Background 

In fiscal year 2011, about 44.7 million people 

living in 21.1 million U.S. households participated 

in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

(SNAP), on average, per month. 

SNAP households are a diverse group. Because 

benefits are available to most low-income 

households with few resources, regardless of age, 

disability status, or family structure, participants 

represent a broad cross section of the Nation's 

poor. This report provides information about the 

demographic and economic circumstances of 

SNAP households in fiscal year 2011. 

General Characteristics 

Most SNAP participants were children or the 

elderly. Nearly half (45 percent) of participants 

were under age 18 and nearly 9 percent were age 

60 or older. 

 

Many SNAP participants had jobs. Over 30 

percent of SNAP households had earnings in 2011, 

and 41 percent of all SNAP participants lived in a 

household with earnings. 

The majority of SNAP households did not 

receive cash welfare benefits. Only 8 percent of 

all SNAP households received Temporary 

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, 

and another 4 percent received State General 

Assistance (GA) benefits. Over 22 percent of 

SNAP households received Social Security, and 

20 percent received Supplemental Security Income 

(SSI) benefits given to the aged and disabled. 

SNAP households had little income. About 17 

percent of SNAP households had gross income 

above the poverty line, while 43 percent had 

income at, or below, half the poverty line. The 

average household income was slightly less than 

59 percent of the poverty line. Twenty percent of 

SNAP households had no cash income of any 

kind. The average gross income for all SNAP 

households was $744 per month. For a household 

with an average gross income and SNAP benefits, 

over 27 percent of monthly funds (gross income 

plus SNAP benefits) came from SNAP. 

The average monthly benefit received by SNAP 

households was $281. Forty-one percent of 

SNAP households received the maximum benefit 

for their family size – $668 for a family of four. 

Only 4 percent received the minimum benefit 

($16) available to households with one or two 

members. Most households (80 percent) receiving 

the minimum benefit contained elderly or disabled 

members. 

Most SNAP households were small. The 

average SNAP household size was 2.1 persons, 

but varied considerably by household composition. 

Households with children were larger, averaging 

3.2 members, while households with elderly 

participants were smaller, averaging 1.3 members. 

SNAP has a powerful anti-poverty effect. When 

SNAP benefits are added to gross income, 13 

percent of SNAP households move above the 

poverty line. The impact is even greater on the 

poorest households, moving 15 percent of them 

above 50 percent of the poverty line. 

Changes Over Time 

Notable changes in the characteristics of SNAP 

participants in the last 20 years include: 

The primary form of income among SNAP 

participants shifted from welfare to work. In 

1991, 41 percent of all SNAP households received 

cash welfare benefits and only 20 percent had 

earnings. In 2011, only 8 percent received cash 

welfare, while 30 percent had earnings. 

The percentage of households with no cash 

income of any kind more than doubled. The 

percent of households with zero gross income has 

gone from 8 percent in 1991 to 20 percent in 2011. 

The percentage of SNAP households with zero net 

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAM HOUSEHOLDS: FISCAL YEAR 2011--SUMMARY

Office of Research and Analysis November 2012 
income, who received the maximum benefit, rose 

from 21 percent in 1991 to 40 percent in 2011. 

SNAP households have gotten smaller. In 1991, 

the average household size was 2.6 persons. In 

2011, the average had fallen to 2.1 persons. 

Households with only one person accounted for 

nearly half the caseload (49 percent) in 2011. 

For More Information 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 

Nutrition Service, Office of Research and 

Analysis, Characteristics of Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal 

Year 2011, by Mark Strayer, Joshua Leftin, and 

Esa Eslami. Project Officer, Jenny Genser. 

Alexandria, VA: 2012. Available online at 

www.fns.usda.gov/ora. 

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