
America Counts StoryMost Families With 2018 SNAP Benefits Had At Least One Person WorkingJuly 21, 2020Most families who received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits had at least one worker and about a third included two or more workers.
-
America Counts StoryCensus Stats Helped to Plan Healthy Food Programs for Low-Income HomesJanuary 21, 2020Federal, state and local officials will use 2020 Census data to help plan funding for nutrition programs for the next decade.
-
America Counts StoryWho Are the Millions Who Receive Nutrition Assistance?March 10, 2020A new U.S. Census Bureau brief profiles the tens of millions of families who receive government and community nutrition assistance.
-
Business and EconomyFewer Workers as Number of Retail Clothing Firms ShrinkJuly 08, 2025As retail stores closed, employees left for other industries or jumped to new retail jobs.
-
PopulationThe Fourth of July: The Nation’s Population Then and NowJuly 02, 2025The U.S. population is nearly 123 times larger than it was in 1780, the nearest estimate to when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.
-
Business and EconomyNonemployer Statistics Show Continued Growth in “Gig Economy” ActivitiesJuly 01, 2025New data visualization showcases the nonemployer industries that contributed to U.S. business revenue through gig activities.
-
PopulationStates With High Median Ages May Not be as Uniformly Old as You ThinkJune 26, 2025A state’s median age does not tell the whole story. Florida has the fifth highest median age yet also has counties younger than the national median.