Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates: Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2013

The participation rates presented in this report estimate the percentage of individuals eligible under federal SNAP income and asset rules who choose to participate in the program. Of the nearly 51 million individuals eligible for SNAP benefits in an average month in FY 2013, approximately 43 million participated (85 percent), and more than 7 million did not. From FY 2012 to FY 2013, the number of SNAP participants increased by about 3 percent and the number of eligible individuals remained about the same. Accordingly, the participation rate among individuals increased by 2 percentage points between FY 2012 and FY 2013.