Periods of instability can have lasting consequences for young adults, who are in a critical development stage. During these periods, assistance from safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and public and subsidized housing can alleviate short-term hardships and better position young adults for long-term health and economic well-being.
Yet our analysis, using 2023 data, shows many eligible young adults (ages 18 through 24) do not receive benefits. Nationally, about 400,000 eligible young adults do not receive TANF benefits, 1.2 million eligible young-adult-headed households do not receive housing assistance, and 3.2 million eligible young adults do not receive SNAP benefits.
These gaps may worsen in the coming years as states respond to the federal reductions in SNAP and Medicaid funding enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. To better understand the scale of existing gaps in benefit access before these changes are implemented, we examined eligibility and participation in three key safety net programs—SNAP, TANF, and public and subsidized housing.
How can key safety net programs support young adults?
Many young adults face times of economic hardship, during which they could benefit from safety net supports:
- In the most recent Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, more than a quarter of young adults reported experiencing food insecurity in the preceding 12 months, which can have lasting adverse health and behavioral outcomes.
- In 2024, 18 percent of young adults were living in poverty, which can have lasting effects, such as a lower likelihood of students from high poverty areas completing college.
- In a given year, 1 in 10 young adults ages 18 through 25 experience homelessness, and young adults who experience housing insecurity are more likely to experience long-term material hardship and increased depressive symptoms.
Food assistance, cash aid, and housing assistance provided through safety net programs can give these young adults more stability, setting them up for success in work and school and as they transition into adulthood.
Research shows that young adults may find it particularly challenging to access benefits, but little is known about how many eligible young adults don’t receive benefits. Using Urban’s Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security (ATTIS) model, we identified three key takeaways that illustrate the scope of the issue.
1. Young adult eligibility across programs varies substantially
SNAP, TANF, and public and subsidized housing have different income limits and other eligibility requirements, resulting in variation in program eligibility among young adults:
- 5.8 million young adults are eligible for SNAP, roughly 8 percent of the 69.1 million people eligible for the program
- 500,000 young adults are eligible for TANF, about 5 percent of the 11.4 million people eligible for the program
- 1.3 million households headed by someone under age 25 are eligible for public and subsidized housing, about 8 percent of the 16.8 million total eligible households
2. Many eligible young adults do not receive benefits
Even when young adults do meet a program’s eligibility rules, they often do not receive benefits. The national participation rates (the share of eligible people or households who receive benefits) among young adults ranges from 10 percent for public and subsidized housing to 45 percent for SNAP (the only federal entitlement of the three programs). Although SNAP has the highest young adult participation rate of the programs considered, 3.2 million young adults still don’t access the SNAP benefits for which they qualify.
Young adults’ participation in SNAP is strongly influenced by their living situation. Eligible young adults who are the head of the household but do not have children have much lower participation rates than those who are the head or spouse of a family with children or who are living in a household headed by their parents or another adult.
In two programs—SNAP and public and subsidized housing—young adults have a lower participation rate than adults ages 25 or older. In part, this difference could result from young adults facing additional challenges when trying to access these benefits, such as obtaining the documentation needed for an application if they are in unstable housing.
Source: Authors’ estimates produced using the Urban Institute’s ATTIS (Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security) microsimulation model applied to combined 2022 and 2023 American Community Survey data, reweighted to reflect 2023 population and income characteristics. American Community Survey data were obtained from IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota.
Notes: Each participation rate equals the average monthly participants divided by the estimated number eligible in the average month. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program estimates include people eligible for or receiving benefits under broad-based categorical eligibility policies as well as people eligible for or receiving benefits under standard federal policies. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families participation rate estimates exclude small worker supplements, benefits due solely to pregnancy, and benefits paid with solely state funds. Public and subsidized housing eligibility estimates include households with income under 50 percent of area median income and those between 50 and 80 percent who are estimated to still be assisted based on prior enrollment.
3. Young adult participation rates vary widely across states
Various factors may contribute to different results across the states, including differences in young adults’ incomes and living arrangements, program administrative procedures, funding levels and priorities (especially for housing subsidies), and benefit access strategies and outreach.
Among the states with sufficient sample sizes, we find the following:
- The SNAP participation rates for young adults range from fewer than 17 percent in Hawaii, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming to 95 percent in Massachusetts.
- The TANF participation rates for young adults range from fewer than 2 percent in Georgia and Texas to almost 80 percent in Massachusetts.
- The public and subsidized housing participation rates for households with a head or spouse under age 25 range from 3 percent in Arizona and Utah to 23 percent in West Virginia.
Participation rates by state, 2023
Source: Authors’ estimates produced using the Urban Institute’s ATTIS (Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security) microsimulation model applied to combined 2022 and 2023 American Community Survey data, reweighted to reflect 2023 population and income characteristics. American Community Survey data were obtained from IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.
Notes: SNAP = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; TANF = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Each participation rate equals the average monthly participants divided by the estimated number eligible in the average month. Results for states with insufficient sample sizes (with a relative standard error above 0.2) are not shown; these states are shown as grey in the map. TANF estimates exclude small worker supplements and eligibility due solely to pregnancy. We model eligibility for solely state-funded benefits, but these participants are not included in the TANF caseload data and therefore are not reflected in the participation rates. SNAP estimates include people eligible for or receiving benefits under broad-based categorical eligibility policies as well as people eligible for or receiving benefits under standard federal policies. Public and subsidized housing eligibility estimates include households with income under 50 percent of area median income and those between 50 and 80 percent who are estimated to still be assisted based on prior enrollment.
How can policymakers and organizations improve benefit access for young adults?
SNAP, TANF, and public and subsidized housing programs are falling short in reaching the many young adults who are eligible for assistance, and this problem may worsen as states grapple with policy changes and funding constraints implemented under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Adding to the existing research, our analysis provides new evidence about how many young adults are eligible for key safety net programs and what share of those young adults actually access benefits. Understanding the scale of need among young adults can help policymakers, community organizations, and others plan efforts to improve benefit access.
- Policymakers and program administrators can explore whether administrative procedures or program rules might contribute to low participation rates by deterring young adults from applying for benefits or successfully completing applications.
- Community organizations, philanthropies, and others can improve outreach and partnership efforts in areas with low participation rates to help more young adults understand the benefits they can receive and how to successfully navigate application and program requirements.
- Policy analysts can dive deeper into why some states have higher participation rates than others and whether there are strategies that are particularly successful in increasing benefit access.
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