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Which states showed the largest increases in SNAP enrollment since 2020 and what drove that growth?
Executive summary
Data through mid‑2025 show large state-by-state variation in SNAP enrollment: New Mexico had among the highest shares (about 21–21.5% of residents) while states such as Utah and Wyoming were at the low end (about 4.6–4.8%) [1] [2]. Available sources do not provide a single ranked list of “largest increases since 2020” by state, but federal and nonprofit data note overall growth in SNAP caseloads during and after the pandemic and point to policy changes, economic stress and cost‑of‑living adjustments as the main drivers of higher participation [3] [4] [5].
1. What the numbers in the reporting actually say: different snapshots, different measures
Public reporting gives two kinds of regular snapshots: share of state residents on SNAP and total people served. The USDA/ERS and related analyses report that in fiscal 2024 SNAP averaged about 41.7 million people—roughly 12.3% of U.S. residents—and state shares ranged from about 21.2% in New Mexico down to about 4.8% in Utah [2]. A private analysis using May 2025 USDA tables similarly reports New Mexico at roughly 21.5% enrolled and Oregon around 18.1%, while Wyoming and Utah are among the least dependent [1]. Those are level‑of‑enrollment snapshots, not year‑over‑year change metrics [1] [2].
2. Why it’s hard to say “which states increased the most since 2020” from available pieces
None of the provided sources supply a straightforward state‑by‑state increase metric from 2020 to 2025. The SmartAsset and ERS pieces give point‑in‑time shares for 2024–2025 but do not list 2020 baselines for every state, and the other items in the packet focus on program changes, court actions, benefit timing and national totals [1] [2] [3]. Therefore, specific claims about which states had the single largest percentage or absolute increases since 2020 are not found in current reporting.
3. The documented drivers of SNAP growth since 2020
Reporting and government documents point to three dominant drivers that explain why many states saw bigger SNAP rolls after 2020: pandemic-era emergency benefits and economic disruption, subsequent policy and eligibility decisions, and cost‑of‑living adjustments. Pew notes that SNAP caseloads and per‑person benefits were substantially higher during the pandemic (peaking November 2022) and that Congress and administrative actions since 2024–25 adjusted program rules and benefits, affecting participation levels [3]. The USDA’s FY2025 COLA increased maximum allotments and some eligibility and deduction thresholds effective Oct. 1, 2024, which raises benefit levels and can affect enrollment and retention [4]. The Conversation and other analyses emphasize that large pandemic supplements and later legislative changes altered benefit amounts but did not uniformly expand eligibility—state agencies still administer enrollment [5] [4].
4. Regional patterns and policy effects to watch
Pew and USDA reporting show regional concentration: in May 2025, 39% of SNAP households were in the South; sizable shares in particular states drive national totals [3] [2]. That regional concentration reflects differences in poverty, labor markets, and state policies (which determine outreach and some administration). The Conversation piece highlights that debates over cause—administration decisions, state practices, or economic need—are politically charged and often mischaracterized in public rhetoric [5].
5. Short‑term shocks and administrative factors that can spike rolls
Court orders, federal funding interruptions and state implementation choices can create abrupt changes in reported caseloads or benefit disbursements even without underlying household need changing. For example, recent court and USDA guidance in November 2025 drove different states to issue or pause full monthly benefits, which altered who appeared to receive benefits in a given month [6] [7]. Media reporting about states pausing distributions during the 2025 shutdown shows how administrative timing—not just enrollment levels—can affect perceived increases or declines [6] [8].
6. What a reader should take away and next steps to nail down state‑level increases
The available materials document where SNAP reliance was highest in 2024–2025 and explain the policy and economic forces that raised participation after 2020, but they don’t provide a ready state‑by‑state “largest increases since 2020.” To produce that precise ranking you would need USDA monthly or annual state caseload tables for 2020 and 2025 and then compute absolute and percentage changes—records hinted at in the SmartAsset methodology but not embedded in these summaries [1] [2]. If you want, I can pull together a recommended data checklist and the exact USDA tables you’d need to calculate the five biggest state increases, or prepare a reproducible method for comparing 2020 vs 2025 caseloads.