Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has fallen more than 13% in a single year, as expanded work requirements, tighter eligibility rules, and growing administrative hurdles begin to reshape the nation’s largest federal food assistance program.
New federal data show 36.6 million people received SNAP benefits in May 2026, down from 42.2 million in May 2025. The preliminary figures represent a decline of roughly 5.6 million participants in 12 months. SNAP enrollment had peaked at 43.3 million in October 2024.
The decline is occurring as provisions of the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect across the states. The legislation expanded SNAP work requirements, narrowed eligibility for some noncitizens and shifted additional financial and administrative responsibilities to states.
The scale of the decline is notable because it is occurring considerably faster than federal budget analysts anticipated. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last year that the expanded work requirements would reduce SNAP participation by roughly 2.4 million people in an average month over the 2025-2034 period.
By May, however, enrollment had already fallen to approximately the level CBO had projected would not be reached until around 2030.
State Level Declines Vary Widely
The impact has been particularly pronounced in states where new eligibility and verification requirements have created administrative challenges.
Arizona recorded the largest decline, with SNAP enrollment falling 55% between April 2025 and April 2026, representing more than 400,000 fewer recipients. State officials attributed much of the decline to difficulties implementing the new federal requirements, including additional verification procedures and an unprecedented increase in call volume.
Georgia, Louisiana, and Nevada each recorded declines of more than 20% over the same period, while Florida’s enrollment fell approximately 22%.
The National Conference of State Legislatures said states have been forced to upgrade eligibility systems, train staff, and increase verification and reporting procedures while simultaneously preparing for a new federal cost-sharing structure.
That creates an important distinction in interpreting the declining rolls.
Some people are leaving SNAP because they no longer qualify under the new rules. Others may still qualify but are losing benefits because they fail to meet new documentation requirements, miss deadlines, or cannot navigate increasingly complex administrative procedures.
The Associated Press reported that it remains too early to determine how much of the national decline is attributable to people becoming ineligible versus people losing coverage because of administrative barriers.
Work Requirements Expand For SNAP Beneficiaries
The new law expanded work requirements to adults ages 55 through 64 who previously were exempt, as well as adults ages 18 to 64 living with children ages 14 through 17. Certain exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and some former foster youth were also eliminated.
Generally, affected individuals must work, participate in an approved training program, volunteer, or engage in another qualifying activity for 80 hours per month to maintain benefits.
The USDA has been implementing the changes through state SNAP agencies, meaning the actual experience for recipients can differ significantly from one state to another.
For retailers, these differences are significant because SNAP is not simply a government transfer program. Benefits are delivered through electronic benefit transfer cards and can be spent only on eligible food purchases. The average household receives approximately $344 per month.
SNAP participation is a meaningful component of total grocery spending, particularly in lower-income markets. The impact for retailers at the store level can be substantial.
The Next Phase Could Be Worse For All
Unfortunately for grocery retailers, the changes already taking effect are not the final stage of the restructuring.
Beginning in October 2027, states will begin assuming a portion of SNAP benefit costs based on their payment error rates. Under the law, states with error rates of at least 6% will eventually be responsible for between 5% and 15% of benefit costs. States also will assume a greater share of SNAP administrative expenses beginning in October 2026.
CBO estimates that the benefit cost-sharing provision alone will reduce federal spending by $41 billion between 2028 and 2034. The agency also estimates that states collectively could reduce or eliminate SNAP benefits for approximately 300,000 people in an average month during that period as they respond to the additional costs.
That creates another potential pain point for the programs struggling to adjust.
States facing higher costs could maintain existing eligibility and benefits, invest more heavily in administrative systems to reduce error rates, or make changes to eligibility and benefits to control expenses. The CBO said it expects a combination of those responses.
Hurting the Hungry and Retailers Alike
The immediate significance for the grocery industry is straightforward: millions fewer Americans are currently receiving a benefit that can be spent only on food.
That does not necessarily mean that all of the lost SNAP spending will disappear from grocery stores. Some households may have moved above eligibility thresholds because of higher earnings, while others may replace SNAP dollars with wages, other household income or assistance from family and community organizations.
Retailers are going to be hurt here. The scale and speed of these cutbacks make SNAP an important variable for retailers, particularly those operating in markets with high participation rates.
The program’s enrollment also remains well below its pandemic-era peak, when millions of additional Americans relied on federal food assistance. The current decline therefore reflects both the unwinding of pandemic-era participation and a deliberate restructuring of SNAP eligibility and administration.
For the grocery industry, the key questions are: How much purchasing power is being removed from the food channel – and if that spending will be replaced? The decline in this program looks to continue as each new federal hurdle for participation is added.