Resource type
Research and Data
Research Reports
This report is the latest in a series on SNAP participation rates, which estimate the proportion of people eligible for benefits under federal income and asset rules to those who actually participate in the program. This report presents rates for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, comparing them to rates for FYs 2016 and 2017. Key findings include:
- In 2018 SNAP served 82 percent of all individuals eligible under federal rules.
- As in prior years, those with the lowest incomes participated at higher rates than other eligible individuals. While virtually all individuals in households eligible for the maximum allotment participated in SNAP, only 26 percent of those eligible for $16 (the minimum benefit for households with 1 or 2 members) or less participated in 2018.
- Participation among elderly individuals increased by 4 percentage points from 2016 to 2018.