More than 41 percent of the U.S. population is enrolled in at least one federal assistance program

U.S. Government Increases National Debt

—and Keeps 128 Million People on Government Programs

By Patrick Tyrrell and William W. Beach

Between 1988 and 2011, the amount of the U.S. population that receives assistance from the federal government grew by 62 percent. That means that more than 41 percent of the U.S. population is enrolled in at least one federal assistance program. To make matters worse, per capita expenditures on recipients are rising as well. In 2010, over 70 percent of all federal spending went to dependence-creating programs. That growth is unsustainable, as baby boomers are now retiring every day and their entitlements cost more each year. The publicly held federal debt will exceed 100 percent of GDP in 2024. Such a high level of debt always hurts an economy—and the people who live in it.
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The new dataset of people on government programs can then be further sorted to find out how many people say they are on a particular program. Here are some of the resulting numbers:

• 128,818,142 people are enrolled in at least one government program.
• 48,580,105 people are on Medicaid.
• 35,770,301 people receive their retirement income from Social Security.
• 43,834,566 people are on Medicare.
• 39,030,579 people are living in a household where at least one person accepts food stamps.
• 6,984,783 people are living in subsidized rental housing.
• 2,047,149 people are receiving a higher-education subsidy.

It is important to note that the above categories overlap; for example an individual may receive both subsidized rental housing and food stamps. The total number—128,818,142 people on at least one government program does not double count individuals, however.

The 128,818,142 figure for people enrolled in at least one program is surely an undercount: The CPS responses are well known to undercount those receiving Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, State Children’s Health Insurance, higher-education support, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
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