How to Read USDA FNS Keydata for SNAP — Participation, Benefits per Person and Revisions
USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (preliminary, excluding Puerto Rico): 36,087,667 SNAP persons (-13.2% y/y, this page's calculation); average benefit $187.56 per person per month.
Key figures (USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 data)
As of 8 November 2026, 00:59 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); latest listed on the agency page at retrieval: the Program Information Report (Keydata) for July 2026, U.S. Summary FY 2025 - FY 2026, generated on 10/09/2026, from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. Its page shows Page updated: October 20, 2026. July 2026 figures are preliminary. Primary source: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/data-files/keydata-July-2026.pdf[1][2][3]
| Indicator (SNAP, excludes Puerto Rico; monthly) | Previous month: June 2026 (as printed in the July 2026 report) | Current: July 2026 (preliminary) | Change vs previous month (this page's calculation) | Change vs year ago: July 2025 value and this page's calculation | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons participating | 36,521,606 | 36,087,667 | -433,939 (-1.2%) | 41,599,407; -13.2% | USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (Table 2, SNAP excluding Puerto Rico) |
| Households participating | 19,887,344 | 19,636,409 | -250,935 (-1.3%) | 22,349,186; -12.1% | USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (Table 2, SNAP excluding Puerto Rico) |
| Average benefit per person (dollars per month) | 185.81 | 187.56 | +1.75 | 187.92; -0.36 | USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (Table 2, SNAP excluding Puerto Rico) |
| Benefit cost (dollars) | 6,786,008,075 | 6,768,647,569 | -17,360,506 (-0.3%) | 7,817,325,684; -13.4% | USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (Table 2, SNAP excluding Puerto Rico) |
| Average persons, first 10 months of the fiscal year | FY 2025: 42,308,129 | FY 2026: 38,035,408 | not applicable (fiscal-year average) | -10.1% (this page's calculation) | USDA FNS Keydata, July 2026 (Table 2, SNAP excluding Puerto Rico) |
Comparison basis: participation counts are monthly averages reported by states (persons and households), and costs are in dollars, printed unrounded to the person and dollar; the per-person benefit is printed to the cent. Percent changes are this page's calculations, rounded to one decimal. Fiscal years run from October to September, so FY 2026 began in October 2025.[1]
In three lines
1. FNS's monthly Keydata report gives national participation and cost for SNAP and the other federal nutrition programs.
2. In July 2026 (preliminary), 36,087,667 people in 19,636,409 households received SNAP benefits, 13.2% fewer people than in July 2025.
3. The average benefit was $187.56 per person, and FNS says current numbers are preliminary and subject to significant revision.[1][3]
What the report measures
Scope. Table 2 covers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and excludes Puerto Rico, which receives a Nutrition Assistance Program block grant shown separately in Table 2b (1,196,860 persons and $251,252,135 in July 2026). The report also covers school meals, WIC, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, summer programs and commodity distribution.[1]
Averages and costs. Monthly participation figures are reported as persons and households; participation in the fiscal-year total rows is averaged (the table note reads: "Totals are averaged."). Benefit cost is issuance; state administrative expenses, nutrition education and employment and training costs are reported quarterly, so those columns are blank (--) in most months.[1]
Preliminary data. "This report is based in part on preliminary data submitted by various reporting agencies." "Users should anticipate changes in future reports as reporting agencies finalize data." The program data page adds: "Most current numbers are preliminary and are subject to significant revision." "Data are as of Oct. 9, 2026."[1][3]
Fiscal year. "Data are provided by federal fiscal year rather than calendar or school year." "The latest month for state-level activity is July 2026."[3]
Reading in pairs
First print vs later print. The June 2026 Keydata report (generated 09/11/2026) printed June 2026 participation as 36,352,716 persons and 19,807,327 households. The July 2026 report prints June 2026 as 36,521,606 persons and 19,887,344 households, 168,890 persons and 80,017 households more (this page's calculation). The July 2026 values may likewise change in later reports.[1][4]
Month vs year. From June to July 2026 persons fell 1.2%; from July 2025 to July 2026 they fell 13.2%; the FY 2026 ten-month average (38,035,408) is 10.1% below the FY 2025 ten-month average (42,308,129). All three are this page's calculations from printed counts, and the report does not attribute the changes to any cause.[1]
Benefit per person vs total cost. Benefit cost fell 13.4% from July 2025 while persons fell 13.2%; the average benefit per person was $187.56 in July 2026 against $187.92 a year earlier. Dividing July 2026 benefit cost by persons gives the printed $187.56 to the cent (this page's calculation).[1]
Names and units as printed. The PDF names the Food and Nutrition Service, while its web page carries the name Food and Nutrition Administration. A footnote to Tables 1 and 29a prints the Puerto Rico grant as $2,815.6 billion for FY2023 and $2,915.6 billion for FY2024, while Table 2b shows Puerto Rico NAP benefit costs of $2,944,192,798 for FY 2025. Comparing these different items in different fiscal years (the FY2023 grant against the FY 2025 NAP benefit cost) gives a ratio of about 956 (this page's calculation); the report does not explain the footnote's unit, so whether it is a misprint is not established (see claims).[1][2]
Totals, later figures and next edition
All programs. Total USDA nutrition expenditures in Table 29c were $109,389,535,411 for the first 10 months of FY 2026, against $118,223,325,516 for the same months of FY 2025 (-7.5%, this page's calculation).[1]
Next edition. The program data page lists Keydata reports for June and July 2026; the date of the report with August 2026 data is not established by these sources.[2][3]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
In July 2026 (preliminary), 36,087,667 persons in 19,636,409 households participated in SNAP, excluding Puerto Rico, per USDA FNS.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The average SNAP benefit was $187.56 per person in July 2026, against $187.92 in July 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
SNAP benefit cost was $6,768,647,569 in July 2026, against $7,817,325,684 in July 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
June 2026 SNAP participation was revised up by 168,890 persons between the June and July reports, so the preliminary July 2026 count may also change.[1][4] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · inference from comparing the June and July 2026 Keydata reports
July 2026 benefit cost divided by persons reproduces the printed $187.56 per person when rounded to the cent.[1] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · inference from this page's calculation with the printed Table 2 values
Comparing different items in different fiscal years, the footnote's $2,815.6 billion FY2023 Puerto Rico grant against the $2,944,192,798 FY 2025 NAP benefit cost in Table 2b, gives a ratio of about 956; the report does not explain the footnote's unit, so whether it is a misprint is not established.[1] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · inference from comparing the Table 1 footnote with Table 2b
Timeline
- 2026-10-09
The July 2026 Keydata report is generated from the National Data Bank.[1]
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- How much will July 2026 participation be revised?
- Is the Puerto Rico grant footnote's unit a misprint?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 11/08/2026, 00:58
- Body characters
- 5,645
- Sources
- 4 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 11/08/2026, 01:17
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 11/08/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 11/08/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA FNS Keydata reports for July 2026 and June 2026 and the Keydata and Program Data Overview pages; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 11/08/2026 | Revised after review: the summary states that the figures exclude Puerto Rico and that the year-on-year change is this page's calculation; the averaging note is limited to the fiscal-year total rows; the Puerto Rico footnote comparison is described as a ratio of about 956 between different items in different fiscal years, with whether it is a misprint not established; the edition line reads latest listed on the agency page at retrieval. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many people received SNAP in July 2026?
36,087,667 persons in 19,636,409 households (preliminary, excluding Puerto Rico), per USDA FNS Keydata.[1]
How did SNAP participation change from a year earlier?
13.2% fewer persons than in July 2025 (41,599,407), this page's calculation from the printed counts.[1]
What was the average SNAP benefit per person in July 2026?
$187.56 per person for the month, against $185.81 in June 2026 and $187.92 in July 2025.[1]
Are the latest SNAP numbers final?
No: July 2026 figures are preliminary; June 2026 persons were revised from 36,352,716 to 36,521,606 between reports.[1][3]
Does the SNAP table include Puerto Rico?
No: Table 2 excludes Puerto Rico, whose block-grant program had 1,196,860 persons in July 2026 in Table 2b.[1]
When is the next Keydata report?
The latest listed report has July 2026 data (page updated October 20, 2026); the next date is not established by these sources.[3]