FNS Documents & Resources

This report is the latest in a series of annual reports providing information about the demographic and economic circumstances of households and individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at both the national and state level. Because SNAP is available to most low-income households, participants represent a broad cross section of the nation's poor. This report covers Fiscal Year 2016. 

This study examines how the policies that determine benefit levels for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) compare to current low-income spending patterns by analyzing the expenditures of low-income households across the United States in 2013 and 2014.

This study uses surveys of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) participants and E&T providers to describe the characteristics of SNAP participants who use E&T services and the characteristics of organizations that provide the services. This study uses surveys of SNAP E&T participants and E&T providers to describe the characteristics of SNAP participants who use E&T services and the characteristics of organizations that provide the services.

Trafficking of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits occurs when SNAP recipients sell their benefits for cash to food retailers, often at a discount. Although trafficking does not increase costs to the Federal Government, it is a diversion of program benefits from their intended purpose of helping low-income families access a nutritious diet. This report, the latest in a series of periodic analyses, provides estimates of the extent of trafficking during the period 2012 through 2014.

This study develops standard methodologies that might be used to construct standard utility allowances, which are used by States as part of the SNAP eligibility and benefit determination.

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 who actually participate in the program. This report presents estimates of participation rates for fiscal year (FY) 2015, comparing them to estimates of participation rates for FYs 2010 through 2014.

This report – part of an annual series – presents estimates of the percentage of eligible persons, by state, who participated in SNAP during an average month in FY 2014 and in the two previous fiscal years. This report also presents estimates of state participation rates for eligible “working poor” individuals (persons in households with earnings) over the same period.