On April 29, the Congressional District Health Dashboard released new SNAP participation data for every Congressional district in the US. For the first time, users will be able to track changes in SNAP participation quarter by quarter alongside 40 other Dashboard health and economic metrics, offering a clear view of district-lev-el changes over time.
“Our mission on the Congressional side is to provide data on measures of health and be the drivers of health to keep participants informed of the different measures and policies of their district,” Dr. Lorna E. Thorpe, chair of the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said. “We think it’s more beneficial to have timely local data on SNAP participation more than ever before, because of the ever-changing metrics.”
The new SNAP metric measures households participating in SNAP with corresponding data from the American Community Survey and the Department of Agriculture of the Food and Nutrition Service, which helps them provide SNAP estimates every quarter. “This helps us to record accurate data of policy impact and gives the community the necessary information to make changes in their personal lives and also hold district leaders responsible,” Thorpe said.
According to Congressional District Health Dashboard data, in 2025 Q3, just over one in six households across the country participated in SNAP. Of the 42 million Americans receiving SNAP each month, 70 percent are elderly, disabled, or children. Over 75 percent of SNAP participants are also enrolled in Medicaid, including nearly 90 percent of child SNAP participants, demonstrating how eligibility and need overlap across the two programs.
Research indicates that individuals receiving SNAP benefits experience lower rates of food insecurity than people who are eligible but not receiving benefits. Food insecurity is associated with worse health outcomes, including mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, as well as chronic health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Food insecurity also complicates an individual’s ability to manage illness and is linked to higher healthcare costs.
“We know that SNAP benefits lift families out of poverty and provide a major boost to the economy. Dr. Giridhar Mallya, senior policy officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said. “SNAP is prov-en to uplift communities in a multitude of ways and relieves pressure on local food banks. We need SNAP, and the Trump ad-ministration policy changes have made it hard for participants to stay enrolled or be actual functioning members of society.”
Last summer, Congress passed HR1—also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill—which cut almost $1 trillion from critical health and food safety nets and imposed new eligibility requirements. The budget of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was slashed by $187 billion through 2034, the largest cut to the program since it began in 1964. Between the passage of that law in July 2025 and January 2026, more than 3 million people have lost SNAP benefits.
Some of the changes Trump has made to SNAP include:
1. A 20-hour-per-week work requirement to receive benefits.
2. Removed Exemption for Veterans
3. Removed Exemption for People Expe-riencing Homelessness
4. Removed Exemption for People For-merly in Foster Care
5. Decreased Future Benefits