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.

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

Users can access data pertaining to individuals with disabilities. Topics include but are not limited to: people with disabilities’ access to employment, technology, healthcare, and community based services. Background The Disability Statistics Center is based at the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The Disability Statistics Center generates reports ranging from employment opportunities, Medicaid home and community-based services, mobility device use, computer and internet use, wheelchair use, vocational rehabilitation, education, medical expenditures, and functional limitations among people with disabilities. User functiona lity Data is presented in report or abstract form and can be downloaded in PDF or HTML formats by clicking on the publications link. All reports and abstracts use United States data. Additional data sources are listed under “Finding Disability Data” and include data from the United States as well as international data. Data Notes The data sources are clearly referenced for each article. The most recent publications are from 2003. There is no indication on the site when the data will be updated.

Key Table Information.Table Title.Disability Characteristics.Table ID.ACSST1Y2024.S1810.Survey/Program.American Community Survey.Year.2024.Dataset.ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables.Source.U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates.Dataset Universe.The dataset universe of the American Community Survey (ACS) is the U.S. resident population and housing. For more information about ACS residence rules, see the ACS Design and Methodology Report. Note that each table describes the specific universe of interest for that set of estimates..Methodology.Unit(s) of Observation.American Community Survey (ACS) data are collected from individuals living in housing units and group quarters, and about housing units whether occupied or vacant. For more information about ACS sampling and data collection, see the ACS Design and Methodology Report..Geography Coverage.ACS data generally reflect the geographic boundaries of legal and statistical areas as of January 1 of the estimate year. For more information, see Geography Boundaries by Year.Estimates of urban and rural populations, housing units, and characteristics reflect boundaries of urban areas defined based on 2020 Census data. As a result, data for urban and rural areas from the ACS do not necessarily reflect the results of ongoing urbanization..Sampling.The ACS consists of two separate samples: housing unit addresses and group quarters facilities. Independent housing unit address samples are selected for each county or county-equivalent in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with sampling rates depending on a measure of size for the area. For more information on sampling in the ACS, see the Accuracy of the Data document..Confidentiality.The Census Bureau has modified or suppressed some estimates in ACS data products to protect respondents' confidentiality. Title 13 United States Code, Section 9, prohibits the Census Bureau from publishing results in which an individual's data can be identified. For more information on confidentiality protection in the ACS, see the Accuracy of the Data document..Technical Documentation/Methodology.Information about the American Community Survey (ACS) can be found on the ACS website. Supporting documentation including code lists, subject definitions, data accuracy, and statistical testing, and a full list of ACS tables and table shells (without estimates) can be found on the Technical Documentation section of the ACS website.Sample size and data quality measures (including coverage rates, allocation rates, and response rates) can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Methodology section.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 roughly 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 ACS Technical Documentation). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.Users must consider potential differences in geographic boundaries, questionnaire content or coding, or other methodological issues when comparing ACS data from different years. Statistically significant differences shown in ACS Comparison Profiles, or in data users' own analysis, may be the result of these differences and thus might not necessarily reflect changes to the social, economic, housing, or demographic characteristics being compared. For more information, see Comparing ACS Data..Weights.ACS estimates are obtained from a raking ratio estimation procedure that results in the assignment of two sets of weights: a weight to each sample person record and a weight to each sample housing unit record. Estimates of person characteristics are based on the person weight. Estimates of family, household, and housing unit characteristics are based on the housing unit weight. For any given geographic area, a characteristic total is estimated by summing the weights assigned to the persons, households, families or housing units possessing the characteristic in the geographic area. For more information on weighting and estimation in the ACS, see the Accuracy of the Data document.Although the American Community Survey (ACS) produces population, demographic and housing unit estimates, the decennial census is the official source of population totals for April 1st of each decennial year. In between censuses, the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program produces and disseminates the official estimates of the population for the nation, states, counties, cities, and towns and estimates of hous...

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

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.

2013-2023 Virginia Disability Characteristics by Census Tract. Contains estimates and margins of error.

Special data considerations: Large negative values do exist (more detail below) and should be addressed prior to graphing or aggregating the data. A null value in the estimate means there is no data available for the requested geography.

A value of -888,888,888 indicates that the estimate or margin of error is not applicable or not available.

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S1810 Data accessed from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey (https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets.html)

The United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS): -What is the American Community Survey? (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about.html) -Geography & ACS (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/geography-acs.html) -Technical Documentation (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation.html)

Supporting documentation on code lists, subject definitions, data accuracy, and statistical testing can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Technical Documentation section. (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/code-lists.html)

Sample size and data quality measures (including coverage rates, allocation rates, and response rates) can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Methodology section. (https://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/sample_size_and_data_quality/)

Although the American Community Survey (ACS) produces population, demographic and housing unit estimates, it is the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program that produces and disseminates the official estimates of the population for the nation, states, counties, cities, and towns and estimates of housing units for states and counties.

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 roughly 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 ACS Technical Documentation https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation.html). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.

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.

In 2023, the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was at 7.2 percent in the United States. This was a decrease from the previous year, when the unemployment rate was at 7.6 percent. The high unemployment among persons with disabilities may be due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted everyone's employment, as can be seen in the unemployment rate of adults in the United States. The persons with a disability section of the Current Population Survey (CPS) is a set of six questions to identify persons who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Disability in the labor force The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows the unemployment rate of persons with a disability that have the ability to participate in the civilian labor force. In 2020 around 20.5 percent of persons with disabilities in the United States participated in the civilian labor force. Among those capable of participating in the civilian labor force, persons with a disability tend to have a higher chance of employment the higher their level of education. Persons with a disability that had a bachelor's degree or higher had the highest employment rate in 2020 at 25.7 percent. Social Security benefits Due to the inability to work, or the lack of access to suitable employment, many persons with a disability rely on government sources for financial aid. A portion of civilian paychecks are taxed to fund programs like the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which provide this aid. In 2018, around 12.46 million disabled persons received OASDI or SSI benefits in the United States.

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

Context

I've published a few different datasets targeting people with disabilities. I am interested in the topic because I seek to help other people with disabilities (I am a data scientist with a disability).

This particular dataset is most useful for viewing the number and % of people with disabilities by age and demographics within the United States. It also includes statistics by sex.

Content

This dataset is reformatted already. It is the 2018 American Community Survey from Census.gov. It's more useable for visualization and analysis this way.

I will work on cleaning up 2017 so that you can get a year over year comparison.

Acknowledgements

ACS, all topics covered: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/subjects.html

Source Data: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?d=ACS%201-Year%20Estimates%20Detailed%20Tables&q=B18&table=B18101&tid=ACSDT1Y2018.B18101&lastDisplayedRow=27

Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use disability data to plan and fund programs for people with disabilities. Disability data helps communities enroll eligible households in programs designed to assist them such as health care programs and affordable housing programs. Disability data also helps local jurisdictions provide services that:Enable older adults to remain living safely in their homes and communities (Older Americans Act).Provide services and assistance to people with a disability, such as financial assistance with utilities (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)Disability data helps communities qualify for grants such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, the HOME Investment Partnership Program, the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program, the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program, and other local and federal programs.Disability data are also used to evaluate other government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of all groups, as well as enforce laws, regulations, and policies against discrimination.This map shows the count and prevalence of people with a disability. This includes people with a hearing difficulty, a vision difficulty, an ambulatory difficulty, a cognitive difficulty, a self-care difficulty, and an independent-living difficulty. The features in web map are symbolized using color and size to depict total population with a disability count (size of symbol) and prevalence (color of symbol). Web map is multi-scaled, and opens displaying data for counties and tracts. This map uses these hosted feature layers containing the most recent American Community Survey data. These layers are part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas, and are updated every year when the American Community Survey releases new estimates, so values in the map always reflect the newest data available.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force - With No Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU01074593) from Jun 2008 to Aug 2025 about disability, civilian, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

All responses to the community survey on knowledge and utilization of ADA services as well as ADA areas of focus in the City by the Racial and Social Justice Department from February 2023 to June 2023.

Notice: The U.S. Census Bureau is delaying the release of the 2016-2020 ACS 5-year data until March 2022. For more information, please read the Census Bureau statement regarding this matter. -----------------------------------------This layer shows six different types of disability. Data is from US Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates and joined with Tempe census tracts. This layer is symbolized to show the percent of population 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 (in ArcGIS Online). Layer includes percent of population with a disability categorized as: · an independent living difficulty · a hearing difficulty · an ambulatory difficulty · a vision difficulty · a cognitive difficulty · a selfcare difficulty Data is from US Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Vintage: 2015-2019 ACS Table(s): S1810 (Not all lines of this ACS table are available in this feature layer.) Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Date of Census update: December 10, 2020 National Figures: data.census.gov

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - With a Disability, 16 to 64 Years, Women (LNU01376960) from Jun 2008 to Aug 2025 about 16 to 64 years, disability, females, participation, civilian, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed - With a Disability, 16 to 64 Years, Women (LNU02076960) from Jun 2008 to Aug 2025 about 16 to 64 years, disability, females, household survey, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed - With No Disability, 16 Years and over (LNU02074593) from Jun 2008 to Aug 2025 about disability, 16 years +, household survey, employment, and USA.

The dataset includes fiscal year data for initial claims for SSA disability benefits that were referred to a state agency for a disability determination. Specific data elements for each year and state include receipts, determinations, eligible population, and favorable determination rates.