Composition and Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households
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Composition and Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households

Issue Brief
Published: May 29, 2015
Publisher: Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research
Human Services Nutrition Nutrition and Food Assistance Programs Data Analytics Research and Evaluation Surveys and Data Collection Policy Analysis
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Authors

Kelsey Farson Gray

Karen Cunnyngham

Key Findings

Key Findings:

  • In fiscal year 2013, the average monthly SNAP benefit was $271. Forty-one percent (9.3 million) of SNAP households received the maximum benefit, and 5 percent (1.2 million) received the minimum benefit.
  • In fiscal year 2013, 92 percent of all SNAP benefits went to the 83 percent of SNAP households with gross monthly incomes at or below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
  • Only 1 percent of all benefits went to the 5 percent of SNAP households with a gross monthly income of over 130 percent of the FPL.
  • In fiscal year 2013, the average monthly gross income for all SNAP households was $758. Twenty-two percent of SNAP households had no gross income at the time they were certified or recertified to receive SNAP benefits.
  • In fiscal year 2013, nearly 9 in 10 SNAP participants (87 percent) lived in households with a child, an elderly individual, or an individual with a disability. These households represented 75 percent (17.1 million) of all SNAP households.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the foundation of the United States’ nutrition safety net and is the nation’s first line of defense against food insecurity. SNAP benefits are available to all who meet the federal eligibility guidelines set by Congress. According to program operations data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP provided benefits to 46.5 million people in an average month in fiscal year 2014, slightly fewer than the 47.6 million people served in an average month in fiscal year 2013. SNAP serves a broad demographic spectrum. This brief’s descriptions of SNAP participants and their benefits are based on a sample of households that participated in SNAP in fiscal year 2013.

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