The prevalence of disabilities in the United States shows a clear correlation with age, with nearly half of Americans aged 75 and older experiencing some form of disability. This stark contrast to younger age groups highlights the increasing challenges faced by the elderly population in maintaining their independence and quality of life. Disability rates across age groups According to 2023 data, only 0.7 percent of children under 5 years old have a disability, compared to 6.3 percent of those aged 5 to 15. The percentage rises steadily with age, reaching 11.2 percent for adults between 21 and 64 years old. A significant jump occurs in the 65 to 74 age group, where 23.9 percent have a disability. The most dramatic increase is seen in those 75 and older, with 45.3 percent experiencing some form of disability. These figures underscore the importance of accessible services and support systems for older Americans. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) The prevalence of disabilities among younger Americans has significant implications for the education system. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law in the United States that guarantees the right to a free appropriate education for children with disabilities. In the 2021/22 academic year, 7.26 million disabled individuals aged 3 to 21 were covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This number includes approximately 25,000 children with traumatic brain injuries and 434,000 with intellectual disabilities.

In 2023, the U.S. states with the highest share of the population that had a disability were West Virginia, Arkansas, and Kentucky. At that time, around 19.7 percent of the population of West Virginia had some form of disability. The states with the lowest rates of disability were New Jersey, Utah, and Minnesota. Disability in the United States A disability is any condition, either physical or mental, that impairs one’s ability to do certain activities. Some examples of disabilities are those that affect one’s vision, hearing, movement, or learning. It is estimated that around 14 percent of the population in the United States suffers from some form of disability. The prevalence of disability increases with age, with 46 percent of those aged 75 years and older with a disability, compared to just six percent of those aged 5 to 15 years. Vision impairment One common form of disability comes from vision impairment. In 2023, around 3.6 percent of the population of West Virginia had a vision disability, meaning they were blind or had serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses. The leading causes of visual disability are age-related and include diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. This is clear when viewing the prevalence of vision disability by age. It is estimated that 8.3 percent of those aged 75 years and older in the United States have a vision disability, compared to 4.3 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and only 0.9 percent of those aged 5 to 15 years.

In 2023, it was estimated that around 14 percent of the population of the U.S. had some form of disability, such as a vision disability, hearing disability, or cognitive disability. This statistic presents the percentage of people in the U.S. who had a disability from 2008 to 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - With a Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU04074597) from Jun 2008 to Jul 2025 about disability, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Population - With a Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU00074597) from Jun 2008 to Jul 2025 about disability, civilian, 16 years +, population, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - With a Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU01374597) from Jun 2008 to Jul 2025 about disability, participation, civilian, labor force, 16 years +, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

In 2023, it was estimated that *** percent of those aged 21 to 64 years had a cognitive disability, such as Down syndrome, autism, or dementia. This statistic presents the percentage of people in the U.S. with a cognitive disability as of 2023, by age.

This indicator provides number and percentage of persons with a disability (one or more) within each age group. Disability status is determined for the civilian non-institutionalized population who responded to questions regarding six types of difficulty and may vary by age. For children under 5 years old, hearing and vision difficulty are used to determine disability status. For children between the ages of 5 and 14, disability status is determined from hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, and self-care difficulties. For people aged 15 years and older, they are considered to have a disability if they have difficulty with any one of the six difficulty types. *Refers to the percent of those with a disability within the specific age group.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1810.

In 2023, it was estimated that around ** percent of people in the United States living with a disability were in poverty. In comparison, the poverty rate among people in the U.S. without a disability was **** percent. A disability is any physical or mental condition that significantly impacts a person's ability to carry out daily tasks or life activities. How many people in the United States are disabled? In 2023, around ** percent of people in the United States were thought to be living with a disability. Types of disabilities include those that affect hearing, cognition, self-care, mobility, and vision. The most common type of disability in the United States is ambulatory disabilities, which impairs a person’s ability to walk. In 2023, almost ** percent of those aged 75 years and older in the U.S. had an ambulatory disability. However, disabilities are far less common among younger people, with less than **** percent of those aged 21 to 64 suffering from an ambulatory disability. Employment among the disabled The most obvious reason why the poverty rate among those with a disability is higher than those without a disability is because disabilities affect a person’s ability to work and be employed. In 2023, the employment rate for those with a disability was **** percent, compared to an employment rate of **** percent among those without a disability. Those with hearing disabilities are the most likely to be employed, with a rate of around ** percent, compared to an employment rate of ** percent among those with an ambulatory disability. Still, those with disabilities who do work have lower annual median earnings than those without disabilities. In 2023, the annual median earnings for U.S. adults without a disability were ****** U.S. dollars, compared to ****** U.S. dollars for those with a disability.

Graph and download economic data for Employment-Population Ratio - With a Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU02374597) from Jun 2008 to Jun 2025 about disability, employment-population ratio, 16 years +, household survey, employment, population, and USA.

In 2023, only around ** percent of people with a disability were employed, compared to **** percent of those without a disability. This statistic presents the percentage of U.S. adults with a disability who were employed from 2008 to 2023.

IDEA Section 618 Data Products: Static Tables Part B Assessment Number and percent of students grades 3 through 8 and high school, served under IDEA, Part B, who participated in reading and math assessments, by assessment type and state. Number and percent of students grades 3 through 8 and high school served under IDEA, Part B, who received a valid and proficient score on assessments for math, by assessment type, grade level, and state. Number and percent of students grades 3 through 8 and high school served under IDEA, Part B, who received a valid and proficient score on assessments for reading, by assessment type, grade level, and state. Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Number of children and students served under IDEA, Part B, by age group and state. Number of children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, by disability and state. Number of students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by disability and state. Number and percent of children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) and students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by EL status and state. Number and percent of children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, by race/ethnicity and state. Number and percent of students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by race/ethnicity and state. Children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, as a percentage of population, by disability category and state. Students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, as a percentage of population, by disability category and state. Children and students ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, as a percentage of population, by age and state. Number and percent of children in race/ethnicity category ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, by disability category and state. Number and percent of children in race/ethnicity category ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, by disability category and state. Number and percent of children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of female/male children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of female/male students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) children ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) students ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of children in race/ethnicity category ages 3 through 5 (not in kindergarten) with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number and percent of students in race/ethnicity category ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, by educational environment and state. Number of children and students served under IDEA, Part B, in the US, Outlying Areas, and Freely Associated States by age and disability category. Part B Discipline Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal and state by disability. Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of days removed and state by disability. Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year and state by type of disability. Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal and state by race/ethnicity. Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of days removed and state by race/ethnicity. Number of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year, and state by race/ethnicity. Number and percent of female and male children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal and state. Number and percent of female and male children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of days removed and state. Number and percent of female and male children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of removed and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year and state. Number of children and students, ages 3 through 21, subject to expulsion, by disability status, receipt of educational services and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal, disability, and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of days removed, disability, and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year, disability, and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, removed to an Interim Alternative Educational Setting by type of removal, race/ethnicity, and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, suspended/expelled by total number of days removed, race/ethnicity, and state. Percent of children and students ages 3 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, subject to disciplinary removal by total cumulative number of days removed during school year, race/ ethnicity, and state. Part B Dispute Resolution Number and percent of written, signed complaints initiated through dispute resolution procedures for children ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by case status and state. Number and percent of mediations held through dispute resolution procedures for children ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by case status and state. Number and percent of hearings (fully adjudicated) through dispute resolution procedures for children ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by case status and state. Number of expedited hearing requests (related to disciplinary decision) filed through dispute resolution procedures for children ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by case status and state. Part B Exiting Number of students ages 14 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, who exited special education, by exit reason and state. Number of students ages 14 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, in the U.S., Outlying Areas, and Freely Associated States who exited special education, by exit reason and age. Number and percent of students ages 14 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, who exited special education, by exit reason, race/ethnicity, and state. Number and percent of female and male students ages 14 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, who exited special education, by exit reason and state. Number and percent of non-English Learner (non-EL) and English Learner (EL) students ages 14 through 21 with disabilities served under IDEA, Part B, who exited special education, by exit reason and state. Part B Maintenance of Effort Reduction and Coordinated Early Intervening Services Number and percent of LEAs reported under each determination level that controls whether the LEA may be able to reduce MOE Amount reduced under the IDEA MOE provision in IDEA §613(a)(2)(C) Number and percent of LEAs that met requirements and had an increase in 611 allocations and took the MOE reduction Number and percent of LEAs required to use 15% of funds for CEIS due to significant disproportionality or voluntarily reserved funds for CEIS Number of children who received CEIS anytime in the past two years and who received special education and related services Number and percent of LEAs/ESAs that were determined to meet the MOE compliance standard in SY 2016-17 Part B Personnel Teachers employed (FTE) to work with children, ages 3 through 5, who are receiving special education under IDEA, Part B, by qualification status and state. Teachers employed

This layer shows disability status by sex and age group. This is shown by tract, county, and state boundaries. This service is updated annually to contain the most currently released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data, and contains estimates and margins of error. There are also additional calculated attributes related to this topic, which can be mapped or used within analysis. This layer is symbolized to show the percentage of elderly (65+) with a disability. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Current Vintage: 2019-2023ACS Table(s): B18101Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of API call: December 12, 2024National Figures: data.census.govThe United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. For more information about ACS layers, visit the FAQ. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.Data Note from the Census:Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Data Processing Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the most current vintage of ACS data is released each year, usually in December. The layer always contains the latest available ACS 5-year estimates. It is updated annually within days of the Census Bureau's release schedule. Click here to learn more about ACS data releases.Boundaries come from the US Census TIGER geodatabases, specifically, the National Sub-State Geography Database (named tlgdb_(year)_a_us_substategeo.gdb). Boundaries are updated at the same time as the data updates (annually), and the boundary vintage appropriately matches the data vintage as specified by the Census. These are Census boundaries with water and/or coastlines erased for cartographic and mapping purposes. For census tracts, the water cutouts are derived from a subset of the 2020 Areal Hydrography boundaries offered by TIGER. Water bodies and rivers which are 50 million square meters or larger (mid to large sized water bodies) are erased from the tract level boundaries, as well as additional important features. For state and county boundaries, the water and coastlines are derived from the coastlines of the 2023 500k TIGER Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles. These are erased to more accurately portray the coastlines and Great Lakes. The original AWATER and ALAND fields are still available as attributes within the data table (units are square meters).The States layer contains 52 records - all US states, Washington D.C., and Puerto RicoCensus tracts with no population that occur in areas of water, such as oceans, are removed from this data service (Census Tracts beginning with 99).Percentages and derived counts, and associated margins of error, are calculated values (that can be identified by the "_calc_" stub in the field name), and abide by the specifications defined by the American Community Survey.Field alias names were created based on the Table Shells file available from the American Community Survey Summary File Documentation page.Negative values (e.g., -4444...) have been set to null, with the exception of -5555... which has been set to zero. These negative values exist in the raw API data to indicate the following situations:The margin of error column indicates that either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute a standard error and thus the margin of error. A statistical test is not appropriate.Either no sample observations or too few sample observations were available to compute an estimate, or a ratio of medians cannot be calculated because one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or upper interval of an open-ended distribution.The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution, or in the upper interval of an open-ended distribution. A statistical test is not appropriate.The estimate is controlled. A statistical test for sampling variability is not appropriate.The data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small.

This statistic presents the percentage of people in the U.S. who had a disability from 2008 to 2016, by type. In 2016, it was estimated that *** percent of the population of the U.S. had an ambulatory disability and *** percent had a visual disability.

This layer was developed by the Research & Analytics Group of the Atlanta Regional Commission, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2013-2017, to show counts and percentages of the civilian noninstitutionalized population with disabilities by age group by Super District in the Atlanta region.

The user should note that American Community Survey data represent estimates derived from a surveyed sample of the population, which creates some level of uncertainty, as opposed to an exact measure of the entire population (the full census count is only conducted once every 10 years and does not cover as many detailed characteristics of the population). Therefore, any measure reported by ACS should not be taken as an exact number – this is why a corresponding margin of error (MOE) is also given for ACS measures. The size of the MOE relative to its corresponding estimate value provides an indication of confidence in the accuracy of each estimate. Each MOE is expressed in the same units as its corresponding measure; for example, if the estimate value is expressed as a number, then its MOE will also be a number; if the estimate value is expressed as a percent, then its MOE will also be a percent.

The user should also note that for relatively small geographic areas, such as census tracts shown here, ACS only releases combined 5-year estimates, meaning these estimates represent rolling averages of survey results that were collected over a 5-year span (in this case 2013-2017). Therefore, these data do not represent any one specific point in time or even one specific year. For geographic areas with larger populations, 3-year and 1-year estimates are also available.

For further explanation of ACS estimates and margin of error, visit Census ACS website.

Naming conventions:

Prefixes:

None

Count

p

Percent

r

Rate

m

Median

a

Mean (average)

t

Aggregate (total)

ch

Change in absolute terms (value in t2 - value in t1)

pch

Percent change ((value in t2 - value in t1) / value in t1)

chp

Change in percent (percent in t2 - percent in t1)

Suffixes:

None

Change over two periods

_e

Estimate from most recent ACS

_m

Margin of Error from most recent ACS

_00

Decennial 2000

Attributes:

SumLevel

Summary level of geographic unit (e.g., County, Tract, NSA, NPU, DSNI, SuperDistrict, etc)

GEOID

Census tract Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) code

NAME

Name of geographic unit

Planning_Region

Planning region designation for ARC purposes

Acres

Total area within the tract (in acres)

SqMi

Total area within the tract (in square miles)

County

County identifier (combination of Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) codes for state and county)

CountyName

County Name

CivNonInstPopTotal_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population, 2017

CivNonInstPopTotal_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population, 2017 (MOE)

WithDisabilityTotal_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population with a disability, 2017

WithDisabilityTotal_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

pWithDisabilityTotal_e

% Civilian non-institutionalized population with a disability, 2017

pWithDisabilityTotal_m

% Civilian non-institutionalized population with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

CivNonInstPopU18_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18, 2017

CivNonInstPopU18_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18, 2017 (MOE)

WithDisabilityU18_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18 with a disability, 2017

WithDisabilityU18_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18 with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

pWithDisabilityU18_e

% Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18 with a disability, 2017

pWithDisabilityU18_m

% Civilian non-institutionalized population under age 18 with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

CivNonInstPop1864_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64, 2017

CivNonInstPop1864_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64, 2017 (MOE)

WithDisability1864_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64 with a disability, 2017

WithDisability1864_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64 with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

pWithDisability1864_e

% Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64 with a disability, 2017

pWithDisability1864_m

% Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 18-64 with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

CivNonInstPop65P_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over, 2017

CivNonInstPop65P_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over, 2017 (MOE)

WithDisability65P_e

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over with a disability, 2017

WithDisability65P_m

# Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

pWithDisability65P_e

% Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over with a disability, 2017

pWithDisability65P_m

% Civilian non-institutionalized population ages 65 and over with a disability, 2017 (MOE)

last_edited_date

Last date the feature was edited by ARC

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Atlanta Regional Commission

Date: 2013-2017

For additional information, please visit the Census ACS website.

This data set includes the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate for individuals with and without disabilities as well as the total for all individuals. This data is Pennsylvania specific and is source from the U.S. Census' Current Population Survey (CPS).
The data given for each month is a "rolling" average, which represents the average for the 12 month period ending with the reference month. For example: The July 2019 “People with Disabilities Participation Rate” is the average participation rate of August 2018 – July 2019. The August 2019 rate is the average of September 2018 – August 2019, and so on.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force - With a Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU01074597) from Jun 2008 to Jul 2025 about disability, civilian, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

In the United States, the employment rate of persons with a disability was 22.7 percent in 2024. This was an increase from the previous year, when 22.5 percent of persons with a disability were employed. The persons with a disability section of the Current Population Survey (CPS) is a set of six questions to identify persons have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities.

The global U.S. Assistive Technology (AT) for Disabilities or electromagnetic interference shielding market size reached USD 8,374.2 Million in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 21,800.0 Million in 2030 registering a CAGR of 10.6%. U.S. Assistive Technology (AT) for Disabilities market growth is pri...

This data set includes the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate for individuals with and without disabilities as well as the total for all individuals. This data is Pennsylvania specific and is source from the U.S. Census' Current Population Survey (CPS).

The data given for each month is a "rolling" average, which represents the average for the 12 month period ending with the reference month. For example: The July 2019 “People with Disabilities Participation Rate” is the average participation rate of August 2018 – July 2019. The August 2019 rate is the average of September 2018 – August 2019, and so on.