CHICAGO, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released The SNAP Evolution: Supporting Shoppers in a Changing Economy, an analysis that explores how shifts in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are affecting consumer behavior and retail spending. The report leverages behavioral data from over 31,600 verified SNAP recipients—defined as individuals who used benefits 12 or more times in the past year—and survey responses from more than 1,250 participants to highlight the potential ripple effects on both essential and discretionary retail categories amid proposed cuts to SNAP.
Survey and Purchase Data Findings for Verified SNAP Consumers:
- Grocery spending among SNAP recipients continues to shift in response to program changes. As benefit levels fluctuated—peaking during expanded aid in 2021–2022 and dropping sharply after emergency allotments ended in March 2023—grocery buy rates closely followed. In March 2023 vs. a year ago, SNAP benefits issued dropped by 8.5%, while grocery buy rate among SNAP trips declined 8.4%.
- Over four in five SNAP users’ benefits don’t last the full month. 86% of SNAP users say their benefits are exhausted before the end of the month—leaving the vast majority without financial assistance while grocery shopping. In addition, 63% of SNAP shoppers are concerned about their finances (+1 point vs. 2022).
- SNAP participation peaked in 2022 and has since tapered to a new baseline. 19% of U.S. households regularly utilized SNAP benefits in May 2022, compared to 15% of U.S. households in February 2025.
- Households who left SNAP are more financially stable. Households that used SNAP in 2021–2022 but no longer use it in 2025 are more likely to have a household income of over $80k, live in a suburban area, have a four-year or graduate degree, have 4–5 persons in their household, and be Gen X. 29% of lapsed 2021 SNAP households say they are putting money into savings.
- Households currently on SNAP are skewing higher income. 23% of current SNAP households have a household income of $80k or more (+6 points vs. 2020), 53% have an income between $40k–80k (+4 points), and 23% have an income of less than $40k (-10 points).
- The employment status of SNAP households is in flux. 19% of SNAP households are retired (+4 points), 33% are employed full-time (+2 points), and 12% are disabled (-5 points).
- Nearly two-thirds of SNAP households do not have children. 65% of SNAP households do not have children in the home, an increase of 5 points from 2020.
- SNAP households are saying their nutritional needs are not being met. 68% say SNAP ‘somewhat’ or ‘barely’ covers nutritional needs (+5 points vs. 2022).
- With tighter budgets, shoppers are cutting back on nutrient-dense foods. 31% of SNAP shoppers say they are buying less meat / protein (+4 points vs. 2022), and 24% say they are buying less fresh produce (+7 points). 47% say they are stocking up during sales (-4 points).
- SNAP households are looking for more education and consistent benefits. SNAP households say that it would be beneficial to have more identifiable SNAP-eligible foods (26%, +2 points vs. 2022), education on creating a grocery budget (16%, +2 points), smaller, more frequent issuing of benefits (16%, +3 points), and education on healthy food choices (15%, +3 points).
- Walmart captures a quarter of SNAP shoppers’ CPG & General Merchandise spend. According to verified purchase data for SNAP users, Walmart leads in SNAP shopper spend (24%), followed by Kroger (8%), Costco (6%), Amazon (5%), Sam’s Club (4%), with Walmart, Amazon, 7-Eleven, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree over-indexing with SNAP shoppers (vs. all shoppers).
- SNAP shoppers are shifting spend to large-format retailers with strong value and assortment. Over the latest 52 weeks (ending 03/30/2025), SNAP shoppers shifted their CPG & General Merchandise share toward Costco (+2.0%), Walmart (+1.2%), Amazon (+0.8%), Sam’s Club (+0.5%), and Target (+0.3%).
- Among top CPG manufacturers, Post, Tyson, and Conagra are more exposed to changes in SNAP benefits. Looking at shopping trips where top brands were purchased, 10.6% of Post Consumer Brands trips utilized SNAP dollars, followed by 8.4% of Tyson trips, 7.7% of Conagra trips, 7.5% of Kraft Heinz trips, 7.3% of General Mills trips, 7.2% of Frito-Lay trips, 6.8% of J.M. Smucker trips, 6.8% of Bimbo Bakeries USA trips, 6.5% of Nestle trips, and 6.4% of Kellanova trips.
For additional survey and purchase data on SNAP consumers, including state-level views and top CPG and General Merchandise retailers, visit the Numerator SNAP Insights Center at numerator.com/SNAP.
Numerator’s SNAP survey was fielded in April 2025 to more than 1,250 SNAP participants. Purchase data was compiled using Numerator’s Total Commerce Panel.
About Numerator:
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 5,800 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.
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