SNAP costs grow by 18% in 2022

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food benefits to low-income households will increase by 18% this year, according to new projections from the Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO, a bipartisan federal agency that analyzes the economy for Congress, said it expects that outlays for the SNAP program will increase 18% from $135 billion in 2021 to $159 billion in 2022.

SNAP benefits are determined by the price of the Thrifty Food Plan, a basket of foods selected by USDA that would provide a nutritious diet for a household of a particular size, according to the CBO analysis.

The USDA recently reevaluated the Thrifty Food Plan, and, largely as a result of that reevaluation, the price of the plan is about 23% higher in 2022 than it was last year; that increase accounts for much of the increase in outlays for SNAP in 2022. 

Beyond that, CBO projects that many SNAP participants will continue to receive emergency allotments as authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act until the month following the end of the public health emergency. The report said CBO projects the public health emergency ends in July 2023, which means the emergency allotments would conclude in August 2023.

“CBO also expects that some families will continue to receive benefits through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program through 2023,” the report said. “As a result, total benefits are projected to remain relatively high in 2022 and 2023 before declining in 2024 and 2025.”

SNAP participation rates gradually decrease through 2032, the CBO report said. However, the savings from fewer individuals in the SNAP program will be offset by expected increases in the cost of food. That should result in total outlays for the program growing by about 1% a year, the CBO said, totaling $111 billion in 2032.