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Disabled Workers
Applications for Disability Benefits & Benefit Awards

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Beneficiary data

Disabled worker statistics

In the table below, we show the number of applications for disability benefits from people who have been employed (hence the term "disabled workers"). The applications do not include those from disabled widow(er)s or disabled children.

Those workers who applied for a disability benefit and were ultimately awarded one are represented in the column "Number of awards." Those who were denied either did not meet our definition of disability or were not insured for disability benefits.

Note that the column "Awards as a percent of applications" is simply the ratio of awards in a year to the number of applications in the same year. It does not represent the percentage of applications in a year that were ultimately awarded a benefit.

Number of applications and awards, and awards per 1,000 insured workers, 1965-2010
[Numbers in thousands]
Calendar year Number of
applications
Number
of awards
Awards as a
percent of
applications
Awards per
1,000 insured
workersa
1965 529.3 253.5 47.9 4.7
1966 544.5 278.3 51.1 5.1
1967 573.2 301.4 52.6 5.4
1968 719.8 323.2 44.9 5.7
1969 725.2 344.7 47.5 4.9
1970 869.8 350.4 40.3 4.8
1971 923.9 415.9 45.0 5.5
1972 947.5 455.4 48.1 5.9
1973 1,067.5 491.6 46.1 6.2
1974 1,330.2 536.0 40.3 6.6
1975 1,285.3 592.0 46.1 7.0
1976 1,232.2 551.5 44.8 6.4
1977 1,235.2 568.9 46.1 6.5
1978 1,184.7 490.8 41.4 5.5
1979 1,187.8 440.5 37.1 4.7
1980 1,262.3 420.3 33.3 4.3
1981 1,161.2 381.0 32.8 3.8
1982 1,019.8 336.1 33.0 3.3
1983 1,019.3 428.5 42.0 4.1
1984 1,036.7 410.0 39.5 3.9
1985 1,066.2 416.1 39.0 3.9
1986 1,118.4 424.9 38.0 3.9
1987 1,108.9 420.3 37.9 3.8
1988 1,017.9 415.3 40.8 3.7
1989 984.9 430.7 43.7 3.7
1990 1,067.7 472.1 44.2 4.0
1991 1,208.7 540.8 44.7 4.5
1992 1,335.1 642.1 48.1 5.3
1993 1,425.8 637.4 44.7 5.2
1994 1,443.8 631.9 43.8 5.1
1995 1,338.1 645.6 48.3 5.2
1996 1,279.2 624.3 48.8 4.9
1997 1,180.2 587.7 49.8 4.6
1998 1,169.3 608.4 52.0 4.6
1999 1,200.1 620.6 51.7 4.7
2000 1,330.6 621.3 46.7 4.6
2001 1,498.6 690.5 46.1 5.0
2002 1,682.5 750.0 44.6 5.4
2003 1,895.5 777.5 41.0 5.5
2004 2,137.5 795.8 37.2 5.6
2005 2,122.1 829.7 39.1 5.8
2006 2,134.1 803.8 37.7 5.5
2007 2,190.2 818.5 37.4 5.6
2008 2,320.4 890.4 38.4 6.0
2009 2,816.2 987.6 35.1 6.6
2010 2,935.8 1049.3 35.7 7.0
a Figures subject to revision.

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Last reviewed or modified Friday May 20, 2011