Food Stamp Benefits By State

In the U.S around 12% of the population, equating to 38 million people, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), understanding the state-by-state breakdown of these benefits is key in evaluating the impact and scope of this significant federal assistance program. This crucible of support to low-income families provides monthly supplements to their food budgets, coming in a handy debit-like form—the Electronic Benefits Transfer card. Its aim: to fight the battle against malnutrition and poverty. Yet, the distribution and uptake of this benefit widely vary across the nation.

• New Mexico tops the list with 17% of households receiving food stamps. West Virginia follows closely with 16.5%, and then Louisiana at 15.3%. 
• Interestingly, states with extensive populations such as New York and Florida have relatively high rates of households receiving food stamps at 14.3% and 13.2%, respectively. However, California, the most populous state, sees a surprisingly low rate of 9%.
• Conversely, less populated states like North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Wyoming have the lowest rates of food stamp recipients, respectively at 6.6%, 6.4%, and 5.3%.