A startling $21.0 billion in extra annual health care costs is tied to disability among working age adults in the U.S., yet the lived reality is often about access, work, and everyday barriers. This post brings together disability statistics across mobility, employment, internet access, assistive technology, and unmet needs, including gaps that can follow people from the clinic to the workplace. As you compare these figures, you will see how disability prevalence, earnings, and support systems do not line up as neatly as many assume.
Key Takeaways
- 26.0% of U.S. adults aged 65+ reported having a disability in 2022—this is the disability prevalence in older adults
- 15% of the global population live with a condition that affects mobility (mobility-related disabilities)—this aligns with WHO’s disability and health data on major disability types
- 15% of people with disabilities are in the U.S. labor force compared with a higher rate among those without disabilities—this is a comparative employment participation statistic reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 11.3% of people with disabilities in the U.S. reported unemployment in 2022—this is the unemployment rate for people with disabilities
- $37,000 median annual earnings for people without disabilities who are employed in the U.S. in 2022—this is the comparative earnings figure in the same BLS table
- 25.0% of U.S. adults have arthritis (diagnosed) in 2021
- 24.9% of U.S. adults have trouble hearing (age 12+), 2022
- 61% of working-age adults (19–64) with disabilities reported using the internet in 2022
- 34.0% of wheelchair users reported accessibility problems when seeking health services (2018)
- 12.7% of adults with disabilities had unmet dental needs due to cost (2019)
- $21.0 billion estimated annual additional health care costs associated with disability among working-age adults in the U.S. (2013–2014)
- 35.0% of public-facing websites have accessibility issues impacting people with disabilities (WCAG compliance, 2022 audit-based study)
- 9 of 10 major European cities provide at least one fully accessible route to key services (access audit, 2021)
- 1.3 billion people worldwide need one or more assistive products (UN estimate)
- Only 1 in 10 people in low- and middle-income countries who need assistive products have access to them (World Bank/UN estimate, 2018)
In the U.S. and worldwide, disability remains common and affects work, health access, and earnings.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Demographics1 stats
01
26.0% of U.S. adults aged 65+ reported having a disability in 2022—this is the disability prevalence in older adultshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/disability.htm
Interpretation
Prevalence & Demographics Interpretation
In the Prevalence and Demographics category, 26.0% of U.S. adults aged 65 and older reported having a disability in 2022, underscoring how common physical disability is in older populations.
02 · Category
Health & Functional Needs1 stats
01
15% of the global population live with a condition that affects mobility (mobility-related disabilities)—this aligns with WHO’s disability and health data on major disability typeshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health
Interpretation
Health & Functional Needs Interpretation
In the Health & Functional Needs category, the fact that 15% of the global population lives with mobility-related disabilities underscores how widespread functional barriers to everyday movement are worldwide.
03 · Category
Employment & Income8 stats
01
15% of people with disabilities are in the U.S. labor force compared with a higher rate among those without disabilities—this is a comparative employment participation statistic reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm
02
11.3% of people with disabilities in the U.S. reported unemployment in 2022—this is the unemployment rate for people with disabilitieshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.t01.htm
03
$37,000median annual earnings for people without disabilities who are employed in the U.S. in 2022—this is the comparative earnings figure in the same BLS tablehttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.t02.htm
04
6.4% of working-age adults with disabilities are in poverty in the U.S. (2019)https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-269.html
05
27.0% of people with disabilities who are employed report having to take time off due to health-related issues at least once per month (survey, 2020)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1104-1.html
06
$13.0k median annual income for people with disabilities in the U.S. who are not in the labor force (2019)https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2021/index.html
07
2.1x higher likelihood of labor force detachment for people with disabilities vs. people without disabilities (U.S. analysis, 2020)https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/714635
08
23.0% of adults with disabilities report receiving public disability benefits as their main source of income (U.S., 2018)https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/disability-benefits-under-the-spotlight
Interpretation
Employment & Income Interpretation
In the Employment and Income category, people with disabilities are far less likely to be working, with only 15% in the U.S. labor force versus 11.3% reporting unemployment in 2022, and their earnings lag sharply, showing a major gap in opportunity and financial stability compared with people without disabilities.
04 · Category
Prevalence & Burden6 stats
01
25.0% of U.S. adults have arthritis (diagnosed) in 2021https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/arthritis.htm
02
24.9% of U.S. adults have trouble hearing (age 12+), 2022https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
03
61% of working-age adults (19–64) with disabilities reported using the internet in 2022https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/08/16/people-with-disabilities-and-technology/
04
29.0% of U.S. adults with disabilities reported difficulty walking or climbing stairs (2019–2020)https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/programs/2019-2020%20ACS%20disability%20tab.pdf
05
1 in 4 U.S. adults experience chronic pain (26.9%), 2019–2021https://www.ahrq.gov/chronic-care/model-improvement/chronic-care-forecasts/state-data.html
06
33.0% of adults with mobility disabilities report that their condition limits their ability to workhttps://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/disability-and-work/
Interpretation
Prevalence & Burden Interpretation
Across the Prevalence and Burden category, disability related health challenges are widespread with chronic pain affecting 26.9% of U.S. adults and arthritis affecting 25.0%, and many people also face everyday limits and participation barriers such as 33.0% of adults with mobility disabilities saying their condition limits their ability to work.
More related reading
05 · Category
Health Care Access3 stats
01
34.0% of wheelchair users reported accessibility problems when seeking health services (2018)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895717717305988
02
12.7% of adults with disabilities had unmet dental needs due to cost (2019)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277310/
03
$21.0 billion estimated annual additional health care costs associated with disability among working-age adults in the U.S. (2013–2014)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5390289/
Interpretation
Health Care Access Interpretation
In the health care access category, the data show that 34.0% of wheelchair users faced accessibility problems in 2018 and 12.7% of adults with disabilities went without dental care due to cost in 2019, highlighting how both physical barriers and affordability gaps still drive avoidable health service use.
06 · Category
Legal & Policy2 stats
01
35.0% of public-facing websites have accessibility issues impacting people with disabilities (WCAG compliance, 2022 audit-based study)https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
02
9 of 10 major European cities provide at least one fully accessible route to key services (access audit, 2021)https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/cities-disability-access-report-2021.pdf
Interpretation
Legal & Policy Interpretation
From a Legal and Policy perspective, the gap is clear as 35.0% of public-facing websites still have accessibility problems despite compliance efforts, even while 9 of 10 major European cities report at least one fully accessible route to key services.
07 · Category
Assistive Technology8 stats
01
1.3 billion people worldwide need one or more assistive products (UN estimate)https://www.who.int/publications-detail/9789241564182
02
Only 1 in 10 people in low- and middle-income countries who need assistive products have access to them (World Bank/UN estimate, 2018)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/778631518021623048/2018-world-bank-world-health-organization-joint-report-on-assistive-technology
03
8.5% annual growth projected for the assistive technology market through 2030 (forecast)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/assistive-technology-market
04
63% of wheelchair users report that device availability and maintenance affect their independence (survey, 2019)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895717719310635
05
45% of assistive device users stop using an assistive product within 2 years (systematic review estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5849557/
06
2x higher adoption of wearable assistive technologies among adults who report mobility limitations (survey, 2020)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/05/03/technology-and-disability/
07
21% of people with disabilities report using a smartphone-based accessibility feature (survey, 2022)https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future/2022/09/21/disability-smartphone-features-study-00054939
08
75% of U.S. adults with disabilities use at least one assistive technology or accommodation at work (workplace survey, 2020)https://www.askjan.org/resources/media/Workplace-Accommodations-2020.pdf
Interpretation
Assistive Technology Interpretation
Only 1 in 10 people who need assistive products in low- and middle-income countries have access to them, even as the assistive technology market is projected to grow 8.5% annually through 2030, highlighting a major access gap that persists despite rising momentum in this assistive technology category.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Physical Disability Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/physical-disability-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Physical Disability Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/physical-disability-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Physical Disability Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/physical-disability-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)