The ongoing government shutdown has begun impacting federal food assistance for millions of Americans. In Washington, hundreds of thousands of people did not receive their SNAP benefits on Nov. 1.

The disruption to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is already having consequences across Washington state. And that’s particularly true in rural and economically struggling counties where reliance on food assistance is highest.

According to March 2025 data from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, the most recent county-level data available, more than 930,000 residents statewide received SNAP benefits, roughly 12% of the state’s population.

But there are wide disparities between counties in the share of residents who receive these benefits.

Of the state

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