How have SNAP participation trends among workers changed since 2020 and what drove those changes?
Executive summary
SNAP participation rose sharply during the COVID shock in 2020–21 and then stabilized at historically high take‑up by FY2022 (USDA estimates SNAP served 88% of eligible individuals in FY22) after emergency expansions and higher benefits during the pandemic [1]. Participation before 2020 was lower (78% participation in pre‑pandemic FY2020 period as measured by early months), and recent 2025 policy changes — especially renewed, stricter work/time‑limit rules — are shifting the landscape and may reduce participation for some groups as states re‑impose requirements [2] [1] [3].
1. Pandemic surge, then a new baseline: what the data say
SNAP’s trajectory since 2020 was dominated by the pandemic response: pre‑pandemic participation rates (measured October 2019–February 2020) showed SNAP reaching about 78% of eligible individuals, but by fiscal 2022 the USDA estimates participation rose to 88% of eligibles, the highest rate in nearly 50 years of estimating participation — reflecting emergency eligibility expansions and outreach during 2020–21 [2] [1].
2. Why participation climbed in 2020–21: the drivers
The principal drivers were the coronavirus recession and federal emergency policy responses: higher unemployment and income losses increased need, and federal actions — higher benefit allotments, broad waivers, and suspension of some time‑limit rules during the public health emergency — made enrollment easier and more protective for low‑income households, producing the sharp uptick in participants in 2020–21 [4] [1].
3. Who joined SNAP during and after the crisis
USDA reporting shows that individuals with greater need—those with no or very low incomes—participated at higher rates in FY22, while elderly participation remained lower than other groups; that pattern is consistent with the program targeting intensifying need during and after the pandemic [1]. Scholarly work before the pandemic documents recurring vulnerabilities among participants — for example, cyclical food insecurity within benefit months — highlighting that increased enrollment did not erase persistent gaps in food security [5].
4. Measurement issues: comparing “before” and “after” is complicated
USDA warns the FY2020 pre‑pandemic participation estimate covers only the early months of that fiscal year, and interrupted data collection during 2020–21 means some comparisons can over‑ or underestimate true shifts; re‑estimation was needed for consistent comparisons with FY22 [2] [6]. In short, part of the apparent rebound reflects both real enrollment changes and statistical complications caused by pandemic disruptions to data collection [6].
5. 2025 policy changes are now reshaping participation prospects
Starting in late 2025, federal legislation and USDA rule changes tightened work and time‑limit requirements for able‑bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), generally requiring documentation of roughly 80 hours a month of work, volunteering, education or training; states are reimposing enforcement and some are rescinding waivers — changes that advocacy groups and state agencies say will put millions at greater risk of losing benefits [7] [8] [3].
6. Early implementation consequences: benefit delays and administrative strain
Implementation this fall saw practical stresses: a federal funding impasse earlier in 2025 interrupted payments briefly, and states reported heavy caseworker workload to retool systems and manually apply new categories, creating risk that eligible households will be lost in administrative transition even where legal waivers might apply [9] [10].
7. Competing narratives and political context
Supporters of the 2025 rule changes frame them as reducing fraud and encouraging work; the administration and some state officials emphasize program integrity [11]. Opponents and many anti‑hunger groups emphasize that many SNAP recipients work unstable hours and that stricter ABAWD enforcement will remove a key buffer during ongoing high food and housing costs [3] [12]. Both perspectives appear in reporting; USDA officials have also issued case‑by‑case waivers during litigation, indicating contested implementation [9].
8. What is not in the provided reporting
Available sources do not mention detailed, peer‑reviewed analyses quantifying exactly how many working SNAP recipients fell off the rolls specifically because of the 2025 work‑rule changes, nor do they provide long‑run causal estimates tying the 2025 policy to state‑by‑state employment outcomes post‑implementation (not found in current reporting).
9. What to watch next
Monitor USDA updates to state waiver decisions and the FNS participation reports (which historically lag) to see whether the FY22 high take‑up endures or falls back as work requirements are enforced; also watch state administrative data and reporting on recertification churn and “administrative losses” as an early signal of participation decline [1] [6].
Limitations: this analysis relies solely on the documents and reporting provided above and therefore focuses on the USDA participation summaries, pandemic‑era patterning, and the 2025 policy changes and implementation reporting contained in those sources [2] [1] [7] [3].