The federal government shutdown has ended, but the pause in food assistance affected millions of people across the nation. In California, 5.3 million low-income residents rely on CalFresh, California’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Since most CalFresh participants automatically receive their benefits in the first 10 days of the month, the ongoing uncertainty has had a widespread impact. How broad is CalFresh’s reach, and who are the Californians most affected by funding delays?

CalFresh is the largest poverty mitigating program in the state, keeping 856,000 Californians out of poverty. Per person benefits average $190 each month, totaling about $1 billion in California. CalFresh is one of the few food assistance programs that serves all ages (most safety net programs target children), meaning that families and single adults without children are eligible for benefits.

Nearly all families receiving CalFresh are in the bottom 20% of the income distribution. Families in the bottom 20% earn, on average, $21,000 per year, and CalFresh plays a substantial role in their household budgets—comprising 13% of overall resources. These numbers are based on data from the 2023 California Poverty Measure produced by PPIC and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.

While not all of California’s lowest-income families receive CalFresh benefits, it is useful to understand the demographics of this group. Nearly three-quarters are Latino (40%) or white (32%), closely tracking the overall population. Nearly one-third live in Los Angeles County. About 60% are single-adult families, with and without children.

Even before the government shutdown, as a response to federal funding cuts and increasing demand, the state included a one-time allocation of $80 million for CalFood—a program that provides funding to support food banks—in the 2025–26 state budget. In early November several counties—including Contra Costa and San Francisco—as well as a community college responded rapidly to the benefit freeze by supporting residents using government and philanthropic funds.

The CalFresh benefit pause is not the only change in recent times for the program. The federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR 1), passed in July, makes substantial alterations to SNAP which are expected to reduce benefits for participants and increase costs for states and counties. California has begun to implement several of the changes and is waiting for federal guidance on others. As federal changes to the safety net unfold, PPIC will continue monitoring the evolving policy environment and the impact on Californians.