Nearly 2 million Illinoisans – or more than 1-in-7 state residents – received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in March 2024. Alexander and Pulaski counties led the state with 34% of residents receiving SNAP benefits.

This holiday season, nearly 2 million Illinoisans will rely on federal food assistance. Illinois is eighth in the country for highest reliance on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Illinois has the 6th-highest number of residents buying their meals with nutrition benefits, and the number grew almost 11% from a year earlier.