Calculating A Household Budget With SNAP Benefits In NWA
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical resource for families struggling to make ends meet, but these benefits are often insufficient to meet living expenses. The average gap between household food budgets and SNAP benefits are $250 a month for a household of two adults and two children. After bills for health care, housing, and childcare are paid, millions of American households have limited money left for food.
Among the 31,410 food insecure people in the county, we estimate 59% may be SNAP eligible. This tool provides insight into their experience.
In Arkansas the income limit for
a family of 4 to receive SNAP is
$32,630
pre-tax, which is
130%
of the poverty line
Most SNAP-eligible
families make
significantly
less
than $32,630.
Below we provide living cost estimates for Washington County.
Your budget after accounting for expenses.
HOW MUCH FOOD WILL THIS BUDGET BUY?
Many food insecure families cut back on food expenditures to pay for critical household expenses. In fact, more than two-thirds of households served by Feeding America food banks report choosing between food and utilities, medicine, or transportation. Below are estimates for how much families spend on food in this county.
$200
Per Person
$2.22
Per Meal
$139
Per Person
$1.54
Per Meal
TO ESTIMATE HOW MUCH TO SPEND ON FOOD IN LIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES VISIT FEEDING AMERICA
As you just experienced, managing competing household expenseswhile living on low and moderate incomes is already a juggling act formillions of families.
Any changes to the protective SNAP program or other vital income supports would onlyjeopardize families' ability to make ends meet. To learn more, visit us at: https://www.feedingamerica.org/research
* Food insecure refers to not having access to enough food for all members of the household at all times. To depict the reality of living with constrained resources, we detail what it takes to get by with an income that may qualify a family of 2 adults and 2 children to receive SNAP benefits. The data for this visualization comes from the Map the Meal Gap study. In this analysis we do not include assets or other potential SNAP eligibility criteria. Sources: Housing: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Child Care: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from Child Care Aware of America (CCAA) Transportation: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) Healthcare: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Other Necessities: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Food: Feeding America Map the Meal Gap. Average SNAP Benefit: USDA Food and Nutrition Service, State Activity Reports, 2002-2016.
