Methodology

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides nutrition assistance to eligible households. This application tracks participant counts, not household counts, unless a source explicitly provides household data for supporting review.

Fixed baseline

The baseline period is July 2025 for every state. July was selected as a consistent reference point because the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (Public Law 119-21) was signed into law on July 4, 2025 and included several provisions affecting SNAP. Using that month makes it possible to track subsequent enrollment patterns from a common starting point as implementation unfolded. The dashboard measures changes over time; it does not by itself attribute those changes to the law, because implementation timing and other factors may vary by state.

Current periods

Each state's baseline is measured against its newest reliable monthly enrollment figure. Those current months may differ because state and federal publication schedules differ. The dashboard preserves both baseline and current month fields in every visualization and export.

Source hierarchy

Canonical observations prefer official state agency data, then USDA Food and Nutrition Service state-level data, then reputable policy research organizations citing official data, then news reporting only when an official figure cannot be located.

Calculations

Absolute change equals current participants minus baseline participants. Percent change divides that change by baseline participants. Participation rates divide participants by the state population denominator and are shown as percentages.

Limits

This application measures changes since July 2025. A before-and-after view alone does not establish that all changes were caused by a single law or policy.

Last refresh: 2026-07-24T17:20:32.283948