The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the foundation of America's national nutrition safety net. It is the nation's first line of defense against food insecurity and offers a powerful tool to improve nutrition among low-income individuals. SNAP is the largest of the 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This report describes the characteristics of SNAP households and participants nationwide in fiscal year 2012 (October 2011 through September 2012). It also presents an overview of SNAP eligibility requirements and benefit levels in fiscal year 2012. The appendices provide detailed tabulations of household and participant characteristics for the nation and by State, as well as a brief description of the sample design and the sampling error associated with the estimates presented in the report.