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What portion of SNAP spending is emergency allotments during COVID-19 (2020-2024)?
Executive Summary
Emergency allotments (SNAP-EA) accounted for a large, but variable, share of SNAP outlays during the COVID period: roughly one-quarter to one-third of annual SNAP issuance in 2021, with clear evidence that the EA program materially drove the program’s peak spending and the year-to-year swings through 2020–2023. Exact percentages depend on which official totals and accounting definitions are used—USDA issuance numbers put EA at about 34% of SNAP issuance in 2021, while some media totals using different aggregates imply a lower share near 29%—and EA payments ceased for most states by February 2023, which complicates any 2020–2024 aggregate share calculation [1] [2].
1. The headline numbers that change the story — emergency allotments were a large budgetary driver
Government and academic analyses converge on the point that emergency allotments substantially increased SNAP spending in 2020–2022, and they identify tens of billions of dollars attributable directly to EA in 2021. USDA reporting shows total SNAP issuance of about $108.7 billion in 2021 and separately totals emergency allotments near $37.4 billion for that year; by that accounting EA equals roughly 34% of 2021 SNAP issuance [1]. Contemporary coverage and program summaries report broader program spending peaks—one outlet cites a program peak of $128 billion in 2021—and using that larger numerator-to-denominator pairing produces a lower EA share near 29%, illustrating how different aggregation choices change the headline percentage [2] [1]. Both lines of arithmetic demonstrate that EA was a major, not marginal, component of SNAP outlays.
2. Month-to-month benefit changes show EA’s immediate, measurable effect on household benefits
State- and national-level analyses document that average monthly SNAP benefits rose sharply when EA began and fell when it ended; average per-person monthly benefits climbed from $242 before the pandemic to $337 in early pandemic months and to $427 at peak EA months in early 2021, consistent with widespread extra allotments [3]. A multi-state study finds average SNAP-EA top-ups across states in the $170–$196 range from April 2020 to February 2023, and other work shows typical households received roughly an extra $150–$250 per month while EA was active [4] [5]. These per-household increments explain why aggregate EA dollars quickly became a significant fraction of total issuance.
3. Participation shifts and state choices complicate simple “what share” answers
EA design and state actions changed who received how much and therefore changed the spending share. Research tracking state opt-outs finds the portion of SNAP recipients receiving EA rose from about 59% in the early pandemic to 83.6% later (May 2021–Feb 2023), and states that opted out saw immediate per-household benefit reductions averaging roughly $183, with modest enrollment declines [4] [3]. This uneven take-up and staggered state behavior means national EA spending proportions vary by timing and by whether one measures issuance, participation-weighted benefits, or households served.
4. Year-by-year accounting: EA dominated the 2021 spike and then receded as the program normalized
Multiple sources place SNAP outlays at their peak in 2021 (commonly reported between about $108.7B and $128B depending on series), with EA identified as the central driver of that spike; USDA’s itemization of $37.4B in EA for 2021 lines up with other studies that point to a near 40% per-person benefit increase from 2020 to 2021 attributable to EA mechanics [1] [6]. After EA ended for most states in February 2023, program spending and average per-person benefits fell: one write-up notes SNAP spending declined from a 2021 peak to about $100 billion in 2024 [2]. Thus EA’s fiscal footprint is concentrated and time-bound, making multi-year averages lower than peak-year shares.
5. Conflicting narratives and the political context that colors interpretation
Analyses and fact-checks highlight political framing differences: some commentary credits administration policy for benefit increases, while fact-checkers note EA authority originated in 2020 legislation and were extended later, creating contested attribution [6]. Media and academic pieces sometimes use different denominators (FNS issuance vs. broader program cost series) or vary whether they include administrative costs, creating different headline percentages [2] [1]. Researchers emphasize that opt-out studies and per-household estimates demonstrate the primary mechanism through which EA altered lives—benefit size—which is a policy-relevant fact independent of partisan claims [4] [3].
Bottom line: Emergency allotments were a major, clearly quantifiable share of SNAP spending during the pandemic era—peaking in 2021 at roughly one-quarter to one-third of annual SNAP issuance depending on the accounting choice—with most of that fiscal effect concentrated in 2020–2022 and largely unwound after EA ended in early 2023 [1] [2] [3].