Pandemic-boosted SNAP benefits still can't cover food costs in most counties; see interactive county-level map

Urban Institute map; click the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version

The maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit still can't cover food expenses in over 40 percent of U.S. counties, even after a pandemic-related 15% increase in benefits, Olivia Weeks reports for The Daily Yonder. The program is used disproportionately in rural America.

Before the pandemic, the maximum SNAP benefit fell short of monthly food costs by an average of nearly $40 per person. In 96% of counties, the top benefit couldn't pay for a modestly priced meal ($2.41) three times a day, according to a new report from the Urban Institute, Weeks reports.

Even after the pandemic benefits bump, food costs exceed maximum SNAP benefits in 40.5% of counties. "In rural Leelanau County, Michigan, where the gap is the highest in the nation, the average modestly priced meal costs $3.90 more than SNAP provides, even after the temporary increase," Weeks reports. "Rural recreation counties such as Nevada County, California; Pacific County, Washington; Blaine County, Idaho; and Teton County, Wyoming, are all among the top 10 highest-gap counties. Only two of the 10 highest-gap counties are metropolitan."

Some argue that SNAP benefits aren't meant to cover a family's whole food budget, but about 40% of SNAP-eligible families have zero net income, the report says.