Nearly 20 percent of households in the United States are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as food stamps, according to the Department of Agriculture. That proportion amounts to nearly 23 million U.S. homes on food stamps.
At the individual level, more than 46 million individuals, or 14.5 percent of the U.S. population, received food stamps in September 2014, the latest month for which data are available.
In Mississippi, 21.7 percent of the population receive food stamps, the highest rate in the country. New Mexico is the only other state with food stamp participation above 20 percent. Nearly 22 percent of District of Columbia residents receive food stamps.
Wyoming has the lowest food stamp participation at 5.6 percent.
Hawaiians get the highest average benefit per recipient at $223.41 a month, nearly 33 percent more than the next highest state. Alaska is second, at $168.06 a month, nearly $30 more than the third highest, California. In New Hampshire, food stamp recipients get the lowest benefit per recipient at $100.45 a month.
Nationwide, the average monthly food stamp benefit per person is $123.74, or $1,484.88 annualized.
The federal government sets the same standards of eligibility for SNAP across the country. This explains why several states in the deep South have such high participation rates. The cost of living is generally low in these states, as are wages. A single dollar goes further in the South than it would states such as California or New York. A Mississippian earning $25,000 can live better than a Californian earning $25,000 a year, but both would be eligible for SNAP, pending other factors.
A household of three must earn under $2,144 a month, or $25,728 annualized, to be eligible for food stamps. Income limits are higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Recipient households may only have $2,250 in countable resources, such as a bank account. The Department of Agriculture expects households on food stamps to spend about 30 percent of their resources on food.
Food stamp benefits cannot be spent on alcohol, tobacco, pet food, medicines, hot foods or foods eaten in the store, among other things. However, the Department of Agriculture specifically notes that candy, soft drinks, steak, and cakes are eligible for purchase with food stamps.
