The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital source of assistance that helps put food on the table for hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians. As of 2020, in Kentucky it provided food assistance to 219,000 children, 60,000 people over the age of 60, and 202,000 age 18-59. It is also an economic benefit to communities throughout the commonwealth, with direct economic benefits of $1.6 billion during 2021. This post will serve to track SNAP in Kentucky – as it responds to such policy decisions as well as economic trends, including those precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic – and will be updated as new data become available.
SNAP Participation June 2024: 617,998
SNAP enrollment began to decline in 2013, as the economy improved and people no longer need assistance. Additionally, there have been two instances since 2013 when the decline in SNAP enrollment accelerated. First, in February of 2016, large disruptions in enrollment followed the faulty launch of Kentucky’s new online benefits enrollment system, benefind. After May of 2018, enrollment dropped sharply again with the reinstatement of a three month time limit for some adults.
In April 2020, enrollment sharply increased (16%) due to layoffs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, but participation has fallen since June 2021. SNAP responds very efficiently to changes in the economy so as the economy recovers and jobs move toward pre-pandemic levels, SNAP participation will continue to fall.
This graph does not include data from February 2019, when, due to the federal government shutdown, SNAP benefits were not distributed.
Percent of Kentucky participating in SNAP June 2024: 13.7%
Benefits spent June 2024: $107.5 million
Total SNAP benefits spent in Kentucky during 2024, so far: $1.2 billion
Every county in Kentucky benefits from SNAP – both the individuals who receive the assistance and the local economies where the benefits are spent. The share of each county’s population receiving SNAP ranges from 2.2% in Oldham County to 38.2% in Owsley County. Tens of millions of dollars are spent on groceries each month, which helps to stimulate other spending in local economies and empowers participants to use more of their income on other necessities like rent, utilities and transportation.
In October 2021, SNAP participants in Kentucky began receiving average benefit increase of 27% thanks to a recalculation of the “Thrifty Food Plan” at the federal level, which is how the value of SNAP benefits is determined. However, emergency allotments that provided the maximum benefit amount to all participating households starting in April 20202, ended in April 2022 due to Senate Joint Resolution 150. These boosted benefits provided an average of 41%, or $100 more per month in SNAP benefits.
In October 2023, there was an additional cost of living increase of about 3.6% to maximum benefits. This year’s adjustment also impacts deductions that households may be eligible for.
Total number of Kentucky adults losing SNAP due to time limit between January 2018 and March 2020: 33,399
Beginning in February of 2018, the state began re-instating a three-month SNAP time limit in 92 Kentucky counties (20 had already been in effect) for approximately 64,100 adults who do not have a dependent or a disability. The result was that after May 2018, thousands of Kentuckians lost food assistance because they could not adhere to the reporting requirements for three months out of a three year period.
The SNAP time limit was waived across the state according to federal flexibilities granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, Kentuckians have not lost SNAP benefits because of the time limit. The suspension of this requirement ended June 30, 2023 with the recent end of the federal public health emergency declaration.
The SNAP Time Limit work reporting requirement restarted July 1, 2023 for an estimated 17,300 Kentuckians without children or a documented disability between 18-49. And expanded to people 50-52 on September 1, 2023. The expansion in the Debt Ceiling Bill include people up to 54 years, which will be phased-in in 2024, making a new total of 30,300 Kentuckians required to report their work hours.
New exemptions from the reporting requirement started October 1, 2023 for people experiencing homelessness, veterans or people that participated in the military and young adults up to 24 years that participated in foster care. Additional exemptions can be found in our SNAP Time Limit Screening Tool.
For more resources on SNAP in Kentucky:
- You can apply for SNAP at Kynect.ky.gov. Or get help with your application from a SNAP kynector.
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has a series of fact sheets on SNAP in Kentucky.
- The Food Research and Action Center has a series of maps that display a variety of SNAP data.
- Additional data on SNAP can be found at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service website.
- State metrics on EBT skimming can be found on the SNAP Replacement of Stolen Benefits Dashboard.
- The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services administers Kentucky’s SNAP program, and provides a lot of information for beneficiaries and retailers on their website.
