The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, helping roughly 40 million people afford food.1 SNAP is proven to increase food security, improve children’s health and academic performance, support economic growth, and lift people out of poverty.2 A $1 billion increase in SNAP benefits during an economic downturn would increase GDP by $1.54 billion, support 13,560 new jobs, and create $32 million in farm income.3
COVID Response
Legislation passed during the COVID-19 pandemic increased SNAP funding to cover millions of additional participants and provided a temporary 15 percent increase in monthly benefits.4 Regulatory changes expanded eligibility and enabled more participants to use benefits online. Subsequent updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which calculates food costs and uses nutrition research to determine SNAP benefit levels for all participants, provide SNAP participants with an additional $36 extra per month, on average—approximately a 27 percent increase compared with pre-pandemic benefit levels.5 Despite these permanent increases, SNAP benefits still do not cover the cost of an average price meal in 21 percent of U.S. counties.6
