Questions and Answers

Who Benefits from Food Stamps in California? 2022 Update

Who gets SNAP in California and how much does the average household get in benefits per month and per day? In this post, we will provide details on who benefits from food stamps in California (2022 update) and the breakdown of beneficiaries by category and household composition.

About Food Stamps In California

CalFresh is California’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as Food Stamps.

The program provides monthly food assistance to eligible low‑income households.

To be eligible, households generally must earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

CalFresh benefits can be used to buy most groceries and some prepared food at participating vendors.

For 2022, the maximum benefit for an individual on CalFresh is $250 a month, while a family of three can receive a maximum benefit of $658.

California will soon become the first state in the nation to extend food assistance benefits to some undocumented immigrants.

Number of People on Food Stamps in California

As of April 2022, there are currently 2,612,764 households receiving SNAP benefits or Food Stamps in California, with about 4,612,800 Californians receiving benefits.
Here’s a summary of the latest data on food stamps participation in California for August 2022:
  • Number of Households on Food Stamps: 2,612,764
  • Total Number of People on Food Stamps in California: 4,612,800
  • Amount of Spent on Food Stamps in California for the Month: $1,194,895,095

For the latest update and more details on the number of people receiving SNAP in California, see our post on Food Stamps statistics in California.

Who Benefits from Food Stamps in California?

Here is the food stamps household composition in California, compared with the national average by category:

Households with Children

California: Percentage of food stamps households with children: 66%

United States: Percentage of food stamps households with children: 66%

Households with Elderly or the Disabled

California: Percentage of food stamps households with an elderly/disabled person: 19%

United States: Percentage of food stamps households with an elderly/disabled person: 36%

Households that are Working Families

California: Percentage of food stamps households that are working families: 40%

United States: Percentage of food stamps households that are working families: 42%

SNAP Participation Rate in California vs. National Average

Here are food stamps participation rates by category – California vs. the rest of the United States:

All Eligible People

California: Percentage of eligible people that are receiving Food Stamps: 70%

United States: Percentage of eligible people that are receiving Food Stamps: 82%

Working Poor

California: Percentage of eligible working poor that are receiving Food Stamps: 74%

United States: Percentage of eligible working poor that are receiving Food Stamps: 59%

Elderly People

California: Percentage of eligible elderly people that are receiving Food Stamps: 42%

United States: Percentage of eligible elderly people that are receiving Food Stamps: 19%

How Much in Food Stamps can you get in California?

How much food stamps you receive depends on your household income and household size.

The table below shows the monthly and daily food stamps benefits in California for each household member.

How much SNAP can you receive in California?
The fiscal Year 2019 (pre-pandemic) Fiscal Year 2021 (includes pandemic increases) Fiscal Year 2022 (estimated, excluding emergency allotments)
For each household member per month: $141 $217 $175
For each household member per day: $4.64 $7.12 $5.76

Maximum Food Stamps Allocation

For comparison, here are the maximum food stamps benefits you can receive based on your household size.

Maximum SNAP Benefit Amount by Household Size for California
Effective October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022
Household Size Maximum SNAP Benefit Allotment
1 $250
2 $459
3 $658
4 $835
5 $992
6 $1,190
7 $1,316
8 $1,504
Each Additional Household Member: +$188

Summary

We hope this post on Who Benefits from Food Stamps in California – 2022 Update was helpful.

Questions?

If you have further questions about CalFresh or California EBT Card, please let us know in the comments section below.

Be sure to check out our other articles about CalFresh and CalFresh EBT, including:

Kwame Kuadey

Kwame Kuadey writes about personal finance and the social safety net. His career started in banking but he caught the entrepreneurial bug and has spent the last decade building successful businesses, including an Inc. 500 Company. Kwame believes everyone has the power to improve their quality of life by seeking knowledge and taking action. In 2012, Kwame founded Empower Media to help low-income households improve their financial situation. His expertise is in topics relevant to low-income households, including government benefits and assistance, banking products, access to credit, plus tools & resources to help reduce income volatility and build wealth. Kwame has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine, Washington Post, ABC, and NPR.

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