The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance for individuals and families that have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or $51,640 per year for a household of three in 2024. Based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s municipal population estimates from July 1, 2023 and enrollment data from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, an average of 5.5 percent of the state’s population was enrolled in SNAP assistance during any given month during State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024, which spanned from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.  

While SNAP was utilized across the state in SFY 2024, enrollment varied based on municipality. Stratford had the largest percentage of its population receiving SNAP assistance, with an average of 19.1 percent receiving benefits each month. Although Stratford also had the highest percentage enrollment during the prior SFY, the SFY 2024 percentage was a slight decline from the average of 21.1 percent receiving assistance during SFY 2023. Claremont (15.9 percent), Berlin (15.9 percent), Stewartstown (15.0 percent), and Winchester (14.0 percent) also had relatively large percentages of their populations both receiving SNAP assistance and enrolled in Medicaid in 2023 compared to the statewide average, suggesting a greater need for services within these municipalities.  

Thirteen organized municipalities and townships with smaller populations did not have any residents enrolled in SNAP throughout SFY 2024. Despite being home to an estimated 1,000 residents in July 2023, no residents of New Castle received assistance during SFY 2024. Several municipalities had less than one percent of their populations enrolled in SNAP, including Durham, Hanover, South Hampton, Rye, Hollis, Waterville Valley, Brookline, Stratham, and Windham, with seven of these municipalities falling within the state’s three southeastern counties.  

Despite having generally lower percentages of their populations receiving assistance, the southeasternmost counties had more people enrolled in SNAP due to their large population sizes. For example, an average of 3,512 Concord residents (7.9 percent of the population) received assistance during the year, compared to approximately 125 residents in Stratford (19.1 percent of the population). Following trends similar to Medicaid enrollment, Franklin and Manchester had the largest percentages of their populations receiving SNAP assistance in the four southeastern counties, at 12.1 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively.  

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 42,300 households (7.4 percent) in the state were food insecure during the 2021-2023 period. Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 population estimates and the state’s 2022 average household size of 2.44 people, about 103,100 people may have been food insecure each year during 2021-2023. Comparatively, an average of 77,027 people were enrolled in SNAP throughout SFY 2024, which may suggest that not all residents who were food insecure received assistance. While New Hampshire has historically had relatively low rates of food insecurity compared to other states, the percentage of households who were food insecure in the 2021-2023 period increased from about 5.4 percent in 2019-2021, the lowest rate in the prior two decades.