What are SNAP participation rates by immigrant group in Minnesota over the past decade?
Executive summary
Available reporting and research show Minnesota data on SNAP participation by immigrant status and some immigrant groups, but no single source in the provided set supplies a complete, decade‑long time series broken out by immigrant subgroup. The Migration Policy Institute provides state‑level profiles and an MPI brief with 2015–19 estimates of participation and eligibility patterns for immigrant versus U.S.‑born households [1] [2], MN state publications report that foreign‑born households are more likely than average to receive SNAP [3], and recent federal law changes have cut eligibility for thousands of refugees and other lawfully present immigrants in Minnesota (about 9,000 identified in state reporting) [4] [5].
1. What the data that exist actually show: immigrants vs. U.S.‑born
MPI’s research and state profile materials focus on comparing immigrant households to U.S.‑born households and estimate participation and eligibility using pooled ACS and SIPP data for 2015–19; those reports present state‑level estimates of how many poor immigrant households are eligible and participating but do not provide a neat annual, subgroup time series for Minnesota covering the past decade [1] [2]. Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) analysis states that foreign‑born households in Minnesota are more likely than the total population to receive cash public assistance and/or SNAP benefits, giving a recent snapshot rather than a year‑by‑year immigrant‑group trendline [3].
2. Gaps: no decade‑long, immigrant‑group time series in provided sources
Available sources do not contain an explicit, continuous ten‑year history of SNAP participation by named immigrant groups in Minnesota (for example, Hmong, Somali, Latino, or specific national origin groups) or annual rates for lawful vs. unauthorized immigrants over 2015–2025. MPI and MN Compass provide cross‑sectional or pooled estimates and some group‑level measures for select programs, but the exact decade‑long series you asked for is not found in current reporting [1] [6] [7].
3. Where you can find partial subgroup measures now
MN Compass and Minnesota state performance reports make disaggregated program data available for certain immigrant groups and specific benefits: they note Food Support and MFIP enrollment by citizenship for select groups and county reports for Somali and Hmong participation in MFIP (which may include Food Support measures) — useful for local snapshots but not a statewide decade series [7]. MPI’s state profile tool offers demographic detail by country of birth and nativity that could be combined with other datasets to approximate trends [6].
4. Recent policy shocks that changed immigrant eligibility and the meaning of trends
Policy changed sharply in 2025: the federal reconciliation law altered non‑citizen eligibility and, per Minnesota reporting, immediately made roughly 9,000 refugees and immigrants ineligible for SNAP and reduced benefits or eligibility for tens of thousands more — a discrete policy break that complicates decade‑trend interpretation unless studies account for it [4] [5]. NILC and other advocates frame the 2025 law as dramatically restricting eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants [8].
5. Research on barriers and local policy effects that affect participation rates
Academic work finds low‑income immigrants who are eligible participate at lower rates than non‑immigrants and that immigrant‑friendly local policies increase participation: jurisdictions with immigrant‑friendly policies had 23–26% higher SNAP participation compared with those without, showing policy context drives observed rates as much as household need [9]. That implies that simply reporting enrollment by group without accounting for local policy or enforcement changes will mislead.
6. Practical next steps to construct the time series you want
To build a decade‑long series by immigrant group you will likely need to combine sources: (a) federal/state administrative SNAP enrollment data by county (request from Minnesota county human services or DHS), (b) MPI state profiles and ACS microdata pooled estimates to allocate by nativity or country of birth [6] [2], and (c) MN Compass and MFIP performance reports for subgroup program enrollments [7]. Current reporting shows these building blocks exist but not as a published, consolidated ten‑year dataset [1] [7] [6].
Limitations and competing perspectives
State and advocacy sources emphasize the program’s importance and the scale of people affected by the 2025 changes [4] [10], while academic work stresses that participation is shaped by local integration policies and by under‑participation among eligible immigrants [9]. Available sources do not mention a ready, decade‑long, subgroup time series for Minnesota SNAP participation; compiling that series will require data assembly and careful treatment of the large 2025 eligibility change [1] [5] [4].