Each day this week, we’re bringing you a "top 5 chart" that reflects the state of our economy.  Yesterday, we focused on Social Security―the most successful anti-poverty program ever created in the history of the U.S.
 
Today, we are examining the massive number of people who continue to struggle to make ends meet during this terrible pandemic. 
 
Take a look at this chart. We are 31 weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of people who are depending on unemployment insurance to pay their bills remains breathtakingly high: There are nearly 22 million more people on unemployment insurance now than there were one year ago.