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Which US states had the highest SNAP participation rates in 2023 and what socioeconomic factors explain those rates?
Executive Summary
New Mexico had the highest SNAP participation rate in fiscal year 2023, with roughly 22–23 percent of residents receiving benefits, followed by high-rate jurisdictions including the District of Columbia, Oregon and West Virginia in several analyses; states at the low end included Utah at about 4.6 percent [1] [2] [3]. SNAP participation in 2023 reflected both long‑standing socioeconomic patterns—poverty, child‑heavy households, disability and working-poor populations—and short‑term policy shifts, such as the end of pandemic emergency allotments and changes to work‑requirement enforcement, which together produced measurable state‑by‑state variation in enrollment and spending [4] [5] [6].
1. The headline numbers that should make policymakers look twice
Federal data and independent analyses converge on a clear headline: New Mexico led all states in SNAP reach in 2023, with participation estimated at about 22.9–23.1 percent of the state population, while Utah reported the lowest share near 4.6 percent [1] [2] [3]. Nationally, SNAP served roughly 42.1 million people on average per month—about 12.5–12.6 percent of the U.S. population—so state rates must be read against a substantial national safety‑net footprint [1] [5]. The convergence of USDA reports and third‑party analyses on the highest and lowest states provides consistent cross‑source confirmation of the geographic extremes in 2023 SNAP reach [2] [3].
2. Who is showing up in the rolls—and why that matters
Detailed program profiles for FY2023 show that most SNAP households include members with heightened needs: children, elderly individuals, or non‑elderly people with disabilities. USDA reporting found that roughly 79–73 percent of households had a child, elderly person, or disability, and a large majority of SNAP households lived at or below the poverty line, with many at or under 100 percent of federal poverty [6] [4]. These compositional facts explain much of the state variation: states with higher child poverty, higher disability prevalence, or larger shares of working‑poor families tend to record higher SNAP participation, because need‑driven eligibility and demographic structure directly push enrollment [4] [7].
3. The policy levers and economic context that amplify differences
Participation differences are not purely demographic. Program administration, eligibility rules, emergency allotments, and work‑requirement enforcement shaped 2023 outcomes. Emergency allotments authorized during the pandemic raised benefits and likely boosted participation; their phase‑out and changes to state implementation affected both caseload size and average benefits, contributing to the year‑over‑year spending decline even as caseloads ticked up [2] [5]. States with stricter work‑requirement enforcement or narrower categorical eligibility tended to show lower participation rates, while states that preserved broader access or continued expanded benefits during the pandemic’s aftermath showed higher shares of residents on the rolls [5] [2].
4. The socioeconomic story behind the highest‑rate states
High‑rate states such as New Mexico, Oregon and West Virginia share concentrated poverty, higher rural or small‑metro populations with limited job opportunities, and larger proportions of households with children or disabilities, factors that consistently correlate with SNAP participation [1] [3]. The District of Columbia’s high rate reflects urban poverty and sharp income inequality alongside dense service‑area dynamics that make enrollment more accessible. Conversely, states like Utah record low participation tied to younger populations, higher labor force attachment, and lower measured child poverty—demographic structure and local labor markets move participation rates strongly [3].
5. Why numbers differ across reports and what that means for interpretation
Different datasets and analytic choices produce slightly different rank orders and percentages: USDA’s FY2023 State Activity Report and subsequent USDA characteristics reports provide official program counts and household profiles, while non‑federal analyses (Pew, CBPP) harmonize SNAP counts with Census population estimates and focus on demographic drivers, producing close but not identical rate estimates [2] [3] [6]. Timing matters: some summaries use fiscal‑year counts, others calendar‑year or mid‑year population denominators, and policy changes in late 2022–2023 (emergency allotment phase‑out, work‑requirement shifts) mean a single snapshot can understate transitional dynamics in both caseloads and spending [5] [4].
6. Bottom line for researchers and policymakers
The clearest, evidence‑based conclusion is that state SNAP participation in 2023 was driven by a blend of demographic need, local labor‑market conditions, and policy choices: New Mexico’s ~23 percent rate stands out as the highest, Utah the lowest near 4.6 percent, and many states fall between 8–16 percent [1] [2] [3]. For policy design, the implication is straightforward: addressing food insecurity requires both economic interventions to reduce poverty and targeted administrative choices that preserve access for high‑need groups—children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and working‑poor households—whose prevalence explains much of the observed state variation [6] [7].