SNAP (food stamps)FY2025
How much does the US spend on SNAP?
$102.6 billion in fiscal year 2025, for an average of 42.1 million people a month.That is about $281.0 million a day and $300 per US resident. The average benefit was $189.36 per person per month.
Benefits paid
$95.8 billion
FY2025
People
42.1M
12% of the population
Per person per month
$189
$187 in FY2024
Cost by year
SNAP cost peaked at $118.8 billion in FY2022
Total federal cost (benefits plus administration and other costs), fiscal years, nominal dollars
Every year since FY1969 as a table
| Fiscal year | People (monthly average) | Average benefit per person per month | Benefits | Other costs | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42,142,184 | $189.36 | $95.8 billion | $6.8 billion | $102.6 billion |
| 2024 | 41,709,123 | $186.76 | $93.5 billion | $6.6 billion | $100.1 billion |
| 2023 | 42,176,946 | $210.71 | $106.6 billion | $6.1 billion | $112.7 billion |
| 2022 | 41,208,251 | $229.01 | $113.2 billion | $5.6 billion | $118.8 billion |
| 2021 | 41,603,712 | $214.41 | $107.0 billion | $5.2 billion | $112.2 billion |
| 2020 | 39,852,778 | $154.54 | $73.9 billion | $5.0 billion | $78.9 billion |
| 2019 | 35,702,472 | $129.83 | $55.6 billion | $4.8 billion | $60.4 billion |
| 2018 | 40,775,705 | $124.50 | $60.9 billion | $4.5 billion | $65.4 billion |
| 2017 | 42,316,550 | $125.47 | $63.7 billion | $4.5 billion | $68.2 billion |
| 2016 | 44,219,656 | $125.40 | $66.5 billion | $4.4 billion | $70.9 billion |
| 2015 | 45,766,672 | $126.81 | $69.6 billion | $4.3 billion | $73.9 billion |
| 2014 | 46,663,872 | $125.01 | $70.0 billion | $4.1 billion | $74.1 billion |
| 2013 | 47,636,090 | $133.07 | $76.1 billion | $3.8 billion | $79.9 billion |
| 2012 | 46,609,072 | $133.41 | $74.6 billion | $3.8 billion | $78.4 billion |
| 2011 | 44,708,726 | $133.85 | $71.8 billion | $3.9 billion | $75.7 billion |
| 2010 | 40,301,878 | $133.79 | $64.7 billion | $3.6 billion | $68.3 billion |
| 2009 | 33,489,974 | $125.31 | $50.4 billion | $3.3 billion | $53.6 billion |
| 2008 | 28,222,630 | $102.19 | $34.6 billion | $3.0 billion | $37.6 billion |
| 2007 | 26,316,045 | $96.18 | $30.4 billion | $2.8 billion | $33.2 billion |
| 2006 | 26,548,833 | $94.75 | $30.2 billion | $2.7 billion | $32.9 billion |
| 2005 | 25,628,456 | $92.89 | $28.6 billion | $2.5 billion | $31.1 billion |
| 2004 | 23,810,742 | $86.16 | $24.6 billion | $2.5 billion | $27.1 billion |
| 2003 | 21,249,626 | $83.94 | $21.4 billion | $2.4 billion | $23.8 billion |
| 2002 | 19,095,637 | $79.67 | $18.3 billion | $2.4 billion | $20.6 billion |
| 2001 | 17,318,458 | $74.81 | $15.5 billion | $2.2 billion | $17.8 billion |
| 2000 | 17,194,334 | $72.62 | $15.0 billion | $2.1 billion | $17.1 billion |
| 1999 | 18,182,538 | $72.27 | $15.8 billion | $2.1 billion | $17.8 billion |
| 1998 | 19,790,984 | $71.12 | $16.9 billion | $2.1 billion | $19.0 billion |
| 1997 | 22,858,136 | $71.27 | $19.5 billion | $2.0 billion | $21.5 billion |
| 1996 | 25,542,531 | $73.21 | $22.4 billion | $1.9 billion | $24.3 billion |
| 1995 | 26,618,773 | $71.27 | $22.8 billion | $1.9 billion | $24.6 billion |
| 1994 | 27,473,696 | $69.00 | $22.7 billion | $1.7 billion | $24.5 billion |
| 1993 | 26,986,774 | $67.95 | $22.0 billion | $1.6 billion | $23.7 billion |
| 1992 | 25,406,985 | $68.57 | $20.9 billion | $1.6 billion | $22.5 billion |
| 1991 | 22,624,627 | $63.78 | $17.3 billion | $1.4 billion | $18.7 billion |
| 1990 | 20,048,978 | $58.78 | $14.1 billion | $1.3 billion | $15.4 billion |
| 1989 | 18,806,463 | $51.71 | $11.7 billion | $1.2 billion | $12.9 billion |
| 1988 | 18,645,000 | $49.83 | $11.1 billion | $1.2 billion | $12.3 billion |
| 1987 | 19,113,000 | $45.78 | $10.5 billion | $1.1 billion | $11.6 billion |
| 1986 | 19,429,000 | $45.49 | $10.6 billion | $1.0 billion | $11.6 billion |
| 1985 | 19,899,000 | $44.99 | $10.7 billion | $959.6 million | $11.7 billion |
| 1984 | 20,854,000 | $42.74 | $10.7 billion | $882.6 million | $11.6 billion |
| 1983 | 21,625,000 | $42.98 | $11.2 billion | $694.8 million | $11.8 billion |
| 1982 | 21,717,000 | $39.17 | $10.2 billion | $628.4 million | $10.8 billion |
| 1981 | 22,430,000 | $39.49 | $10.6 billion | $595.4 million | $11.2 billion |
| 1980 | 21,082,000 | $34.47 | $8.7 billion | $485.6 million | $9.2 billion |
| 1979 | 17,653,000 | $30.59 | $6.5 billion | $459.6 million | $6.9 billion |
| 1978 | 16,001,000 | $26.77 | $5.1 billion | $380.5 million | $5.5 billion |
| 1977 | 17,077,000 | $24.71 | $5.1 billion | $394.0 million | $5.5 billion |
| 1976 | 18,549,000 | $23.93 | $5.3 billion | $359.0 million | $5.7 billion |
| 1975 | 17,064,000 | $21.40 | $4.4 billion | $233.2 million | $4.6 billion |
| 1974 | 12,862,000 | $17.61 | $2.7 billion | $119.2 million | $2.8 billion |
| 1973 | 12,166,000 | $14.60 | $2.1 billion | $76.0 million | $2.2 billion |
| 1972 | 11,109,000 | $13.48 | $1.8 billion | $69.4 million | $1.9 billion |
| 1971 | 9,368,000 | $13.55 | $1.5 billion | $53.2 million | $1.6 billion |
| 1970 | 4,340,000 | $10.55 | $549.7 million | $27.2 million | $576.9 million |
| 1969 | 2,878,000 | $6.63 | $228.8 million | $21.7 million | $250.5 million |
USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP Participation and Costs, Data as of October 9, 2026.
People by year
42.1 million people a month in FY2025
Average monthly participation, fiscal years
USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP Participation and Costs.
By state, July 2026
In July 2026 (initial figures) SNAP paid $6.8 billion in benefits to 36,087,667 people, down 13% from $7.8 billion in July 2025. Monthly benefits and people by state from the Food and Nutrition Service; July 2026 figures are initial and subject to significant revision. Share of residents uses the Census Bureau 2025 population. Select a column to sort.
| State | Benefits, July 2026 | People | Per person | Share of residents | Benefits vs July 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $980.9M | 5,093,375 | $193 | 12.9% | -5% |
| New York | $586.0M | 2,667,525 | $220 | 13.3% | -8% |
| Texas | $499.0M | 2,762,213 | $181 | 8.7% | -20% |
| Florida | $375.9M | 2,219,639 | $169 | 9.5% | -28% |
| Pennsylvania | $310.3M | 1,706,436 | $182 | 13.1% | -11% |
| Illinois | $284.9M | 1,480,838 | $192 | 11.6% | -24% |
| Georgia | $244.2M | 1,325,510 | $184 | 11.7% | -10% |
| Ohio | $241.1M | 1,317,219 | $183 | 11.1% | -9% |
| Michigan | $227.3M | 1,316,428 | $173 | 13.0% | -13% |
| North Carolina | $218.1M | 1,243,706 | $175 | 11.1% | -7% |
| Massachusetts | $172.0M | 893,889 | $192 | 12.5% | -19% |
| Washington | $153.7M | 832,201 | $185 | 10.4% | -7% |
| New Jersey | $146.2M | 749,216 | $195 | 7.8% | -7% |
| Tennessee | $125.9M | 609,517 | $207 | 8.3% | -12% |
| Missouri | $124.2M | 623,099 | $199 | 9.9% | -5% |
| Alabama | $123.9M | 645,376 | $192 | 12.4% | -12% |
| Oregon | $123.6M | 690,814 | $179 | 16.2% | -12% |
| Virginia | $121.8M | 741,868 | $164 | 8.4% | -16% |
| Wisconsin | $117.2M | 654,525 | $179 | 11.0% | +7% |
| Maryland | $117.0M | 631,580 | $185 | 10.1% | -4% |
| Louisiana | $115.6M | 613,661 | $188 | 13.3% | -22% |
| Colorado | $112.2M | 574,601 | $195 | 9.6% | -7% |
| Oklahoma | $96.0M | 534,590 | $180 | 13.0% | -25% |
| Kentucky | $94.3M | 555,896 | $170 | 12.1% | -10% |
| Indiana | $93.1M | 473,166 | $197 | 6.8% | -17% |
| South Carolina | $89.3M | 481,856 | $185 | 8.7% | -23% |
| Arizona | $82.7M | 433,841 | $191 | 5.7% | -49% |
| New Mexico | $76.4M | 436,190 | $175 | 20.5% | -6% |
| Minnesota | $70.3M | 428,540 | $164 | 7.4% | -3% |
| Nevada | $60.5M | 372,587 | $162 | 11.4% | -27% |
| Connecticut | $56.6M | 296,659 | $191 | 8.0% | -17% |
| Mississippi | $56.2M | 311,920 | $180 | 10.6% | -12% |
| Hawaii | $50.7M | 158,135 | $321 | 11.0% | -11% |
| West Virginia | $42.3M | 248,226 | $170 | 14.1% | -7% |
| Iowa | $41.7M | 242,731 | $172 | 7.5% | -8% |
| Arkansas | $37.7M | 217,472 | $174 | 7.0% | -10% |
| Maine | $33.6M | 147,218 | $228 | 10.4% | +17% |
| Kansas | $27.7M | 154,781 | $179 | 5.2% | -17% |
| Utah | $27.5M | 144,650 | $190 | 4.1% | -18% |
| District of Columbia | $25.2M | 131,264 | $192 | 18.9% | -7% |
| Rhode Island | $22.6M | 115,739 | $195 | 10.4% | -19% |
| Idaho | $21.6M | 119,890 | $180 | 5.9% | -8% |
| Alaska | $21.4M | 69,522 | $308 | 9.4% | -5% |
| Nebraska | $21.0M | 116,703 | $180 | 5.8% | -22% |
| Delaware | $18.1M | 101,854 | $178 | 9.6% | -16% |
| South Dakota | $14.1M | 70,020 | $202 | 7.5% | -5% |
| Montana | $12.6M | 72,352 | $174 | 6.3% | -7% |
| New Hampshire | $12.3M | 72,987 | $168 | 5.2% | -3% |
| Guam | $11.8M | 34,565 | $341 | n/a | -1% |
| Vermont | $11.5M | 58,465 | $196 | 9.1% | -7% |
| North Dakota | $9.2M | 49,511 | $186 | 6.2% | -8% |
| Virgin Islands | $5.1M | 18,198 | $278 | n/a | -7% |
| Wyoming | $4.5M | 24,903 | $181 | 4.2% | -6% |
Where the money comes from
SNAP benefits are paid entirely by the federal government; states share the cost of running the program. In the federal budget SNAP sits in the income security function (see what percentage of taxes go to welfare and food stamps) and is run by the Department of Agriculture, the biggest part of its spending (see federal spending by agency). Treasury outlays for SNAP in FY2026 through August 2026 were $87.9 billion.
Questions and answers
- How much does the US spend on SNAP a year?
- $102.6 billion in fiscal year 2025: $95.8 billion in benefits and $6.8 billion in other costs: the federal share of state administrative expenses, nutrition education, employment and training, and other federal program costs (USDA Food and Nutrition Service).
- How much does SNAP cost per month?
- About $8.5 billion a month on average in FY2025, of which $8.0 billion was benefits. In July 2026 (initial figures) SNAP paid $6.8 billion in benefits to 36,087,667 people, down 13% from $7.8 billion in July 2025.
- How many people get SNAP?
- 42,142,184 people a month on average in FY2025, about 12% of the US population.
- How much SNAP does one person get?
- The average benefit was $189.36 per person per month in FY2025 ($186.76 in FY2024).
- What share of federal spending is SNAP?
- 1.5% of total federal outlays in FY2025 ($106.3 billion of $7.01 trillion, Monthly Treasury Statement).
- When did SNAP cost the most?
- FY2022: $118.8 billion, with 41,208,251 people a month and an average benefit of $229.01.
Related
- National debt todayby year, per person
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Sources and notes
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP data tables: national "Participation and Costs" (FY1969 onward) and the monthly state tables of benefits and persons, Data as of October 9, 2026. Public domain.
- SNAP outlays and total federal outlays: Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 5. Treasury outlays differ slightly from FNS costs because of timing and accounting.
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates.