How to read these records

The store and its periods

Each store has a USDA record number and one or several authorization periods: the date it was authorized to accept SNAP benefits, and the date that authorization ended, if it did. A store that left and came back has several periods.

Authorized or not

“Authorized” means a period without an end date in the file, which stops on Dec 31, 2025. A store authorized since then is not here; a store shown as authorized may have left since.

An ended authorization is not a penalty

The file gives dates and no reasons. A store that closes, is sold, or changes owner leaves the program the same way as any other: the new owner applies again and gets a new record. That is why one address often carries several records — the record shows them.

The store type

The USDA classifies each retailer: supermarket, super store, grocery stores by size, convenience store, combination store, specialty stores, farmers' market. It is the USDA's label, not the store's own.

What is not here

The amount of benefits redeemed in a store, the owner's name, inspections and sanctions, and online-only retailers. Stores authorized after Dec 31, 2025.