What percentage of SNAP recipients work full-time at large retailers like Walmart?

1. What people are claiming — and why it matters for policy debates

Multiple claims converge in the materials: that a significant fraction of SNAP participants are working full time, that large private employers (including Walmart) employ many SNAP-benefiting workers, and that retailers capture a sizable share of SNAP spending. The sources assert that about 33% of SNAP households have a full‑time employee (Numerator reporting summarized in ^[1], p1_s3), that GAO-era analyses found roughly 70% of federal-aid recipients worked full time in aggregated samples ^[4], and that Walmart was identified as one of the largest employers of workers who also received SNAP in state-level GAO data ^{[3] [5]}. These combined claims feed debates on low wages, corporate responsibility, and proposals like raising the minimum wage or changing employer incentives; the policy relevance hinges on quantifying how many SNAP recipients are employed by big retailers versus other sectors.

2. The direct evidence we have — employment and SNAP are linked but not cross-tabulated

The studies and reports repeatedly show two separate patterns: a large share of SNAP participants are employed, often full time, and large retailers employ many low-wage workers who rely on public assistance. For example, Numerator’s 2025 consumer study reports 33% of SNAP households include a full‑time employee and shows Walmart accounts for about 24% of SNAP-dollar retail spending ^{[6] [1]}. GAO-based reporting ^[7] and later summaries indicate that thousands of Walmart employees across sampled states were on SNAP, and that roughly 70% of aid recipients worked full time in the broader combined Medicaid/SNAP analyses ^[4]. None of these sources, however, provide a single, recent, nationwide percentage mapping full‑time SNAP recipients to employment at Walmart or similar retailers.

3. What the Walmart/retailer counts actually say — scale without the precise numerator

The GAO-derived reporting cited in 2020 counted tens of thousands of employees at major retailers receiving SNAP or Medicaid in the sampled states, with Walmart often at or near the top of employer lists ^{[3] [5]}. Other analyses in 2024–2025 highlight that retail and wholesale trade account for a significant share of workers on SNAP, and that typical retail occupations—cashiers, salespersons, stockers—are common among SNAP-participating workers ^[8]. These facts establish scale and sector concentration: retail is a major employer of assistance recipients, and Walmart is a major retailer; the evidence gives context but not the precise percentage the original question asks for.

4. Gaps, measurement problems, and why precise percentages are absent

The core measurement gap is that available data sources report different marginals—SNAP status, hours worked, and employer—but rarely all three linked at a national level. GAO state-level employer tallies and consumer surveys like Numerator provide complementary but non-overlapping slices ^{[9] [2] [4]}. Administrative SNAP data records benefit receipt but not employer identity; employer HR data covers staffing but not SNAP participation; surveys can estimate overlaps but sample frames and definitions (full‑time = 35+ hours, household vs. individual measures) vary. That methodological fragmentation explains why no source gives a confident national percent of SNAP recipients who work full time at Walmart specifically.

5. How different players frame the numbers — motives and possible agendas to watch

Advocates for higher wages and critics of corporate low-pay policies cite GAO-style employer tallies and state reports to argue that large companies externalize labor costs onto taxpayers, highlighting Walmart and Amazon figures to support policy change ^{[2] [3]}. Retailers and business groups emphasize investments in pay and benefits and question direct causation, noting that employer counts do not prove causality between wages and benefit reliance ^[3]. Survey firms and market researchers emphasize consumer spending shares (Walmart’s 24% of SNAP dollars) to show retail dependence on SNAP revenue without implying employer responsibility ^[1]. Each framing is fact-based but selective; readers should recognize advocacy goals when one slice of the data is spotlighted.

6. The bottom line — what we can say and what to ask next

The balanced conclusion is clear: many SNAP recipients work full time, and large retailers employ thousands of workers who receive SNAP, but current public sources do not provide a single, recent national percentage for how many SNAP recipients work full time specifically at Walmart or similar large retailers ^{[6] [4]}. Fixing that requires matched administrative or representative survey data linking employer identifiers, hours worked, and SNAP enrollment. For policymakers or journalists seeking a precise figure, the next step is a targeted data request to the USDA/USDA-ERS, state SNAP agencies, or a large-scale, employer-linked survey that can produce the specific cross-tabulation sought.