SNAP Enrollment Falls 13% in a Year, Hitting 2030 Projections Four Years Early as New Work Requirements Bite

Newly released federal data show enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May 2026, more than 13 percent in a year, as work requirements and other provisions of Trump's "one big beautiful bill" took hold. The Congressional Budget Office projected in February that enrollment would fall below 34 million by 2036; by May the rolls were already about as low as it had forecast for 2030. The law newly requires work, volunteering or schooling of groups previously exempt, including adults aged 55 to 64, people with children aged 14 to 17, and homeless people.

Arizona recorded the steepest decline, more than 50 percent, which the state attributed largely to its own difficulty implementing the changes amid unprecedented call volumes and added verification requirements. Declines exceeded 20 percent in Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada and Florida. Advocates say much of the loss is administrative, from missed deadlines and missing paperwork, rather than people newly earning too much, though the Heritage Foundation's Rachel Sheffield said people leaving the rolls for work "would be a step forward."

SNAP serves more than one in ten Americans. The May figures are preliminary.