Welfare Recipients by State [Updated August 2022]

Welfare is a type of government support for the citizens of that society to meet their basic human needs such as food and shelter. Welfare programs typically provide either a free or subsidized supply of certain goods and services such as healthcare and education.

The United States has six major welfare programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income, Earned Income Tax Credit, Housing Assistance, and Medicaid. These six welfare programs are not to be confused with the four entitlement programs: Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and worker’s compensation.

Welfare recipients in the United States must prove their income falls below a certain target based on the federal poverty level in order to qualify. In April 2018, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review employment requirements for TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance. Childless SNAP recipients who do not have disabilities, for example, must find a job within three months or lose their benefits.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) refers to food stamps. The number of SNAP recipients has decreased overall in most states. The number of recipients grew during 2007-2011 due to the recession and has seen a steady decline since, most likely because of an improving economy and the imposed three-month limit.

The ten states that have the highest number of SNAP recipients in 2022 are:

• California (4,327,100)
• Texas (3,408,400)
• Florida (3,356,200)
• New York (2,780,700)
• Illinois (1,930,400)
• Pennsylvania (1,766,500)
• Georgia (1,640,600)
• North Carolina (1,541,700)
• Ohio (1,509,400)
• Michigan (1,278,200).

The states with the highest percentage of SNAP recipients are:

• New Mexico (25%)
• The District of Columbia (21%)
• Louisiana (20%)
• Oregon (17%)
• West Virginia (17%)
• Oklahoma (16%)
• Alabama (15%)
• Florida (15%)
• Georgia (15%)
• Illinois (15%)

On the other end of the spectrum, n Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Utah, only 5% of residents are SNAP recipients, the lowest in the U.S.