Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2016

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the foundation of America’s nutrition assistance safety net. It is the nation’s first line of defense against food insecurity and offers a powerful tool to improve nutrition among low-income individuals. SNAP is the largest of the domestic nutrition assistance programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This report describes the characteristics of SNAP households and participants nationwide in fiscal year 2016 (October 2015 through September 2016). It also presents an overview of SNAP eligibility requirements and benefit levels in fiscal year 2016. The appendices provide detailed tabulations of household and participant characteristics at the national and State levels, as well as a review of the source and reliability of estimates and the sampling error associated with the estimates presented in the report.