WASHINGTON — Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office released data from the state that shows the number and percentage of Washingtonians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food.
Federal funding for the benefits program has stopped as the government shutdown continues.
“The courts said the Trump Administration must keep providing SNAP benefits, but the Administration is still planning to cut them in half meaning nearly one million Washingtonians may not be able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with their families,” said Cantwell. “Americans are being pushed to their limits with rising costs and making sure families don’t go hungry shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
The data, provided by the State of Washington, is for March 2025. It shows that 903,541 Washingtonians received SNAP benefits in that month, 11.2% of the state’s population.
According to that data, the top three counties that have the highest percentage of those who receive SNAP benefits are in eastern Washington: Yakima County, Ferry County and Okanogan County.
| County | County Population | # of SNAP Clients | % of Population Receiving SNAP Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 21,475 | 4,186 | 19.5% |
| Asotin | 22,725 | 4,020 | 17.7% |
| Benton | 217,850 | 30,186 | 13.9% |
| Chelan | 82,300 | 9,256 | 11.2% |
| Clallam | 78,550 | 10,627 | 13.5% |
| Clark | 536,300 | 58,166 | 10.8% |
| Columbia | 3,975 | 587 | 14.8% |
| Cowlitz | 113,900 | 20,804 | 18.3% |
| Douglas | 45,150 | 4,841 | 10.7% |
| Ferry | 7,350 | 1,529 | 20.8% |
| Franklin | 102,300 | 15,163 | 14.8% |
| Garfield | 2,325 | 278 | 12.0% |
| Grant | 105,300 | 18,515 | 17.6% |
| Grays Harbor | 77,400 | 15,461 | 20.0% |
| Island | 88,650 | 6,100 | 6.9% |
| Jefferson | 33,700 | 3,328 | 9.9% |
| King | 2,378,100 | 197,255 | 8.3% |
| Kitsap | 286,100 | 24,790 | 8.7% |
| Kittitas | 48,600 | 4,593 | 9.5% |
| Klickitat | 23,450 | 3,305 | 14.1% |
| Lewis | 84,950 | 13,847 | 16.3% |
| Lincoln | 11,300 | 1,583 | 14.0% |
| Mason | 67,475 | 10,807 | 16.0% |
| Okanogan | 43,200 | 8,985 | 20.8% |
| Pacific | 23,950 | 3,682 | 15.4% |
| Pend Oreille | 13,850 | 2,763 | 19.9% |
| Pierce | 952,600 | 115,065 | 12.1% |
| San Juan | 18,475 | 948 | 5.1% |
| Skagit | 133,300 | 15,633 | 11.7% |
| Skamania | 12,075 | 1,231 | 10.2% |
| Snohomish | 867,100 | 74,003 | 8.5% |
| Spokane | 559,400 | 85,062 | 15.2% |
| Stevens | 47,650 | 8,106 | 17.0% |
| Thurston | 307,000 | 34,749 | 11.3% |
| Wahkiakum | 4,550 | 580 | 12.7% |
| Walla Walla | 63,375 | 8,118 | 12.8% |
| Whatcom | 238,000 | 24,050 | 10.1% |
| Whitman | 48,750 | 4,021 | 8.2% |
| Yakima | 263,200 | 57,186 | 21.7% |
| Unknown | 132 | ||
| Statewide Total | 8,035,700 | 903,541 | 11.2% |
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