The number of federal workers receiving disability insurance payments has spiked by more than 26,000 over the past month, bringing the total sum up to a record 8,733,461, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Astonishingly, that number surpasses the entire population of New York City by more than 500,000.

Over the past two decades, the number of Americans employed and earning a paycheck has plummeted, according to CNS News. In June 1992, nearly 120 million people were employed in the United States, compared to about 3.3 million workers who were receiving federal disability payments — equaling to about one person relying on such payments for every 35.5 people in the labor force. CNS News reports:

When President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, there were 142,187,000 people employed and 7,442,377 workers taking federal disability payments. That equaled about 1 person taking disability payments for each 19.1 people actually working.

In May of this year, there were 142,287,000 people employed, and 8,707,185 workers taking federal disability payments. That equaled 1 worker taking disability payments for each 16.3 people working.

Disability payments delivered to these 8.7 million workers in June averaged about $1,111 each. Only 11 states — among them Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, California, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina — have populations larger than the number of federal workers currently on disability. 

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