SNAP benefit map shows states with biggest decline in recipients
Nearly 5 million Americans have stopped receiving food assistance since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration, marking one of the sharpest declines in SNAP participation in recent years.
The United States Department of Agriculture figures show enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, fell from 42.8 million recipients in January 2025 to 37.8 million by February 2026—an 11 percent drop in just over a year.
In the latest monthly data alone, roughly 668,000 recipients exited the program between January and February 2026. SNAP is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, providing monthly assistance to low-income households through electronic benefit cards accepted at approved retailers.
The steepest enrollment declines followed changes introduced under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which tightened eligibility standards and expanded work requirements for some recipients.
Which States Have Seen the Biggest Declines?
The largest overall declines were concentrated in several fast-growing Sun Belt states.
Georgia recorded the biggest drop, with 642,628 fewer SNAP recipients.
The state was followed by:
- Florida: 489,321
- Arizona: 449,500
- Texas: 377,254
- California: 335,248.
Together, those five states accounted for a significant share of the nationwide decline.
By percentage, Arizona experienced the steepest decline by far, with SNAP participation plunging 50.03 percent in just over a year.
The next-largest percentage declines were:
- Georgia: 33.17 percent
- North Carolina: 20.19 percent
- Louisiana: 17.49 percent.
Only two states showed increases in enrollment rather than declines:
- Alaska: 5.45 percent
- Hawaii: 1.95 percent.
New Work Rules Drive Declines
Resultant of the OBBBA, more people now face SNAP work requirements and time limits.
Under the new rules, some recipients must work, volunteer, or participate in an education or job training program for at least 20 hours a week, or 80 hours a month—to qualify for or maintain benefits.
While work requirements already existed, the law expanded them to people who:
- Are between 18 and 64 years old
- Do not have a dependent child under 14
- Are considered physically and mentally able to work
Veterans and current or former foster youth between ages 18 and 24 are also no longer exempt.
Why Participation Is Falling
The enrollment decline does not necessarily mean millions of Americans suddenly earned too much to qualify for assistance.
In many cases, recipients lose benefits because they fail to meet updated reporting requirements, miss deadlines or struggle to complete the recertification process.
SNAP recipients are typically required to recertify eligibility every three to six months depending on state rules.
Benefits can be terminated if paperwork is incomplete, deadlines are missed or recipients fail to satisfy work-related conditions.
Although the bill was signed into law in July 2025, states have been implementing the new requirements gradually since then, with timelines varying by state.
SNAP participation declined throughout the first half of 2025 but remained above 42 million recipients. Between January and July 2025, enrollment fell by just over 800,000 people.
Full compliance was required by the USDA’s November 1 deadline, by which point all states were expected to have the updated rules in place.
Between August 2025 and January 2026 alone, SNAP participation fell by roughly 3.4 million people.
The steepest single-month decline occurred between October and November 2025, when more than 1.09 million recipients left the program as states implemented the updated requirements tied to the November deadline.
