This dataset describes the average cost per moderately priced meal, the maximum total Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (before and after USDA's Fiscal Year 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA), and the gap between meal cost and benefits for all US counties. It is constructed using the 2022 Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates of SNAP participation by county; Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap data, including NielsenIQ county-level food price data, adjusted for state and local taxes and US Office of Management and Budget geographic classifications; Fiscal Year 2023 and Fiscal Year 2024 US Department of Agriculture maximum benefit allotments; and the 2023 Rural Urban Continuum Codes. The dataset was used in the feature, Does SNAP Cover the Cost of a Meal in Your County? (https://www.urban.org/data-tools/does-snap-cover-cost-meal-your-county)

This dataset was also used in the 2025 feature, "How Would SNAP Benefit Cuts Affect Your Community?" In this feature, we estimate the impact of reducing maximum SNAP benefits by 21.03% to model rolling back the 2021 Thrifty Food Plan reevaluation to SNAP benefits. A modified version of the dataset can be found here that includes the modeled maximum benefit numbers.