More than 41 million Americans get SNAP benefits

The number of people in the U.S. enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the course of a year declined for several years before rebounding in 2020 and stabilizing in 2021 at more than 41 million. The factors that contributed to this trend included economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some policy changes and the big bout of inflation that arose in 2022.

Line graph showing the growth and reduction in the number of Americans getting SNAP benefits over time.