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United States Value:
Number of adults age 60 and older who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) per 100 adults age 60 and older living in poverty
Number of adults age 60 and older who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) per 100 adults age 60 and older living in poverty
100.0 - 97.8
97.7 - 79.5
79.4 - 62.6
62.5 - 46.0
45.9 - 14.8
US Value: 86.8
Top State(s): California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island: 100.0
Bottom State(s): Wyoming: 14.8
Definition: Number of adults age 60 and older who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) per 100 adults age 60 and older living in poverty
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households Report Series, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households Report Series, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an anti-hunger program in the United States that helps millions of low-income Americans access food and improve their economic security and health outcomes. In 2023, older adults who lived alone received an average of $162 a month in SNAP benefits.
Despite SNAP and other nutritional aid programs, food insecurity remains a problem in the U.S. An estimated 7.4 million Americans age 60 and older were food insecure in 2023.
Not everyone eligible for SNAP enrolls in it. Barriers to enrollment include lack of knowledge about the program and how it works, cultural beliefs, difficulty completing an application and stigma associated with receiving social services. Eligibility criteria and benefits offered vary by state. State-specific resources and applications can be found online.
According to a 2019 study, investing an additional $1 billion in SNAP could increase the U.S. gross domestic product by $1.54 billion and create more than 13,500 new jobs. SNAP can also reduce medical expenses associated with food insecurity, which currently cost each state an average of $687 million a year. A 2022 study found that older adults eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid who participate in SNAP spend less on health care and have fewer overnight hospital visits.
SNAP participation is higher among:
The National Council on Aging’s Senior SNAP Enrollment Initiative supports community-based organizations and agencies that assist adults age 60 and older with applying for and enrolling in SNAP. AARP spotlights other state policies that have been shown to improve SNAP participation among older adults.
Older adults and their loved ones can find out which benefits they may be eligible for and how to access them using the free online BenefitsCheckUp tool.
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to reduce overall household food insecurity.
AARP Foundation, and Food Research and Action Center. Combating Food Insecurity: Tools for Helping Older Adults Access SNAP, 2014. https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/senior_snap_toolkit_aarp_frac-1.pdf.
Berkowitz, Seth A., Sanjay Basu, Craig Gundersen, and Hilary K. Seligman. “State-Level and County-Level Estimates of Health Care Costs Associated with Food Insecurity.” Preventing Chronic Disease 16 (July 11, 2019): 180549. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180549.
Berkowitz, Seth A., Deepak Palakshappa, Joseph Rigdon, Hilary K. Seligman, and Sanjay Basu. “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Health Care Use in Older Adults: A Cohort Study.” Annals of Internal Medicine 174, no. 12 (December 2021): 1674–82. https://doi.org/10.7326/M21-1588.
Dean, Olivia, Rachel Bleiweiss-Sande, and Andrew Gothro. Solutions: State Policies Associated With Higher Participation. Older Adult SNAP Participation Series. Washington, D.C.: AARP Public Policy Institute, July 13, 2022. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00166.003.
Dewey, Adam, Julie Hilvers, Sena Dawes, Virginia Harris, Monica Hake, and Emily Engelhard. Map the Meal Gap: A Report of Local Food Insecurity and Food Costs in the United States in 2023. Feeding America National Organization, May 2025. https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/map-the-meal-gap/overall-executive-summary.
Monkovic, Mia, and Ben Ward. Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Evidence, Analysis, and Regulatory Affairs Office, April 2025.https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf.
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