U.S. Disability Statistics by Type and Age

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2017/06/02 - Updated: 2017/06/03
Topic: Disability Statistics - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Tables and charts showing number of U.S. population with a disability, statistics ordered by ages and general classification, or type, of disability.

Introduction

Americans with disabilities are one of the largest minority groups in the United States. The tables below show the amount of the U.S. population with a disability with the statistics listed by age and general classification of disability including; hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living difficulties.

Main Content

The US Social Security Administration (SSA), defines disability in terms of an individual's inability to perform substantial gainful activity (SGA), by which it means "work paying minimum wage or better". The agency pairs SGA with a list of medical conditions that qualify individuals for disability benefits.

Quick Facts

The American Community Survey (ACS) estimates the overall rate of people with disabilities in the US population in 2015 was 12.6%.
The percent of people with disabilities varies greatly by state, as do levels of people with disabilities in employment, poverty, earnings, and health behaviors.
More than one in five (21.2%) US civilians with disabilities of working-age in 2015 were living in poverty. For US civilians of working-age without disabilities, the national poverty rate was 13.8%.
All disability types (hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living) have increases in disability percentages with age; cognitive disabilities show the least change between age groups.

Outline map showing U.S. states

Jump To:

Disability by Age
Hearing Difficulty by Age
Vision Difficulty by Age
Cognitive Difficulty by Age
Ambulatory Difficulty by Age
Self-Care Difficulty by Age
Independent Living Difficulty by Age

Number of Americans with Disability by Age
Total:	316,450,569
Male:	154,565,265
Under 5 years:	10,112,012
With a disability	82,261
No disability	10,029,751
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With a disability	1,814,985
No disability	25,598,274
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With a disability	2,424,458
No disability	34,108,284
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With a disability	7,784,294
No disability	52,113,858
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With a disability	3,421,784
No disability	9,313,673
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With a disability	3,780,554
No disability	4,093,089
Female:	161,885,304
Under 5 years:	9,680,082
With a disability	66,348
No disability	9,613,734
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With a disability	1,070,194
No disability	25,216,384
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With a disability	2,008,907
No disability	34,800,050
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With a disability	8,193,887
No disability	55,087,878
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With a disability	3,496,061
No disability	11,057,755
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With a disability	5,762,595
No disability	5,511,511
Number of Americans with Hearing Difficulty by Age
Total:	316,450,569
Male:	154,565,265
Under 5 years:	10,112,012
With a hearing difficulty	61,049
No hearing difficulty	10,050,963
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With a hearing difficulty	181,074
No hearing difficulty	27,232,185
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With a hearing difficulty	367,678
No hearing difficulty	36,165,064
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With a hearing difficulty	2,080,452
No hearing difficulty	57,817,700
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With a hearing difficulty	1,708,217
No hearing difficulty	11,027,240
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With a hearing difficulty	2,171,638
No hearing difficulty	5,702,005
Female:	161,885,304
Under 5 years:	9,680,082
With a hearing difficulty	45,164
No hearing difficulty	9,634,918
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With a hearing difficulty	148,587
No hearing difficulty	26,137,991
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With a hearing difficulty	261,601
No hearing difficulty	36,547,356
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With a hearing difficulty	1,259,960
No hearing difficulty	62,021,805
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With a hearing difficulty	824,006
No hearing difficulty	13,729,810
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With a hearing difficulty	2,158,027
No hearing difficulty	9,116,079
Number of Americans with Vision Difficulty by Age
Total:	316,450,569
Male:	154,565,265
Under 5 years:	10,112,012
With a vision difficulty	43,530
No vision difficulty	10,068,482
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With a vision difficulty	235,919
No vision difficulty	27,177,340
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With a vision difficulty	398,535
No vision difficulty	36,134,207
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With a vision difficulty	1,425,534
No vision difficulty	58,472,618
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With a vision difficulty	543,736
No vision difficulty	12,191,721
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With a vision difficulty	692,022
No vision difficulty	7,181,621
Female:	161,885,304
Under 5 years:	9,680,082
With a vision difficulty	40,704
No vision difficulty	9,639,378
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With a vision difficulty	219,543
No vision difficulty	26,067,035
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With a vision difficulty	407,288
No vision difficulty	36,401,669
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With a vision difficulty	1,557,429
No vision difficulty	61,724,336
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With a vision difficulty	605,616
No vision difficulty	13,948,200
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With a vision difficulty	1,163,949
No vision difficulty	10,110,157
Number of Americans with Cognitive Difficulty by Age
Total:	296,658,475
Male:	144,453,253
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With a cognitive difficulty	1,465,480
No cognitive difficulty	25,947,779
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With a cognitive difficulty	1,585,041
No cognitive difficulty	34,947,701
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With a cognitive difficulty	2,910,026
No cognitive difficulty	56,988,126
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With a cognitive difficulty	714,064
No cognitive difficulty	12,021,393
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With a cognitive difficulty	973,187
No cognitive difficulty	6,900,456
Female:	152,205,222
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With a cognitive difficulty	733,662
No cognitive difficulty	25,552,916
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With a cognitive difficulty	1,186,759
No cognitive difficulty	35,622,198
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With a cognitive difficulty	3,069,109
No cognitive difficulty	60,212,656
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With a cognitive difficulty	734,109
No cognitive difficulty	13,819,707
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With a cognitive difficulty	1,743,684
No cognitive difficulty	9,530,422
Number of Americans with Ambulatory Difficulty by Age
Total:	296,658,475
Male:	144,453,253
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With an ambulatory difficulty	183,004
No ambulatory difficulty	27,230,255
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With an ambulatory difficulty	501,717
No ambulatory difficulty	36,031,025
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With an ambulatory difficulty	4,039,167
No ambulatory difficulty	55,858,985
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With an ambulatory difficulty	1,771,638
No ambulatory difficulty	10,963,819
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With an ambulatory difficulty	2,152,104
No ambulatory difficulty	5,721,539
Female:	152,205,222
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With an ambulatory difficulty	153,282
No ambulatory difficulty	26,133,296
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With an ambulatory difficulty	508,484
No ambulatory difficulty	36,300,473
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With an ambulatory difficulty	5,042,899
No ambulatory difficulty	58,238,866
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With an ambulatory difficulty	2,463,997
No ambulatory difficulty	12,089,819
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With an ambulatory difficulty	4,103,624
No ambulatory difficulty	7,170,482
Number of Americans with Self-Care Difficulty by Age
Total:	296,658,475
Male:	144,453,253
5 to 17 years:	27,413,259
With a self-care difficulty	313,917
No self-care difficulty	27,099,342
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With a self-care difficulty	338,753
No self-care difficulty	36,193,989
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With a self-care difficulty	1,423,794
No self-care difficulty	58,474,358
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With a self-care difficulty	534,348
No self-care difficulty	12,201,109
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With a self-care difficulty	853,711
No self-care difficulty	7,019,932
Female:	152,205,222
5 to 17 years:	26,286,578
With a self-care difficulty	190,848
No self-care difficulty	26,095,730
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With a self-care difficulty	273,330
No self-care difficulty	36,535,627
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With a self-care difficulty	1,614,606
No self-care difficulty	61,667,159
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With a self-care difficulty	673,035
No self-care difficulty	13,880,781
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With a self-care difficulty	1,757,229
No self-care difficulty	9,516,877
Number of Americans with Independent Living Difficulty by Age
Total:	242,958,638
Male:	117,039,994
18 to 34 years:	36,532,742
With an independent living difficulty	939,363
No independent living difficulty	35,593,379
35 to 64 years:	59,898,152
With an independent living difficulty	2,489,425
No independent living difficulty	57,408,727
65 to 74 years:	12,735,457
With an independent living difficulty	832,335
No independent living difficulty	11,903,122
75 years and over:	7,873,643
With an independent living difficulty	1,489,095
No independent living difficulty	6,384,548
Female:	125,918,644
18 to 34 years:	36,808,957
With an independent living difficulty	756,695
No independent living difficulty	36,052,262
35 to 64 years:	63,281,765
With an independent living difficulty	3,088,810
No independent living difficulty	60,192,955
65 to 74 years:	14,553,816
With an independent living difficulty	1,254,001
No independent living difficulty	13,299,815
75 years and over:	11,274,106
With an independent living difficulty	3,335,018
No independent living difficulty	7,939,088

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Civilian noninstitutionalized population. 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.