Unemployment insurance (UI) recipiency rate* and the number of persons UI lifted out of poverty, 1987–2014
| UI recipiency rate* (right axis) | Persons lifted above poverty (left axis) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 31.2% | 0.684 |
| 1988 | 31.8% | 0.518 |
| 1989 | 34.0% | 0.481 |
| 1990 | 36.5% | 0.668 |
| 1991 | 41.2% | 1.006 |
| 1992 | 51.3% | 1.468 |
| 1993 | 47.7% | 1.208 |
| 1994 | 37.2% | 0.905 |
| 1995 | 36.3% | 0.716 |
| 1996 | 36.8% | 0.633 |
| 1997 | 35.4% | 0.601 |
| 1998 | 36.7% | 0.572 |
| 1999 | 38.1% | 0.602 |
| 2000 | 38.0% | 0.563 |
| 2001 | 44.3% | 0.726 |
| 2002 | 53.1% | 1.177 |
| 2003 | 50.3% | 1.257 |
| 2004 | 38.1% | 0.7 |
| 2005 | 35.9% | 0.656 |
| 2006 | 36.0% | 0.573 |
| 2007 | 36.7% | 0.488 |
| 2008 | 43.7% | 0.905 |
| 2009 | 64.3% | 3.322 |
| 2010 | 66.5% | 3.21 |
| 2011 | 56.4% | 2.306 |
| 2012 | 48.5% | 1.7 |
| 2013 | 40.8% | 1.2 |
| 2014** | 28.9% |
* Recipiency rate is defined as the number of people receiving any form of unemployment insurance (regular program and extended benefits) as a share of the total number of unemployed.
** 2014 UI recipiency rate value is based off of January–August data.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata; U.S. Department of Labor, "Persons Claiming UI Benefits in State and Federal UI Programs [Excel spreadsheet],” updated August 2014; Thomas Gabe and Julie M. Whittaker, Antipoverty Effects of Unemployment Insurance, Congressional Research Service, October 16, 2012; and Carmen DeNavas-Walt and Bernadette D. Proctor, "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013," U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Reports, September 2014.