Texas SNAP Enrollment Falls to a 17-Year Low, With 709,435 Fewer Texans in a Year
Texas counted 2.8 million SNAP recipients in September — the fewest since 2009 — and children account for more than half of the state's losses, as tighter federal eligibility rules and a state application backlog reshape the food-assistance rolls.
Texas food-assistance enrollment has fallen to its lowest level in 17 years. The Texas Tribune, reporting on Texas Health and Human Services Commission data, counted 2.8 million Texans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in September 2026 — the fewest since 2009 — down 20.8 percent in a year, the steepest year-over-year drop in two decades. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' SNAP tracker, updated October 23, puts the Texas decline at 709,435 people, a 20 percent fall through September.
Children account for the largest share of the losses. The CBPP tracker counts Texas child participation down 367,118, or 21 percent, with children making up 52 percent of the state's total decline; the Tribune found the number of Texas children under 5 on SNAP at its lowest level in more than 20 years. Feeding Texas chief executive Celia Cole told the Tribune the drop does not reflect falling need: "The declines aren't the result of people leaving the program because they no longer need it, or because they found work." Advocates note that losing SNAP also ends a child's automatic qualification for free school lunch.
The changes trace to the federal reconciliation law enacted July 4, 2025. According to the CBPP tracker, the law expanded SNAP work requirements to older adults up to age 65 and to parents and other caregivers of children age 14 and older, narrowed states' ability to waive the time limit, eliminated exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth, and ended eligibility for many people with a lawful immigration status. At the same time, the state is falling behind on the applications it does receive: the Tribune reported HHSC processed 64 percent of SNAP applications on time in September, down from 91 percent a year earlier, against a federal requirement of 95 percent. HHSC said the new mandates require, in its words, a thorough review of each case to ensure program integrity and accuracy.
A second clock is running for the state budget. Starting in October 2027, most states will have to pay between 5 and 15 percent of SNAP benefit costs, with the share based on payment error rates, the CBPP tracker notes. The Tribune reported Texas's error rate sits near 9 percent against a 6 percent threshold, a gap that could cost the state up to $2 billion in the 2028–29 budget if it is not closed. For Bexar County families, the statewide numbers are the local story — the rolls are shrinking fastest among children — and applications and case checks run through Your Texas Benefits and by calling 2-1-1.
