What percentage of Black Americans rely on SNAP food stamps?
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Executive summary
About one in eight Americans — roughly 42.4 million people — received SNAP benefits in the first eight months of fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024–May 2025) [1]. Multiple data summaries of USDA reporting show that Black/African American people make up roughly a quarter to nearly 28% of SNAP participants, with sources citing “nearly 26%” and “almost 28%” depending on the summary [2] [3] [4].
1. Who counts as “relying on SNAP”: raw users vs. share of population
SNAP participation numbers are large: Pew notes an average of 42.4 million people in 22.7 million households received monthly SNAP benefits in the first eight months of FY2025 [1]. That raw headcount is commonly used in media and advocacy reporting, but it’s distinct from the share of a racial group’s total population that “relies” on SNAP — a different metric not consistently reported in the sources provided. Available sources do not mention a single, nationally agreed percentage of all Black Americans who rely on SNAP (not found in current reporting).
2. What the USDA-based breakdowns say about race and SNAP
USDA-derived summaries repeatedly show SNAP serves people across racial and ethnic lines. FRAC’s write-ups of USDA characteristics reporting place White participants at just over 35% and African American participants at “nearly 26%” of program participants [2]. Independent aggregations and media pieces report similar proportions; some outlets and advocacy groups cite roughly 26%–28% of SNAP participants identifying as Black [4] [3].
3. How those percentages are commonly misread or misrepresented
Fact-checkers have flagged viral charts that mischaracterize SNAP demographics by conflating census or eligibility slices with actual program recipient counts; PolitiFact notes USDA data show the largest racial group among recipients is White, countering claims that most recipients are non‑white or noncitizens [5]. In short: percent-of-SNAP-participants by race (e.g., ~26% Black) is not the same as percent-of-Black-people who receive SNAP, and some viral posts blur that distinction [5].
4. Context: concentration of need and disproportionate impacts
Advocates and policy researchers stress that while non-Hispanic white participants are numerically the largest share, people of color are more likely, on a per-population basis, to rely on SNAP. The Economic Policy Institute summarized that more than one in five Black households relied on SNAP in the 2019–2023 period, and noted families of color would be disproportionately harmed by cuts [6]. That framing explains why racial composition statistics are used in debates over budget and eligibility changes.
5. Recent policy changes and why the numbers matter now
The 2025 policy and budget fights — including work‑requirement expansions and cuts embedded in recent federal legislation — are projected to reduce participation. CNN reports the expanded work requirements could result in 2.4 million fewer Americans receiving SNAP in an average month over the next decade, per the Congressional Budget Office analysis; those cuts are expected to disproportionately affect families of color [7]. Advocacy groups warn that planned budget changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” would remove billions from SNAP over coming years [8] [3].
6. What reporters and readers should watch for in the data
Primary sources are USDA/FNS data tables and the annual USDA “characteristics” reports; secondary summaries (FRAC, Pew, EPI) are useful but interpretive [9] [2] [1]. Beware of social-media charts that mix census categories, eligibility rules for noncitizens, and program enrollment figures — PolitiFact flagged precisely that kind of misleading post [5]. If you want the clearest figures on racial composition of SNAP participants, USDA-based summaries cited by FRAC show “nearly 26%” identify as African American [2].
7. Bottom line and caveats
Available reporting consistently puts Black/African American participants at roughly a quarter of SNAP users (around 26% in USDA/FRAC summaries; some outlets and advocates report up to “almost 28%”) while Whites constitute the largest single racial share (around mid-30s percent) [2] [4] [3] [5]. The sources do not provide a single authoritative percentage of all Black Americans who rely on SNAP as a share of the Black population nationwide (not found in current reporting).