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PantryPath Research · Summer EBT Atlas

SUN Bucks in California

Automatic enrollment

California is issuing Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) for the 2025 plan year. We estimate 2,004,147 children qualify, unlocking roughly $240.5M in federal grocery dollars for families this summer.

Auto-enrollment via NSLP + CalFresh match.

2.0M

Eligible children (≤185% FPL)

32.1%

Eligibility share (5–17)

$240.5M

Dollars flowing in

58

Counties

California by county

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Toggle between eligible-child counts, eligibility share, and benefit dollars flowing into each county. Hover a county for its exact value.

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California at a glance

Participation

Yes

Automatic enrollment

Eligible children

2.0M

Est. ≤185% FPL

Eligibility share

32.1%

Eligible / 5–17

Dollars flowing

$240.5M

$120 × eligible

Dollars forfeited

—

$120 × eligible

5–17 in poverty

911K

SAIPE ≤100% FPL

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 58 counties in California.

Most eligible children

Est. ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Los Angeles County 558K
  2. 2 San Bernardino County 160K
  3. 3 Riverside County 127K
  4. 4 San Diego County 123K
  5. 5 Orange County 112K

Highest eligibility share

Eligible / 5–17 universe

  1. 1 Modoc County 58.7%
  2. 2 Trinity County 56.5%
  3. 3 Madera County 52.0%
  4. 4 Kern County 51.9%
  5. 5 Fresno County 50.7%

Largest dollars flowing in

$120 × eligible

  1. 1 Los Angeles County $66.9M
  2. 2 San Bernardino County $19.1M
  3. 3 Riverside County $15.3M
  4. 4 San Diego County $14.7M
  5. 5 Orange County $13.5M

Every county in California

All 58 counties with Summer EBT eligibility estimates and dollars at stake.

County 5–17 in poverty Eligible (≤185% FPL) Eligibility share Dollars flowing
Alameda County 21,236 46,719 20.3% $5.6M
Alpine County 32 70 49.0% $8K
Amador County 631 1,388 29.7% $167K
Butte County 5,692 12,522 40.5% $1.5M
Calaveras County 897 1,973 33.5% $237K
Colusa County 605 1,331 29.8% $160K
Contra Costa County 17,298 38,056 20.3% $4.6M
Del Norte County 804 1,769 43.1% $212K
El Dorado County 2,064 4,541 16.0% $545K
Fresno County 47,686 104,909 50.7% $12.6M
Glenn County 944 2,077 37.1% $249K
Humboldt County 3,217 7,077 39.2% $849K
Imperial County 7,823 17,211 45.5% $2.1M
Inyo County 365 803 29.1% $96K
Kern County 45,602 100,324 51.9% $12.0M
Kings County 5,998 13,196 44.4% $1.6M
Lake County 2,345 5,159 47.6% $619K
Lassen County 648 1,426 36.5% $171K
Los Angeles County 253,494 557,687 38.5% $66.9M
Madera County 7,650 16,830 52.0% $2.0M
Marin County 2,868 6,310 17.2% $757K
Mariposa County 491 1,080 48.8% $130K
Mendocino County 2,533 5,573 41.2% $669K
Merced County 14,133 31,093 50.1% $3.7M
Modoc County 321 706 58.7% $85K
Mono County 174 383 23.2% $46K
Monterey County 15,672 34,478 43.1% $4.1M
Napa County 1,557 3,425 17.9% $411K
Nevada County 1,587 3,491 27.5% $419K
Orange County 51,064 112,341 23.5% $13.5M
Placer County 3,725 8,195 11.8% $983K
Plumas County 407 895 37.3% $107K
Riverside County 57,766 127,085 28.7% $15.3M
Sacramento County 36,066 79,345 30.3% $9.5M
San Benito County 1,302 2,864 22.8% $344K
San Bernardino County 72,506 159,513 38.9% $19.1M
San Diego County 55,763 122,679 25.1% $14.7M
San Francisco County 8,236 18,119 23.9% $2.2M
San Joaquin County 23,855 52,481 34.2% $6.3M
San Luis Obispo County 4,000 8,800 24.7% $1.1M
San Mateo County 7,275 16,005 15.8% $1.9M
Santa Barbara County 12,351 27,172 39.0% $3.3M
Santa Clara County 19,319 42,502 15.4% $5.1M
Santa Cruz County 5,013 11,029 31.5% $1.3M
Shasta County 4,147 9,123 32.0% $1.1M
Sierra County 55 121 30.6% $15K
Siskiyou County 1,286 2,829 44.0% $339K
Solano County 7,686 16,909 23.7% $2.0M
Sonoma County 5,696 12,531 18.9% $1.5M
Stanislaus County 15,797 34,753 32.3% $4.2M
Sutter County 3,165 6,963 38.8% $836K
Tehama County 2,101 4,622 40.4% $555K
Trinity County 528 1,162 56.5% $139K
Tulare County 23,506 51,713 49.1% $6.2M
Tuolumne County 911 2,004 29.4% $240K
Ventura County 16,243 35,735 27.1% $4.3M
Yolo County 3,416 7,515 22.9% $902K
Yuba County 3,424 7,533 45.2% $904K

Free summer meals in California

USDA's Summer Food Service Program runs free meal sites at schools, libraries, and parks. Open to any child 18 and under, no ID or income verification required.

Find summer meal sites

School-year free meals

Free and reduced-price National School Lunch and Breakfast programs — eligibility automatically qualifies kids for Summer EBT in participating states.

School meals guide

California SNAP

SNAP enrollment often triggers automatic Summer EBT eligibility. State-specific application guide and benefit amounts.

California SNAP guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: SNAP, WIC, Summer EBT, school meals, and pantry programs for families with kids in California.

Full families guide

Find a food pantry

Search California's verified pantries — many offer backpack programs, summer box distributions, and family-sized groceries during the summer months.

California food pantries