Who is losing food stamps? SNAP enrollment fell 13% in a year - which states lost the most and why the CBO expects more decline

Federal data show SNAP enrollment fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May 2026, a drop of more than 13%. The newest figures put participation at about 36.35 million in June 2026, down 12.8 percent from June 2025, the month before the new law passed. That means more than five million people are no longer getting benefits.

The fall is faster than expected. The Congressional Budget Office said enrollment would drop below 34 million by 2036, but it did not expect the decline to come this quickly. The numbers were also falling before the law. Enrollment peaked at 43.3 million in October 2024.

The USDA says the numbers move all the time and can’t be pinned on one policy.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said much of the drop comes from fraud and a better economy.

Which states lost the most

Arizona leads by a wide margin. Between July 2025 and May 2026, its enrollment fell from 882,419 to 409,584, a drop of 53.6 percent. Depending on the months compared, the drop is put at 48% to 55%.

Georgia was next, down about 37 percent.

Louisiana and Nevada also fell by more than 20%, and Florida by about 22%.

Oklahoma fell about 18%.

Texas lost the most people in raw numbers. It had 646,356 fewer participants in June 2026 than a year earlier.

Only Alaska and North Dakota had more people on SNAP than the year before.

Some of the drop may come from paperwork rather than eligibility. Advocates say states may deny benefits outright rather than risk mistakes. Arizona officials say hiring more staff and letting people send documents online has slowed the decline in recent months.

In Florida, a food bank leader said part of the fall is driven by immigrants.

Why the work rules changed

The changes came from the “Big Beautiful Bill” signed in July 2025. Before it, work rules applied to adults aged 18 to 54 with no child under 18. Those adults had to work 20 hours a week or lose benefits after three months in a three-year period. Now the rules cover people up to age 64, and the child exemption applies only to children under 14. The 20 hours can be paid work or volunteering.

The law also shifts costs to states. From October, states pay 75% of SNAP administrative costs, up from half. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes will cut federal spending by about $187 billion over ten years.

The administration says the goal is to push people toward jobs, cut waste and make states responsible for errors. Republicans said the bill would save money and make states with high payment errors pay part of the cost. Rollins called the drop a win in August. She said moving 5 million people off food stamps was a big victory for those who value work.

Critics see it differently. Non-profit leaders say people are turning to food banks, and some are going hungry. Gina Plata-Nino of the Food Research and Action Center argues that people would not need SNAP if wages were high enough.

A ProPublica review found at least 776,000 children lost SNAP benefits in 12 states that publish age data. Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, wrote to Rollins that children and older adults could be going hungry.