Washington, D.C. ? Week by week, the numbers that measure the economy get worse, heading toward uncharted territory.

The Labor Department released figures Thursday showing that the percentage of the workforce receiving unemployment benefits reached a 25-year high in mid-January. The raw numbers were the highest since the government started keeping records in 1967, though the workforce was smaller then.

Adding to the grim picture were separate government reports that showed December home sales plunged to their lowest rate since recording began in 1963. And orders for big-ticket manufactured goods dropped more than expected, capping the worst year for manufacturers since 2001.

But the jobless numbers were the worst — with more layoffs on the way.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that a seasonally adjusted 4.78 million Americans claimed unemployment insurance for the week ended Jan. 17. That’s an increase of 159,000 from the previous week and worse than economists’ expectations.

As a percentage of workers covered by unemployment insurance, the tally is the highest since August 1983.