What percentage of full-time Walmart employees receive SNAP or food stamp benefits?
Executive summary
Available reporting does not provide a single, current national percentage of full‑time Walmart employees who receive SNAP benefits; studies and state data give counts or regional snapshots instead (e.g., nine‑state data showing about 14,500 Walmart employees on SNAP) not a nationwide share [1]. Advocates and analysts say many SNAP recipents are working full time — one study cited that 70% of SNAP and Medicaid users in its sample were full‑time workers — but that figure is not presented as a Walmart‑specific percentage in the available sources [2].
1. No definitive national percentage exists in these sources — the evidence is counts and snapshots
There is no source among the provided items that states “X% of full‑time Walmart employees receive SNAP.” The closest available employer‑level evidence is a 2020 compilation of state reports cited by Senator Sanders’ office showing that in nine responding states Walmart employed about 14,500 workers receiving SNAP — a head‑count, not a percentage of all Walmart full‑time staff [1]. National reporters and analysts instead emphasize SNAP’s importance to Walmart’s customer base, not a firmwide employee SNAP rate [3] [4].
2. Studies show many SNAP recipients work full time, but not tied directly to Walmart head‑counts
Some analyses note that a large share of SNAP and Medicaid users are employed full time; one report cited in Jacobin (summarizing government data) found 70% of SNAP and Medicaid users in its sample were full‑time workers [2]. That statistic is about program enrollees, not Walmart employees specifically; available sources do not convert that into “X% of Walmart’s full‑time workforce.” Therefore using the 70% figure to describe Walmart employees would be an extrapolation not supported in the provided reporting [2].
3. Employer snapshots and advocacy research reveal concentration, not rates
Advocacy and watchdog reporting repeatedly list Walmart among the largest employers of people who receive SNAP, and one multi‑state tally placed Walmart at the top of employers in the nine‑state sample (about 14,500 SNAP‑receiving employees) [1] [5]. Union and public‑interest pieces stress that large retailers capture a big slice of SNAP spending (Numerator reports Walmart captures roughly 24% of SNAP shopper spend) and that corporate wage practices leave many retail workers reliant on public benefits [3] [6] [5]. Those arguments document concentration and policy implications, not a clean employer‑level percentage of full‑time workers on SNAP.
4. Retailer impact framing focuses on customer SNAP usage, not employee benefit rates
Recent coverage around the SNAP funding lapse highlighted how dependent retailers are on SNAP spending — Numerator data and retail comments say Walmart gets a plurality of SNAP shopper spending (about 24%) and experienced sales dips when SNAP distributions paused [3] [4] [7]. This consumer‑side framing can be mistaken for employee dependence, but available reporting keeps those as separate points: customer SNAP spending share versus employee SNAP enrollment counts [3] [4].
5. Competing perspectives: watchdogs, company statements and journalists
Watchdog and advocacy sources underscore that major employers benefit indirectly from public assistance because workers cannot afford food without it [5] [2]. Journalistic outlets and retailers emphasize different angles: news reports spotlight SNAP’s role in consumer spending and store traffic [3] [4] [7], while fact‑checkers and companies push back on viral claims (for example, Walmart denial of store closures amid SNAP pauses) without providing a national employee SNAP rate [8] [9]. The available sources therefore disagree in emphasis — systemic critique versus operational retail impacts — but none supply the targeted percentage the question asks for.
6. What would be needed to answer the question rigorously
A credible percentage requires either Walmart releasing definitive workforce SNAP enrollment figures with a breakdown of full‑time vs part‑time employees, or a national administrative dataset linking employer and SNAP enrollment. The provided sources contain nine‑state aggregates and advocacy estimations but not a companywide percentage; available sources do not mention a Walmart‑provided national figure or a federal dataset that yields that exact share [1] [2].
7. Bottom line and recommended next steps for readers
Available reporting does not state “X% of full‑time Walmart employees receive SNAP.” Use the provided counts and programwide employment patterns cautiously: Walmart employs many SNAP recipients in sampled states (about 14,500 in nine states), and much of the SNAP population includes full‑time workers in some studies (70% in one sample), but those two facts do not combine into a verified national percentage for Walmart employees [1] [2]. To answer your question precisely, request workforce SNAP enrollment from Walmart or seek a comprehensive federal or state dataset that links employer to SNAP participation — neither of which is present in the current materials (not found in current reporting).