The U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program served 5.5 million fewer people in July 2026 than a year earlier, marking a steep decline in the reach of federal aid that helps low-income households buy groceries.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture counted 36,087,667 participants in July 2026, down from 41,603,048 in July 2025. That is a decline of 5,515,381 people, or 13.3%. The latest figure is preliminary, and the comparison does not establish why individuals left the program.
Congress enacted a tax-and-spending law in July 2025 that expanded an existing work-related time limit. It brought adults ages 55 to 64 and parents or other household members responsible for dependent children ages 14 to 17 under the rule when no younger dependent child is in the household.
People covered by the time limit generally must meet a monthly 80-hour work or qualifying-activity threshold to receive benefits beyond three months in a three-year period, unless exempt. Workfare offers another way to meet the rule, with its required hours calculated differently. The time limit dates to 1996 and was changed in 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The national decline was uneven. Agriculture Department figures show participation fell 50.8% in Arizona and 22.1% in Florida, while Alaska recorded a 3.5% increase.
Food costs remain a concern for many Americans. A Pew Research Center survey found that 22% of U.S. adults worried every day or almost every day about affording enough food for themselves or their families.
During debate over the law, House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson said the changes would encourage work and strengthen oversight. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, warned that families would lose assistance and states would face higher costs.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the law will reduce federal SNAP spending and increase states’ share of costs. States’ share of administrative costs rises in fiscal 2027. Beginning in fiscal 2028, states with SNAP payment error rates of at least 6% must also pay part of benefit costs, though the law allows some states to delay that requirement until fiscal 2029 or 2030.
