Relevant Data
USDA, Economic Research Service's (ERS) SNAP Policy Data Sets provide information on various dimensions of State-level Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility rules and administrative policies. The SNAP Policy Database provides a central data source for information on many State SNAP policy options. Monthly data are provided for all 50 States and the District of Columbia. The information in this database can facilitate research on factors that influence SNAP participation and on SNAP’s effects on various outcomes, such as health and dietary intake. The SNAP Distribution Schedule Database documents the monthly distribution schedule for SNAP benefits in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. If benefits are distributed on different days in a State, the database provides information on how distribution is split between days of the month. The information in this database can facilitate research on how the receipt of SNAP benefits influences food consumption, expenditures, and other behaviors.
SNAP and WIC Administrative Data
USDA, ERS is engaged in a long-term, cross-agency effort with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) and USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), to acquire administrative data from State SNAP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) agencies on USDA food assistance programs for statistical and research purposes. The project leverages those data through linkages to U.S. Census Bureau surveys and to other administrative data files. The project builds resources to conduct policy-relevant analysis, using administrative data and linking multiple data sources, gaining insights and results that are unobtainable using any data source alone.
USDA, ERS’s Food Environment Atlas assembles statistics on and provides a spatial overview of the U.S. food environment, including indicators related to food access and availability, food assistance, food insecurity, food prices and taxes, local foods, health and physical activity, and socioeconomic indicators. Information on SNAP includes county- or State-level measures of SNAP household access to grocery stores, SNAP-authorized stores, benefit redemptions, participation, and benefits per capita.
FoodAPS National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey
The National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) was cosponsored by USDA, ERS and USDA, FNS to fill a critical data gap and support research that informs policymaking on key U.S. priorities, including health and obesity, hunger, and nutrition assistance. The survey captures unique and comprehensive data on household food purchases and acquisitions, along with factors that influence food choice, from a nationally representative sample including SNAP and non-SNAP households.
Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Reports Database
USDA, ERS has compiled a database of over 1,100 peer-reviewed research reports and articles covering a broad spectrum of food and nutrition assistance research, including research on SNAP, based on both intramural and extramural research published at USDA, ERS and elsewhere. The database is searchable by title, lead author, topics such as nutrition education, year of publication, dataset analyzed, and exact word(s) or phrases contained in the publication’s bibliographic citation. Note: USDA, ERS’s Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Reports Database is discontinued and was last updated in 2018.
Note: USDA, ERS is a Federal statistical agency that conducts research and analysis and produces data on agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. USDA, ERS does not process SNAP applications. If you are looking for information about eligibility for SNAP benefits, applying for benefits, or your personal SNAP case, please contact your local SNAP office.