The overall drop was from 66% of the population to 63% in the last 15 years. But really the drop was from 2007-2014. https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300061

The overall drop was from 66% of the population to 63% in the last 15 years. But really the drop was from 2007-2014. https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300061 https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300061 Basically an entire major metro area of people who would have worked but don't. The fraction of people on Social Security Disability is only up by 1%, so the other 2/3rds aren't bringing in money. Another way of looking at it is to say that in 2000 only 8% of "prime working age" males didn't have a job. By 2014 it was 11%. A relative increase of more than a third in less than a generation. The other interesting thing is that women's labor participation is also down. There was pretty much an unbroken increase going back to the 50s, and then around 2000 it started to drop. The thing is, the drop in percentage points (the total number of non-working people) is about the same for men and for women, as far as I can see. So I don't understand where the idea comes from that it's men who are getting hit particularly hard.