The number of Americans who receive Social Security disability payments has increased by 47 percent since 2002. That's a staggering statistic.

Two new studies have revealed that it's becoming more common for unemployed people to apply for disability benefits once their unemployment insurance runs out. According to the Huffington Post, more than a tenth of Americans between the ages of 50 and 65 with no access to $5,000 apply for Social Security disability benefits as soon as their unemployment insurance runs out.

That's compared to the less than 1 percent of people who apply while they are still 50 weeks away from losing their unemployment insurance. Most people who apply for disability payments stay with the program until they retire.

Unemployment is a bigger problem than people think. While the rate of unemployment may have decreased slightly compared to the peak, the average duration is now at nearly 41 weeks. That's a record high, meaning Americans out of work have been jobless longer than they ever have.

Some people worry that Social Security's long-term prospects are dim, since so many people have come to rely on benefits. The number of people relying on Social Security disability benefits has risen to 10.6 million. According to the Huffington Post, citing a study performed by economists, the average person in the program goes on to receive more than $240,000 in benefits.

According to the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, the U.S. would lose about half a million jobs by the end of 2014 if Congress does not continue the unemployment insurance extension.

Source: Huffington Post, "Social Security Disability Fund a last resort for the unemployed as benefits dry up," Bonnie Kavoussi, Dec. 28, 2011