https://www.investopedia.com/snap-benefits-by-state-5203591 KEY TAKEAWAYS An individual or family's SNAP benefit amount is based on their income, size, and certain other expenses. The federal government expects SNAP recipients to spend 30% of their net income on food. If a participant has no net income, they will instead receive the maximum possible benefit.3 At $402, Hawaii had the highest average monthly SNAP benefit per household member in 2021 and was double many states' average monthly benefits. In 2021, California had the largest number of SNAP participants out of any other state and the District of Columbia, with 4,327,100 people in total. Although New Mexico had just 520,500 participants in 2021, this still represents 25% of the state's total population, which was the highest percentage of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico—the three states with the highest percentages of their populations below the poverty line in 2021—were also among the top five states by SNAP participation as a percentage of the total population during this same period.4