Background 

In fiscal year 2010, about 40.3 million people 

living in 18.6 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 2010. 

Findings: General Characteristics 

Most SNAP participants were children or 

elderly. Nearly half (47 percent) were under age 

18 and another 8 percent were age 60 or older. 

Working-age women represented 28 percent of the 

caseload, while working-age men represented 17 

percent. 

 

Many SNAP participants had jobs. Nearly 30 

percent of SNAP households had earnings in 2010, 

and 41 percent of all SNAP participants lived in a 

household with earnings. For most of these 

households, earnings were the primary source of 

income. 

 

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 21 percent of 

SNAP households received Social Security and 

nearly 21 percent received Supplemental Security 

Income (SSI) benefits given to the aged and 

disabled. 

SNAP households had little income. Only 15 

percent had income above the poverty line, while 

more than 43 percent had incomes at, or below, 

half the poverty line. Nearly 20 percent had no 

cash income of any kind. The average gross 

income for all SNAP households was $731 per 

month. For a household with an average gross 

income and SNAP benefit, more than 28 percent 

of monthly funds (gross income plus SNAP 

benefits) came from SNAP. 

The average monthly benefit received by SNAP 

households was $287. Forty percent of SNAP 

households received the maximum benefit for their 

family size – $668 for a family of four. Less than 

4 percent received the minimum benefit ($16) 

available to households with one or two members. 

Most households (75 percent) receiving the 

minimum benefit contained elderly or disabled 

members and were likely to receive Supplemental 

Security Income or Social Security; another 20 

percent had earnings. 

While three-fourths of SNAP households were 

categorically eligible, almost all would also have 

been eligible for SNAP under standard rules. 

Households are categorically eligible for SNAP if 

all household members receive TANF, SSI, or GA 

benefits or the household resides in a State that has 

implemented a broad-based categorical eligibility 

(BBCE) policy, which confers eligibility for 

SNAP if the household receives a TANF-funded 

service. Twenty-four percent of SNAP 

households were categorically eligible by virtue of 

their TANF, SSI, or GA benefits and another 51 

percent lived in a State with a BBCE policy. 

Most SNAP households were small. The 

average SNAP household size was 2.2 persons, 

but varied considerably by household composition. 

Households with children were larger, averaging 

3.3 members. Households with elderly 

participants were smaller, averaging 1.3 members. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAM (SNAP) HOUSEHOLDS: FISCAL YEAR 2010 

Office of Research and Analysis September 2011
Findings: Changes Over Time 

There have been several notable changes in the 

characteristics of SNAP households between 1990 

and 2010. Some of the most striking changes are: 

The primary form of income among SNAP 

participants shifted from welfare to work. In 

1990, 42 percent of all SNAP households received 

cash welfare benefits and only 19 percent had 

earnings. In 2010, only 8 percent received cash 

welfare, while 30 percent had earnings. 

The percentage of households with no cash 

income of any kind nearly tripled. In 1990, 7 

percent of SNAP households had zero gross 

income. This increased to nearly 20 percent in 

2010. Similarly, the percentage of SNAP 

households with zero net income, who received 

the maximum benefit, rose from 19 percent in 

1990 to 38 percent in 2010. 

Households have gotten smaller. In 1990, the 

average household size was 2.6 persons. In 2010, 

the average had fallen to 2.2 persons. During this 

period, households with one person rose from 32 

percent of all households to nearly 48 percent. 

The percentage of participants who are 

children remained fairly steady. In 1990 nearly 

half of participants were under age 18, about the 

same percentage as in 2010. However, the share 

of households with children fell from 60 percent in 

1990 to 49 percent in 2010. This is primarily due 

to an increase in single-person households. 

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 2010, by Esa Eslami, Kai Filion, and Mark 

Strayer. Project Officer, Jenny Genser. 

Alexandria, VA: 2010. Available online at 

www.fns.usda.gov/ora. 

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