Average monthly participants, average monthly benefit per person, and total benefit and program costs for every federal fiscal year since the program began.
| Fiscal year | Avg. monthly participants (thousands) | Avg. monthly benefit per person ($) | Total benefits ($ millions) | Total program cost ($ millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,969 | 2,878 | 6.63 | 228.80 | 250.50 |
| 1,970 | 4,340 | 10.55 | 549.70 | 576.90 |
| 1,971 | 9,368 | 13.55 | 1,523 | 1,576 |
| 1,972 | 11,109 | 13.48 | 1,797 | 1,867 |
| 1,973 | 12,166 | 14.60 | 2,131 | 2,207 |
| 1,974 | 12,862 | 17.61 | 2,718 | 2,838 |
| 1,975 | 17,064 | 21.40 | 4,386 | 4,619 |
| 1,976 | 18,549 | 23.93 | 5,326 | 5,686 |
| 1,977 | 17,077 | 24.71 | 5,067 | 5,461 |
| 1,978 | 16,001 | 26.77 | 5,139 | 5,520 |
| 1,979 | 17,653 | 30.59 | 6,480 | 6,940 |
| 1,980 | 21,082 | 34.47 | 8,721 | 9,206 |
| 1,981 | 22,430 | 39.49 | 10,630 | 11,225 |
| 1,983 | 21,625 | 42.98 | 11,152 | 11,847 |
| 1,984 | 20,854 | 42.74 | 10,696 | 11,579 |
| 1,985 | 19,899 | 44.99 | 10,744 | 11,703 |
| 1,986 | 19,429 | 45.49 | 10,605 | 11,638 |
| 1,987 | 19,113 | 45.78 | 10,500 | 11,604 |
| 1,988 | 18,645 | 49.83 | 11,149 | 12,317 |
| 1,989 | 18,806 | 51.71 | 11,670 | 12,902 |
| 1,990 | 20,049 | 58.78 | 14,143 | 15,447 |
| 1,991 | 22,625 | 63.78 | 17,316 | 18,747 |
| 1,992 | 25,407 | 68.57 | 20,906 | 22,462 |
| 1,993 | 26,987 | 67.95 | 22,006 | 23,653 |
| 1,994 | 27,474 | 69 | 22,749 | 24,494 |
| 1,995 | 26,619 | 71.27 | 22,764 | 24,620 |
| 1,996 | 25,542 | 73.21 | 22,440 | 24,331 |
| 1,997 | 22,858 | 71.27 | 19,549 | 21,508 |
| 1,998 | 19,791 | 71.12 | 16,890 | 18,988 |
| 1,999 | 18,182 | 72.27 | 15,769 | 17,821 |
| 2,000 | 17,194 | 72.62 | 14,983 | 17,054 |
| 2,001 | 17,318 | 74.81 | 15,547 | 17,789 |
| 2,002 | 19,096 | 79.67 | 18,256 | 20,637 |
| 2,003 | 21,250 | 83.94 | 21,404 | 23,816 |
| 2,004 | 23,811 | 86.16 | 24,619 | 27,099 |
| 2,005 | 25,628 | 92.89 | 28,568 | 31,072 |
| 2,006 | 26,549 | 94.75 | 30,187 | 32,903 |
| 2,007 | 26,316 | 96.18 | 30,373 | 33,174 |
| 2,008 | 28,223 | 102.19 | 34,608 | 37,640 |
| 2,009 | 33,490 | 125.31 | 50,360 | 53,620 |
| 2,010 | 40,302 | 133.79 | 64,702 | 68,284 |
| 2,011 | 44,709 | 133.85 | 71,811 | 75,686 |
| 2,012 | 46,609 | 133.41 | 74,619 | 78,411 |
| 2,013 | 47,636 | 133.07 | 76,066 | 79,859 |
| 2,014 | 46,664 | 125.01 | 69,999 | 74,060 |
| 2,015 | 45,767 | 126.81 | 69,645 | 73,947 |
| 2,016 | 44,220 | 125.40 | 66,539 | 70,912 |
| 2,017 | 42,317 | 125.47 | 63,711 | 68,175 |
| 2,018 | 40,776 | 124.50 | 60,917 | 65,449 |
| 2,019 | 35,702 | 129.83 | 55,622 | 60,383 |
| 2,020 | 39,853 | 154.54 | 73,905 | 78,912 |
| 2,021 | 41,604 | 214.41 | 107,042 | 112,228 |
| 2,022 | 41,208 | 229.01 | 113,243 | 118,798 |
| 2,023 | 42,177 | 210.71 | 106,645 | 112,699 |
| 2,024 | 41,709 | 186.76 | 93,476 | 100,079 |
| 2,025 | 42,142 | 189.36 | 95,759 | 102,579 |
How this table was built
Downloaded the agency workbook and copied the figures as published; percent changes recomputed from the published counts. Participation is the fiscal-year average of monthly counts; dollars are nominal (not inflation-adjusted).
How to cite
Next Chapter Today, "SNAP participation and average benefit by year, 1969 to 2025," compiled from USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP program data (Data as of October 9, 2026), nextchaptertoday.co/data/snap-participation-1969-2025/. The underlying figures are public domain; our compilation and chart are free to reuse with credit.
Next Chapter Today is not a government website. Figures are copied from the agency's published tables and may be revised by the agency after publication.