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Fact check: What are the top 5 states with the lowest and highest SNAP benefits participation rates?
Executive Summary
The assembled sources disagree on exact state rankings and reference different years, but converge that state SNAP participation varies widely and that several Southwestern and Rust Belt states often rank near the top while Plains and some Mountain states often rank near the bottom. The most consistent recent federal benchmark is the USDA estimate that 88% of eligible people received SNAP in FY2022, with notable state-level outliers reported in both 2022 and earlier analyses [1].
1. What people claimed — the competing top-5 lists that circulated
Multiple claims about state rankings appear in the materials: one set lists New Mexico, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Oregon as the highest participation states with rates ranging from 17.0% to 24.3% (reported March 2023) and singles out Utah as having a very low rate of 4.6% [2]. Another source, summarizing USDA analysis for FY2022, does not publish a simple top-5 but reports 19 states and DC as statistically above the national participation rate of 88% while 19 states were significantly below it [1]. A third, older snapshot cites Delaware, Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, and New Mexico among the highest in FY2018 and lists states such as Wyoming, North Dakota, Arkansas, Kansas, North Carolina, California, and Mississippi among the lowest, highlighting a different era and methodology [3].
2. What the most recent federal benchmark actually says and why it matters
The USDA’s FY2022 estimate — 88% national participation rate among eligible people — is the clearest federal benchmark in these materials and was published with state-level comparisons showing significant deviations for roughly one-third of states [1]. This benchmark matters because it compares eligible populations to actual recipiency rather than raw program enrollment; differences across states can reflect eligibility rules, outreach, economic conditions, or administrative barriers. The sources note that while some states are statistically above that 88% benchmark, others are statistically below, but no single brief in the packet presents a definitive, ranked top-5 by that metric [1].
3. Where the highest participation claims come from and how comparable they are
The March 2023 list naming New Mexico, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Oregon as top participation states reports point estimates (e.g., New Mexico 24.3%) and appears to use recipient-per-population percentages rather than an eligible-population participation rate; this matters because recipient share and eligible participation are different measures and can produce divergent rankings [2]. Other analyses referencing FY2018 or USDA state snapshots include Oregon and New Mexico consistently among higher-participation states, suggesting some persistence for those states across datasets, but the varying base years and denominators make direct comparison hazardous [3].
4. Where the lowest participation claims come from and the conflicts
Lower-ranked states vary depending on year and measure. The single-state low in one source is Utah at 4.6%, a figure that likely represents recipients as a share of total population rather than eligible participation [2]. Older state-by-state snapshots list Wyoming, North Dakota, Arkansas, Kansas, North Carolina, California, and Mississippi among the lowest in FY2018, while USDA FY2022 analysis instead flags 19 states below the national participation estimate without publishing an ordered top-5 list in the provided brief [3] [1]. The disagreements reflect different denominators, different target years, and different statistical thresholds.
5. Methodological gaps that drive divergent headlines
The packet shows three primary methodological drivers of disagreement: whether the metric is recipients as share of total state population versus share of eligible people receiving benefits, the reference year (FY2018, FY2022, or 2023 snapshots), and whether statistical significance versus simple ranking is applied. The USDA FY2022 analysis focuses on eligible-population participation and uses significance testing, which leads it to emphasize categories rather than a neat top-5 ranking, while some media-style lists use simpler recipient-share metrics and older data, producing different top-5 lists [1] [2] [3].
6. Recent changes and the limits of these materials for current conclusions
A separate FY2024 mention confirms SNAP remains a major safety-net program, with state caseloads continuing to shift; for example, California, Texas, and Florida had the largest absolute numbers of monthly participants in FY2024, but large caseloads are distinct from participation rates among eligible people [4] [5]. The provided materials do not include a single, recent published ranked top-5 list using the USDA’s FY2022 eligible-participation methodology, so any authoritative “top 5” claim requires either recalculation from the USDA microdata or reliance on older or differently defined lists [1] [4].
7. What’s missing and how to get a reliable, up-to-date ranking
To produce a reliable and up-to-date top-5 for highest and lowest SNAP participation rates, analysts should use the USDA eligible-population participation estimates (FY2022 or later) and request the state-level point estimates and standard errors to determine ranked estimates and statistical significance. The current packet suggests candidate high-participation states (New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania) and candidate low ones (Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Arkansas) across sources, but a defensible ranking requires harmonizing the metric and year before declaring a definitive top five [1] [2] [3].