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By Jasmine Laws
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Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has fallen sharply across the U.S. over the past year, with federal data showing around 5 million fewer Americans receiving food assistance compared to early 2025.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures indicate decreasing enrollment from roughly 42.2 million recipients in March 2025 to about 37.3 million by March 2026, marking one of the steepest contractions in the program in recent years, after sweeping federal changes to the program enacted in 2025 under the Donald Trump administration.
That decline has been felt nationwide, with some states seeing double-digit percentage decreases in their SNAP participants in a year, although one state actually did see enrollment go up.
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SNAP benefits are issued to low- and no-income households across the U.S. to help them buy groceries. The program has been linked to a reduction in poverty and food insecurity, as well as improving health outcomes.
States Seeing the Sharpest Decline in Snap Recipients
State-level data shows the steepest losses were in several large and populous states, particularly in the South and West. Arizona saw the highest drop in recipients—53.9 percent—between March 2025 and March 2026.
Florida had the second-highest drop in SNAP recipients (21.1 percent), followed by North Carolina (19.6 percent), Louisiana (17.4 percent), Nevada (16.7 percent) and Oklahoma (16.3 percent). Alaska was the only state that had an increase in recipients, of 8.7 percent.
Why Are Americans Losing Benefits?
The decline in SNAP participation has coincided with major policy changes enacted in 2025, most notably President Donald Trump's sweeping budget and tax legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
According to the the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill is projected to cut $186 billion in federal spending from the program over the course of 10 years.
The law tightened eligibility requirements, expanded work mandates—where able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64, up from 54, without dependents have to work at least 80 hours per month to maintain benefits—and shifted administrative responsibilities to states.
Groups that had previously been exempt were also brought under the rules. Veterans, homeless individuals and former foster youth became subject to work requirements, while some caregiver exemptions were also narrowed. Under the changes, certain parents with children aged 14 and older were also required to meet work or training conditions to maintain eligibility.
These changes do not necessarily mean someone is no longer eligible because their income exceeds the limit. More commonly, recipients lose benefits because they no longer meet updated eligibility requirements, miss paperwork deadlines, or have difficulty navigating the recertification process.
Recipients must generally recertify their eligibility every three to six months, depending on the state. During that process, individuals who fail to complete paperwork requirements, miss deadlines or do not satisfy updated work conditions can lose benefits.
Experts have said that the stricter eligibility verification rules have made it harder for Americans to qualify or remain enrolled.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently attributed the multimillion-person drop in SNAP participants to the government's crackdown on fraud and an improved U.S. economy.
The Trump administration has argued that the new rules are necessary to reduce dependence on government assistance and curb what it describes as widespread fraud and abuse within the program.
Under the legislation, the federal government would also fully fund SNAP benefits only for states that make mistakes in fewer than 6 percent of their payments to Americans—a state with errors in over 6 percent of payments would have to contribute, from 5 to 15 percent. This is to take effect at the beginning of 2028.
For reference, in the 2024 fiscal year, only Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming would have met that threshold, according to federal data.
What Is the Impact?
SNAP is the nation’s largest food assistance program, supporting tens of millions of low-income Americans, including children, older adults and people with disabilities.
As participation declines, advocates warn that the effects could ripple through households already facing economic pressure, leaving them struggling to buy groceries. This fear is compounded at a time when many grocery prices are continuing to rise.
A recent report from ProPublica found that at least 776,000 children have lost SNAP benefits in 12 states that publish age-specific data.
“More extensive work rules, more paperwork, state staffing shortages, and new cost-sharing requirements are pushing families out of SNAP even when children themselves were not supposed to be the target,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, previously told Newsweek.
“For families, that means grocery money disappears while rent, utilities, and child-care costs remain, forcing parents to rely more heavily on food banks, cut other essentials, or ultimately buy less food.”
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