Recent U.S. Disability Statistics from the Census Bureau

Main Digest

According to the latest Census Bureau disability report, 56.7 million people in the United States had a disability in 2010. People with a disability are defined as a person having a physical or mental impairment that affects one or more major life activities, such as walking, bathing, dressing, eating etc.

Population Distribution

56.7 million
Number of people in the United States in 2010 with a disability. People with disabilities represented 19 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population. Persons with a disability have a physical or mental impairment that affects one or more major life activities, such as walking, bathing, dressing, eating, preparing meals, going outside the home, or doing housework. A disability can occur at birth or at any point in a person's life.

How common are specific disabilities

By age:

• 8 percent of children under 15 had a disability.
• 21 percent of people 15 and older had a disability.
• 17 percent of people 21 to 64 had a disability.
• 50 percent of adults 65 and older had a disability.

Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

20%
Percentage of females with a disability, compared with 17 percent of males.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

Where They Live

19%
Percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population in West Virginia with a disability the highest rate of any state in the nation. Utah, at 9 percent, had the lowest rate.
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table R1810
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_R1810.US01PRF&prodType=table

30%
Percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population in Pike County, Ky., with a disability the highest rate in the nation among counties with populations of 65,000 or more. Arlington County, Va., at 5 percent, had among the lowest rates.
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table GCT1810 factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_GCT1810.US05PR&prodType=table

23%
Percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population in Lorain, Ohio, with a disability among the highest rates in the nation among places with populations of 65,000 or more. Weston, Fla., at 3 percent, had among the lowest rates.
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table GCT1810 factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_GCT1810.US13PR&prodType=table

Specific Disabilities

7.6 million
Number of people 15 and older who had a hearing impairment. Among people 65 and older, 4 million had hearing impairments.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

8.1 million
Number of people 15 and older with a vision impairment.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

30.6 million
Number of people 15 and older who had movement impairment, such as walking or climbing stairs.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

3.6 million
Number of people 15 and older who used a wheelchair. This compares with 11.6 million people who used canes, crutches or walkers.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

2.4 million
Number of people 15 and older who had Alzheimer's disease, senility or any form of neuro-cognitive disorders.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

12.0 million
Number of people 15 and older who required the assistance of others in order to perform one or more basic or instrumental activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, doing housework and preparing meals.
Source: Americans with Disabilities: 2010 www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

Earnings and Poverty

$20,184
Median earnings in the past 12 months for people with a disability. This is 66 percent of the median earnings, $30,660, for those without a disability.
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table B18140
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_B18140&prodType=table

323,000
Number of employed people with disabilities earning $100,000 or more annually. This amounts to 4 percent of all people with disabilities who were employed. In comparison, 8 percent of all people without a disability who were employed earned $100,000 or more annually.
Source: Disability Employment Tabulation, from 2008-2010 American Community Survey, Table Set 7A www.census.gov/people/disabilityemptab/data/

23%
Percentage of people with a disability who were in poverty. By comparison, those without a disability had a poverty rate of 15 percent.
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table B18130
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_B18130&prodType=table

Government Assistance

30%
Percentage of people who received income-based government assistance and have a disability; 18 percent of assistance recipients had difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
Source: Disability Characteristics of Income-Based Government Assistance Recipients in the United States: 2011 (from American Community Survey)
www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-12.pdf

42%
The percentage of income-based assistance recipients in West Virginia with a disability, which led all states. Arizona ranked the lowest, at 25 percent.
Source: Disability Characteristics of Income-Based Government Assistance Recipients in the United States: 2011 (from American Community Survey) www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-12.pdf

Health Insurance

10%
Percentage of people with a disability who lacked health insurance. Those without a disability were more likely to be without coverage (15 percent).
Source: 2012 American Community Survey, Table B18135
factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtmlpid=ACS_12_1YR_B18135&prodType=table

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Cite This Page (APA): U.S. Census Bureau. (2014, July 18). Recent U.S. Disability Statistics from the Census Bureau. Disabled World. Retrieved April 28, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/statistics/census-stats.php

Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/statistics/census-stats.php">Recent U.S. Disability Statistics from the Census Bureau</a>: The U.S. Census Bureau provides American disability facts for features for the anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26 .

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