Oregon had 639,261 people on SNAP in August 2026, living in 395,448 households. A year earlier the picture was different. In a Sept. 30, 2025 release, the Oregon Department of Human Services said more than 740,000 people in the state were receiving SNAP, the federal food benefit once called food stamps.
What the state’s data page shows
The department’s SNAP data page reports the August figures and a year-over-year change: participation fell 12.03 percent from the previous year. The page also says participation rose 0.45 percent from July, so the August count is a small step up from the month before, not a new low. Benefits issued for the month came to about $123.2 million, the page says.
Put together, the numbers describe a program that is still large. Roughly $123 million a month goes to Oregon households for groceries, and the 395,448 households are the cases the state has to keep renewed and updated.
The page does not say why participation is lower than a year ago. The department has not published a breakdown of how many households left because of the rule changes, how many did not renew and how many no longer qualified.
Anyone on SNAP in Oregon has a renewal date and a duty to report certain changes. The state’s 2025 release told households to open ODHS mail right away, because a notice is how the department asks for documents.
Oregon still has 639,261 people on SNAP, and each household has a renewal date and reporting rules to keep. The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer includes 51 state packs and a renewal document checklist, so the paperwork a case needs is listed before the notice arrives.
Get the Oregon renewal pack and document checklist from the Organizer →
What the state warned about in 2025
The Sept. 30, 2025 release explained that federal changes passed on July 4, 2025 would hit Oregon SNAP households over the following year. ODHS said about 29,000 households would lose a heating and cooling utility allowance averaging $58 a month, unless someone in the home was 60 or older or had a disability. Another 20,000 would see reductions at their next review.
The release also said work rules for adults ages 18 to 64 without a disability or a child under 14 would expand. Those adults must work or take part in a qualifying activity for 80 hours a month. ODHS said about 310,000 adults would be newly evaluated under the rules, which reach six counties on Oct. 1, 2025 and the whole state in January 2026. At least 3,000 people were expected to lose eligibility because of changes affecting refugees and some other noncitizens.
“We are announcing these changes today so that families can prepare,” said Dana Hittle, co-leader of the ODHS federal response team.
Other changes since the drop
KATU reported on Oct. 1, 2026 that major changes to SNAP benefits took effect that day, and it also cited the 639,261 figure from the state. The station reported a decline of more than 9 percent in people receiving benefits since July 2025 and said Oregon’s error rate was 14.14 percent in 2025. The state’s own page measures the drop from a different starting point, which is why the percentages differ.
Students and the work exemption
The department’s data page is new. ODHS announced it in a Sept. 30, 2026 notice about higher-education students, which also says the page will carry monthly statewide and county figures. That notice says students may qualify if they work for pay an average of at least 20 hours per week. It also says Oregon’s student navigators have served more than 30,000 students.
A student who left SNAP over the work rule is therefore worth a second look, since the notice describes a path that depends on hours worked.
Keeping an Oregon SNAP case open
The free route is ODHS itself at oregon.gov/odhs. The 2025 release lists several ways to reach the department: 1-800-699-9075 (711 for TTY), a local office, mail that must arrive by the deadline, or a ONE Online account. Older adults and people with disabilities can call the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372.
A household that is unsure whether the work rules apply can call the ODHS ABAWD team at 833-947-1694. Before any renewal, it helps to gather proof of income, rent, utility bills and medical costs, since a renewal asks for documents. A calendar entry for the renewal date and one for each income change keeps those dates in one place.
The ODHS data page will update each month, and the August count will be followed by September’s. Those monthly numbers, and the department’s notices, are where the next change will show up first.
Renewal dates behind 395,448 Oregon cases
Each of those households has a renewal date, and a notice that goes unanswered can end a case. The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer includes a renewal and reporting calendar, 51 state packs and a renewal document checklist. It runs 20 pages.
Set up Oregon SNAP renewal reminders with the Renewal Organizer →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
