SNAP enrollment has dropped sharply since 2025, rural areas likely more affected

Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) has dropped by 13% since June, writes Tracy Roof for The Conversation, and rural areas could feel the decline sharply. About 36.4 million people were enrolled in the program in 2026, down from 42 million in 2025. Roof writes that dropping enrollment could be due to the Trump administration's "tax-and-spending package the president signed into law in July 2025." 

That law "caused some immigrants residing legally in the country ... to no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits," and "more people enrolled in SNAP now may only get up to three months of benefits if they don't work, engage in training programs or volunteer at least 80 hours a month," Roof writes. Those work requirements used to end at age 54, but that has been raised to 64, and "parents of older children ages 14-17 are now expected to meet these work requirements."

Rural places are likely to suffer more from lack of enrollment, according to a 2025 report from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). Rural areas have higher rates of enrollment in SNAP overall, with one in seven rural households relying on the program, compared to one in eight in urban areas. Rural poverty and food insecurity rates sit at around 15% each, higher than the 11% and 12% national averages.

"These elevated rates reflect deeper structural issues: limited job opportunities, aging infrastructure, higher costs of living, and a shrinking share of the national economy," Gina Plata-Nino reports for FRAC. She writes that a Biden administration law "attempted to tackle" such issues, but it will take years to see results, adding that "rural communities remain vulnerable, especially as key industries like agriculture, mining, and manufacturing shrink due to automation."