The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, helps more than 320,000 Missouri households buy the food they need to lead healthy lives and contribute to their communities.
Most SNAP-participating households include children, older adults, people with disabilities, and workers with low paying and unstable jobs. SNAP participants live in every part of the state. In some counties, more than 20% of households relied on SNAP food assistance in 2023.
Moreover, SNAP stimulates local economies. SNAP benefits are spent at local retailers, which increases demand for products and services locally, boosting job growth and the economy.
Every SNAP dollar spent in local communities generates an estimated $1.57 in economic growth. The nearly $1.5 billion dollars in SNAP benefits that were redeemed in FY 2023 led to an additional $2.3 billion additional dollars flowing through local communities in Missouri. SNAP’s economic impact gives an especially critical boost to Missouri’s rural communities, accounting for over 4% of total Gross Domestic Product in some counties.
Without SNAP, many of these families struggling to make ends meet would not get the nutrition they need. SNAP improves health outcomes, and reduces food insecurity and financial hardship. And children whose families receive SNAP do better in school, and are more likely to be economically self-sufficient as adults, compared to low-income children who do not receive SNAP benefits. SNAP is also associated with reductions in reports of child maltreatment.
