15 States Where the Most People Rely on SNAP for Their Groceries

The food stamp program we know today, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also known as the acronym SNAP — was created by the U.S. federal government to end hunger and move people forward to self-sufficiency.

SNAP was built on the foundation of the first Food Stamp Program, which was established in 1939. The initial program, which has evolved over many decades, began to be referred to as SNAP in 2008.

Over 42 million qualifying people in the U.S. currently use SNAP benefits to purchase fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, breads, cereals, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages and seeds and plants that produce food. However, items such as cleaning supplies, pet foods, hygiene products, cosmetics and ready-to-eat hot foods are not eligible to be purchased with these government-issued benefits.

To qualify for SNAP benefits, you must not exceed SNAP gross and net monthly income limits or the program’s resource limits. For example, a family of four cannot exceed a gross monthly income of $2,871, a net monthly income of $2,209 or $2,500 in countable resources, such as cash or money in a bank account. It’s important to note that if one member of the family is at least 60 or disabled, different limits will apply.

To determine the 15 states where the most people currently rely on SNAP for their groceries, GOBankingRates used the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP data tables by state published in April 2023.

Some of the states listed have experienced an increase in SNAP participation since March 2023 and some have experienced a decrease. However, what all 15 states have in common is that their populations have the most people relying on SNAP for their groceries, compared to other states. 

Here are the 15 states in the U.S. where the most people are using the SNAP program:

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 4,612,800
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 5,172,539
• Percent change: 12.1%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 3,472,171
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 3,343,815
• Percent change: -3.7%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 2,786,261
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 3,058,635
• Percent change: 9.8%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 2,871,999
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 2,908,512
• Percent change: 1.3%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 2,003,747
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,990,566
• Percent change: -0.7%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,861,373
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,936,758
• Percent change: 4.0%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,567,026
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,606,929
• Percent change: 2.5%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,607,936
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,505,624
• Percent change: -6.4%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,498,058
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,403,704
• Percent change: -6.3%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,348,861
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,425,331
• Percent change: 5.7%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 1,032,580
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 1,087,259
• Percent change: 5.3%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 864,280
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 769,958
• Percent change: -10.9%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 763,047
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 673,642
• Percent change: -11.7%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 774,444
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 907,254
• Percent change: 17.1%

• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2022: 882,317
• Persons participating in SNAP in March 2023: 900,999
• Percent change: 2.1%

Cynthia Measom contributed to the reporting for this article.