Inflation has driven up the prices of nearly all goods and services, including necessary items such as groceries. The cost of a gallon of milk is up 25% compared to pre-pandemic prices. According to a report by Moody’s Analytics, American families pay $311 more each month, on average, for essential goods compared to one year ago. To survive the price hikes, millions of Americans may have to rely on the government’s food assistance benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
As of 2020, roughly 13.8 million American households, about one in 10, received SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps. At the more local level, SNAP recipiency is much higher in some areas.
To find the 50 ZIP codes with the highest SNAP recipiency rates, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year estimates of the share of households that received SNAP benefits in the past 12 months from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. As of 2020, 11.4% of U.S. households received SNAP benefits. Among the 50 ZIP codes on this list, that share ranges from 47.4% to 71.5% of households.
While factors such as assets and household composition impact whether a household qualifies, SNAP recipiency is primarily determined by income. So, as might be expected, ZIP codes with higher poverty rates also tend to have more households receiving benefits. In 2020, 12.8% of Americans lived below the poverty line. All but one of the 50 ZIP codes on this list have a poverty rate of at least 20%, and in 12, more than half of the population lives in poverty. In the case of the ZIP code 57570, which comprises the communities of Rosebud and Two Strike, South Dakota, 71.9% live in poverty, the second highest poverty rate of any ZIP code nationwide. These are the states where the most children live in Poverty.
Because income is the primary determinant for SNAP recipiency, unemployment is a major determinant in how many people receive benefits, as those Americans who are out of a job are likely to have little to no income. Most of the ZIP codes on this list have five-year average unemployment rates of at least 10%, compared to the U.S. five-year average unemployment rate of 5.3%. ZIP code 36775, a relatively rural place west of Montgomery, Alabama, has the 14th highest SNAP recipiency rate and a five-year unemployment rate of 32.0%, the fifth highest of any ZIP code nationwide. These are the states with the worst spikes in unemployment since the pandemic began.
Click here to see the zip codes with the highest SNAP recipiency rates
Click here to read our detailed methodology
50. 14621
> Location: Rochester, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.4%
> Poverty rate: 40.3% — 176th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $27,582 — 319th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 14.2% — 412th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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49. 44115
> Location: Cleveland, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.5%
> Poverty rate: 63.8% — 5th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $15,034 — 8th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 23.7% — 40th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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48. 08102
> Location: Camden, New Jersey
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.6%
> Poverty rate: 47.7% — 58th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $22,212 — 81st lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 11.6% — 921st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
47. 70456
> Location: Roseland, Louisiana
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.8%
> Poverty rate: 19.0% — 3,909th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $48,661 — 5,340th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes (tied)
> Unemployment rate: 7.7% — 3,343rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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46. 33128
> Location: Miami, Florida
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.0%
> Poverty rate: 31.2% — 736th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $21,332 — 61st lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 6.9% — 4,503rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
45. 57770
> Location: Pine Ridge, South Dakota
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.0%
> Poverty rate: 36.1% — 341st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $40,714 — 2,401st lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 11.5% — 977th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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44. 37410
> Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.0%
> Poverty rate: 45.5% — 86th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $22,737 — 92nd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 28.9% — 10th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
43. 60624
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.2%
> Poverty rate: 39.8% — 191st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $25,648 — 203rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 21.8% — 59th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
42. 33034
> Location: Florida City, Florida
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.3%
> Poverty rate: 30.4% — 836th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $36,250 — 1,358th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes (tied)
> Unemployment rate: 10.9% — 1,159th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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41. 10455
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.4%
> Poverty rate: 36.0% — 354th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $29,439 — 440th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 11.6% — 940th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
40. 34950
> Location: Fort Pierce, Florida
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.6%
> Poverty rate: 35.8% — 366th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $33,839 — 963rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes (tied)
> Unemployment rate: 9.7% — 1,656th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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39. 10456
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.6%
> Poverty rate: 35.9% — 361st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $31,645 — 666th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 12.8% — 663rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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38. 19602
> Location: Reading, Pennsylvania
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.6%
> Poverty rate: 32.1% — 642nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $32,262 — 745th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 13.3% — 553rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
37. 63862
> Location: Lilbourn, Missouri
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.7%
> Poverty rate: 20.6% — 3,168th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $34,931 — 1,125th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 6.8% — 4,695th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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36. 10457
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 48.8%
> Poverty rate: 36.0% — 346th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $32,378 — 763rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 12.8% — 644th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
35. 10453
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.1%
> Poverty rate: 36.0% — 351st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $31,778 — 683rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 14.9% — 337th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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34. 38126
> Location: Memphis, Tennessee
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.6%
> Poverty rate: 63.6% — 7th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $13,998 — 5th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.9% — 83rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
33. 10460
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.7%
> Poverty rate: 36.1% — 344th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $28,831 — 396th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 11.7% — 896th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
32. 57570
> Location: Rosebud, South Dakota
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.7%
> Poverty rate: 71.9% — 2nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $17,379 — 23rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 14.5% — 378th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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31. 60621
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.8%
> Poverty rate: 40.2% — 181st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $23,019 — 98th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 23.4% — 44th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
30. 45232
> Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.0%
> Poverty rate: 46.1% — 79th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $21,877 — 75th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 17.6% — 147th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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29. 44104
> Location: Cleveland, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.0%
> Poverty rate: 53.7% — 26th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $16,650 — 13th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 21.2% — 67th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
28. 78576
> Location: Penitas, Texas
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.9%
> Poverty rate: 61.6% — 9th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $24,151 — 141st lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 2.4% — 2,703rd lowest of 20,027 ZIP codes
27. 85550
> Location: San Carlos, Arizona
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 51.5%
> Poverty rate: 46.9% — 66th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $34,881 — 1,118th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 17.7% — 145th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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26. 38737
> Location: Drew, Mississippi
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.0%
> Poverty rate: 42.1% — 137th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $22,238 — 82nd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 5.6% — 7,289th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
25. 10454
> Location: New York, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.0%
> Poverty rate: 44.0% — 108th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $23,337 — 107th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 12.4% — 735th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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24. 37915
> Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.5%
> Poverty rate: 53.1% — 29th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $16,447 — 12th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 8.5% — 2,546th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
23. 79839
> Location: Fort Hancock, Texas
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.7%
> Poverty rate: 32.5% — 603rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $30,110 — 503rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 0.0% reported — the lowest of 20,027 ZIP codes (tied)
22. 01107
> Location: Springfield, Massachusetts
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.7%
> Poverty rate: 41.5% — 150th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $30,457 — 527th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 15.4% — 284th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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21. 79901
> Location: El Paso, Texas
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.9%
> Poverty rate: 59.9% — 12th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $12,025 — 4th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 17.1% — 173rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
20. 44510
> Location: Youngstown, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.1%
> Poverty rate: 47.3% — 59th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $17,666 — 24th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 23.9% — 39th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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19. 43604
> Location: Toledo, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.1%
> Poverty rate: 56.5% — 19th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $15,029 — 7th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.1% — 102nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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18. 78584
> Location: Roma, Texas
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.3%
> Poverty rate: 41.0% — 162nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $23,936 — 130th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 10.2% — 1,426th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
17. 44127
> Location: Cleveland, Ohio
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.6%
> Poverty rate: 41.0% — 160th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $25,792 — 207th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.4% — 93rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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16. 97761
> Location: Warm Springs, Oregon
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.7%
> Poverty rate: 33.7% — 510th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $35,333 — 1,182nd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.0% — 104th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
15. 01103
> Location: Springfield, Massachusetts
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 53.9%
> Poverty rate: 43.9% — 109th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $17,736 — 26th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 0.0% reported — the lowest of 20,027 ZIP codes (tied)
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14. 18101
> Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 54.3%
> Poverty rate: 38.1% — 254th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $30,197 — 511th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.6% — 89th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
13. 62201
> Location: East St. Louis, Illinois
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 54.5%
> Poverty rate: 50.4% — 40th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $15,226 — 9th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 5.4% — 7,692nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
12. 57764
> Location: Oglala, South Dakota
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 54.6%
> Poverty rate: 38.7% — 227th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $27,462 — 312th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 26.8% — 16th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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11. 16503
> Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 54.9%
> Poverty rate: 39.7% — 196th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $26,540 — 245th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 15.2% — 308th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
10. 01840
> Location: Lawrence, Massachusetts
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 54.9%
> Poverty rate: 36.4% — 320th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $25,077 — 180th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 11.8% — 863rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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9. 14605
> Location: Rochester, New York
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 55.5%
> Poverty rate: 40.7% — 166th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $23,196 — 103rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 12.6% — 711th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
8. 53205
> Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 57.5%
> Poverty rate: 46.1% — 80th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $20,597 — 49th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 10.2% — 1,441st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
7. 36775
> Location: Sardis, Alabama
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 59.3%
> Poverty rate: 22.8% — 2,367th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $47,500 — 4,867th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes (tied)
> Unemployment rate: 32.0% — 5th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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6. 01105
> Location: Springfield, Massachusetts
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 60.8%
> Poverty rate: 48.1% — 54th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $21,875 — 74th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 13.6% — 501st highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
5. 16501
> Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 63.7%
> Poverty rate: 66.7% — 3rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $11,516 — 2nd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 23.3% — 45th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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4. 06120
> Location: Hartford, Connecticut
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 64.1%
> Poverty rate: 41.1% — 158th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $23,388 — 111th lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 15.9% — 243rd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
3. 19133
> Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 64.3%
> Poverty rate: 40.2% — 182nd highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $24,725 — 163rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 15.4% — 287th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
2. 79845
> Location: Presidio, Texas
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 64.5%
> Poverty rate: 53.3% — 27th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $17,284 — 21st lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 19.6% — 90th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
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1. 06702
> Location: Waterbury, Connecticut
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 71.5%
> Poverty rate: 63.7% — 6th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
> Median household income: $11,663 — 3rd lowest of 20,021 ZIP codes
> Unemployment rate: 25.9% — 20th highest of 20,027 ZIP codes
Methodology
To determine the ZIP codes with the highest SNAP recipiency rates, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year estimates of the share of households that received SNAP benefits in the past 12 months from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey.
We used Zip code Tabulation Areas — a census geography type which defines areal representations of United States Postal Service ZIP codes (USPS ZIP codes do not define geographic boundaries but instead are a network of mail delivery routes in a service area). We refer to Census ZCTAs as ZIP codes.
Zip codes were excluded if the SNAP recipiency rate was not available in the 2020 ACS, if there were fewer than 500 households, or if the sampling error associated with a ZIP code’s data was deemed too high.
The sampling error was defined as too high if the coefficient of variation — a statistical assessment of how reliable an estimate is — for a ZIP code’s SNAP recipiency rate was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all ZIP codes’ SNAP recipiency rates. We similarly excluded ZIP codes that had a sampling error too high for their population, using the same definition.
Zip codes were ranked based on the share of households that received SNAP benefits in the past 12 months. To break ties, we used the number of households that received SNAP benefits in the past 12 months.
Additional information on poverty rate, median household income, and unemployment rate are also five-year estimates from the 2020 ACS.
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