SNAP Helps Millions of Workers in Low-Paying Jobs | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) provides millions of workers with income to help feed their families. Roughly 15.7 million workers, or about 10 percent of all workers, are in households where someone participated in SNAP in the last year, CBPP analysis of data from the 2022 American Community Survey finds. In several occupations — including home health and personal care aides, school bus monitors, agricultural graders and sorters, and maids and housekeeping cleaners — more than 1 in 5 workers participate in SNAP. Some of the most common occupations in the country, though vital to the overall economy, have low pay, unpredictable scheduling, and few benefits. Many workers in these occupations turn to SNAP to supplement low and fluctuating pay and to help them get by during spells of unemployment. Most workers who participate in SNAP are in service (e.g., personal care aides or cooks), professional (e.g., teacher assistants), transportation (e.g.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) provides millions of workers with income to help feed their families. Roughly 15.7 million workers, or about 10 percent of all workers, are in households where someone participated in SNAP in the last year, CBPP analysis of data from the 2022 American Community Survey finds. In several occupations — including home health and personal care aides, school bus monitors, agricultural graders and sorters, and maids and housekeeping cleaners — more than 1 in 5 workers participate in SNAP. Some of the most common occupations in