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What percentage of Walmart employees receive SNAP benefits?
Executive summary
Available sources do not provide a single national percentage of Walmart employees who receive SNAP; instead, reporting rests on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study that lists counts in certain states (e.g., about 14,500 Walmart employees on SNAP across nine states) and commentary about Walmart being one of the top employers of SNAP recipients [1] [2]. The GAO data cover a limited set of states and should not be taken as a nationwide percentage without further estimates or raw workforce denominators, which the current sources do not supply [1] [2].
1. What the GAO study actually shows — counts, not a national rate
The nonpartisan GAO report compiled by congressional request identified the most common employers of SNAP recipients in the states that responded; in nine states that reported SNAP data, Walmart was recorded as employing about 14,500 workers who received SNAP [1]. Major news coverage summarized the GAO findings by listing Walmart among the top employers of SNAP recipients in multiple states, but the GAO output is a tally of people in particular states, not a calculation of what share of Walmart’s total U.S. workforce those people represent [2].
2. Why you can’t infer a national percentage from the available numbers
To produce a meaningful percentage (Walmart SNAP recipients ÷ Walmart employees), you need both a reliable numerator and denominator. The GAO’s 14,500 figure is a partial numerator limited to nine states that reported SNAP counts; it is not an exhaustive national count [1]. The sources do not supply an authoritative nationwide count of Walmart employees on SNAP nor a jointly consistent denominator of Walmart’s active U.S. workforce for the same time period, so a precise percentage is not reported in current coverage [1] [2].
3. Context from media and advocacy reporting — scale and patterns
Multiple outlets and advocacy pieces use the GAO findings to show that large low-wage employers—including Walmart and McDonald’s—appear frequently on state lists of employers with many SNAP or Medicaid beneficiaries [2] [3]. Analysts and advocates argue this indicates reliance by some large employers on public-assistance programs to supplement low wages, while Walmart has pushed back saying its numbers reflect being the country’s largest private employer rather than a unique failure to pay living wages [4] [3].
4. Geography and sectoral concentration matter
State-level reporting cited by Mother Jones and others highlights how Walmart workers can constitute a noticeable share of SNAP or Medicaid recipients in particular states—for example, more than 2 percent of certain claimant populations in Georgia—underscoring geographic variation rather than a single national figure [3]. The GAO’s state-by-state approach means concentration in some regions can drive headlines even if a national share would be smaller or different [1].
5. Related statistics about SNAP spending and Walmart’s exposure
Separately from employee counts, market-research firms have estimated Walmart captures a large share of SNAP consumer spending—reports cited figures such as Walmart accounting for roughly 18–24 percent of SNAP shopper dollars—an economic exposure that is distinct from how many Walmart employees personally receive SNAP [4] [5]. Those retail-spending shares are used to explain why SNAP funding disruptions are a business concern for Walmart and other grocers, but they are not a proxy for employee SNAP participation [5].
6. Competing narratives and agendas in the coverage
Advocacy groups frame the GAO numbers as evidence that large corporations indirectly rely on public assistance to subsidize low wages (Union of Concerned Scientists, Jacobin summaries) while Walmart and its defenders frame the same counts as reflecting the company’s scale as the largest private employer [4] [6] [3]. Journalistic accounts (e.g., CNBC) present the GAO data as factual state tallies without endorsing either policy prescription, leaving interpretation—whether this is corporate “welfare” or simply proportional representation—open to readers [2].
7. Limitations and what would be required for a rigorous percentage
Available sources do not mention a nationally representative numerator (total Walmart employees on SNAP) nor a matched denominator (total U.S. Walmart employees during the same snapshot), so they cannot deliver a robust percentage [1] [2]. To compute a defensible national percentage you would need GAO- or USDA-style data covering all states (or a statistically valid sample), synchronized with Walmart’s employee counts for the same period—information not present in the cited reporting [1].
8. Bottom line for readers seeking a simple answer
There is no reliable, sourced national percentage in the materials provided. The best-documented fact in current reporting is the GAO’s count of about 14,500 Walmart employees on SNAP in nine responding states and repeated coverage that Walmart is among the largest employers of SNAP recipients in multiple states [1] [2]. Any headline that gives a precise nationwide percentage should be treated skeptically unless it cites comprehensive, contemporaneous data for both numerator and denominator [1].