Which states had the highest SNAP participation rates in 2025 per capita?
Executive summary
New Mexico, Oregon and West Virginia appear among the states with the highest per‑capita SNAP participation in 2024–25: New Mexico’s share is reported at about 21.2–21.5% of residents, Oregon around 18.1%, and West Virginia among states with top rates in multiple compilations (state shares peak near one in five residents in the worst‑affected states) [1] [2] [3]. Federal USDA/ERS data show SNAP served about 41.7 million people in FY2024, roughly 12.3% of the U.S. population, providing the baseline for these state comparisons [1] [4].
1. Highest rates: where the maps and tables converge
Multiple data summaries point to New Mexico topping the list of per‑capita SNAP participation — ERS reports New Mexico at about 21.2% and a contemporary SmartAsset compilation gives 21.5% — followed by states such as Oregon (about 18.1%) and other high‑rate states like West Virginia and several in the Southwest and Southeast [1] [2] [3]. The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) chart explicitly shows the state range running from roughly 21.2% down to under 5% across states, which frames the magnitude of difference between the highest and lowest states [1].
2. The national context: 41.7 million served in FY2024
These state shares sit on top of a large national caseload: ERS reports SNAP averaged 41.7 million participants per month in FY2024, equal to about 12.3% of U.S. residents, a figure consistent across USDA reporting and other analysts cited here [1] [4]. Pew and other outlets analyzing May 2025 counts reference roughly 42 million people receiving monthly SNAP benefits in early‑to‑mid 2025, confirming the national scale that makes state percentage comparisons meaningful [5].
3. Why rates vary so much between states
Differences in poverty, unemployment, cost of living and state policy choices all shape per‑capita SNAP rates. Analysts note higher poverty rates generally correlate with higher SNAP shares, but state administrative rules (work requirement waivers, outreach and eligibility handling) create important variation so a higher rate can reflect deeper economic need, more generous access, or both [6] [1].
4. Alternative measures: households, children and benefits per person
State rankings change depending on the indicator: some outlets rank states by share of families or households on SNAP rather than individuals. CBPP and Nasdaq‑style compilations look at family or household shares and average benefit amounts per household — useful when assessing program intensity rather than raw per‑capita reach [7] [3]. SmartAsset and Visual Capitalist use percent‑of‑population participation (individuals), while FRAC offers county‑level household maps for finer geographic detail [2] [8] [9].
5. Where sources disagree or add nuance
Small numeric differences appear across sources: ERS lists New Mexico at 21.2% (FY2024 chart), while SmartAsset’s 2025 write‑up reports 21.5% based on May 2025 FNS counts — both use USDA data but differ slightly by reference month and population base [1] [2]. Visual Capitalist republishes SmartAsset’s rankings for a visual audience, and Pew’s analysis uses May 2025 counts with Census population estimates, producing closely aligned but not identical shares [8] [5]. These are methodological, not substantive, differences.
6. What the official USDA tables can and cannot tell us
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service provides the underlying SNAP Data Tables and state time series; those tables are the primary source for participation counts and are the basis for the secondary reports cited here [10]. Available sources do not mention per‑capita rankings for every possible subpopulation (for example race‑by‑state per‑capita rates are not enumerated in the provided snippets), nor do they settle causal questions about why a given state’s rate is high beyond correlational explanations [10] [4].
7. Takeaway for readers and policymakers
State per‑capita SNAP rankings consistently put New Mexico at the top and show several other states — including Oregon and West Virginia — with very high participation rates, reflecting concentrated needs and policy choices [1] [2] [3]. Policymakers and reporters should use the USDA/ERS tables as the baseline, then layer in household‑level, demographic and program‑policy data (CBPP, FRAC, state fact sheets) to avoid over‑interpreting a single percentage as a direct measure of “dependency” or program generosity [4] [7] [9].
Limitations: this summary relies on the cited 2024–May 2025 snapshots and secondary compilations; small differences among sources stem from choice of month, population denominators and whether individuals or households are the unit of analysis [1] [2] [5].