With 42.5 million people living with a disability in the United States, these startling statistics reveal a nation grappling with widespread challenges in employment, healthcare, and daily living.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, 13.7% of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population had a disability, equating to 42.5 million people
- Among U.S. adults aged 18-64 in 2022, 12.9% reported serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
- In 2023, 27.1% of U.S. adults with disabilities reported cognitive difficulties, compared to 1.1% without
- In 2022, only 21.3% of U.S. persons with disabilities were employed, compared to 65.4% without
- U.S. workers with disabilities earned a median weekly wage of $912 in 2022, versus $1,119 for those without
- Unemployment rate for U.S. disabled persons was 7.6% in 2023, double the 3.7% for non-disabled
- U.S. adults with disabilities were twice as likely to delay medical care due to cost in 2022 (27% vs 13%)
- Only 66% of U.S. disabled adults had a primary care provider in 2021, vs 87% without
- 40.5% of U.S. adults with disabilities reported poor health status in 2022
- In 2023, 8.9 million U.S. adults received SSDI benefits
- SSI payments went to 7.5 million disabled U.S. recipients in 2022, averaging $7,678 yearly
- SSDI approval rate for initial claims was 35% in 2021
- U.S. disability prevalence rose from 10.2% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2021
- By 2030, U.S. disabled adults projected to reach 61 million
- SSDI awards increased 12% from 2019 to 2022 due to aging population
Disability impacts millions of Americans across every demographic and major life area.
Employment and Economic Impact
- In 2022, only 21.3% of U.S. persons with disabilities were employed, compared to 65.4% without
- U.S. workers with disabilities earned a median weekly wage of $912 in 2022, versus $1,119 for those without
- Unemployment rate for U.S. disabled persons was 7.6% in 2023, double the 3.7% for non-disabled
- 78% of U.S. job listings in 2021 did not mention accommodations for disabilities
- Persons with disabilities in U.S. had poverty rate of 24.8% in 2022, compared to 10.5% without
- In 2022, 44.1% of U.S. disabled working-age adults participated in labor force, vs 77.8% non-disabled
- Annual cost of lost productivity due to disability in U.S. was $411 billion in 2021
- U.S. disabled workers were 50% more likely to experience workplace discrimination in 2022
- Median household income for U.S. disabled was $49,600 in 2022, vs $72,300 overall
- In 2023, 15% of U.S. disabled adults reported job loss due to disability
- U.S. employers with 15+ employees had 5.4% disabled workforce in 2022
- Disability-related absenteeism costs U.S. employers $44.5 billion annually in 2021
- 62% of U.S. disabled not in labor force cited disability as reason in 2022
- U.S. disabled veterans unemployment was 6.8% in 2023
- Women with disabilities in U.S. had 19.2% unemployment rate in 2022
- Presenteeism among U.S. disabled workers costs $59.6 billion yearly in 2021
- 30% of U.S. disabled workers were part-time in 2022, vs 16% non-disabled
- Economic value of unpaid caregiving for disabled U.S. adults was $600 billion in 2023
- U.S. SSDI beneficiaries' average annual benefit was $16,078 in 2022
- Disability wage gap for U.S. Black workers was 35% in 2021
- 25% of U.S. disabled adults live in households with income under $25,000 in 2022
- U.S. disability employment services served 650,000 people in 2021
- Lost earnings for U.S. disabled over lifetime average $1.2 million per person
- Hispanic disabled U.S. workers had 8.2% unemployment in 2022
- 40% of U.S. disabled report underemployment in 2023
- Annual U.S. disability-related Social Security costs hit $143 billion in 2022
Employment and Economic Impact Interpretation
These numbers paint a stark portrait: the American workforce seems to be operating a discriminatory toll booth on the road to opportunity, and it’s costing everyone billions in wasted talent.
Government Programs and Benefits
- In 2023, 8.9 million U.S. adults received SSDI benefits
- SSI payments went to 7.5 million disabled U.S. recipients in 2022, averaging $7,678 yearly
- SSDI approval rate for initial claims was 35% in 2021
- U.S. Medicare enrollment for disabled under 65 was 10.2 million in 2023
- Average SSDI monthly benefit for disabled workers was $1,483 in 2022
- 1.4 million U.S. children received SSI disability benefits in 2021
- Vocational rehab services helped 80,000 disabled U.S. into competitive jobs in 2022
- SSDI trust fund reserves projected to deplete by 2035
- 4.8 million U.S. disabled widows received SSDI in 2023
- Medicaid spent $150 billion on disabled beneficiaries in 2021
- Ticket to Work program enrolled 1.1 million disabled U.S. since 2001
- ABLE accounts for disabled U.S. savers totaled $1.5 billion in assets in 2022
- 92% of SSDI denials were overturned on appeal in some U.S. states in 2021
- U.S. TANF aided 1.2 million disabled families in 2023
- Section 8 housing vouchers prioritized 300,000 disabled U.S. households in 2022
- WIC served 500,000 U.S. disabled children under 5 in 2021
- SSDI concurrent with SSI for 1.2 million disabled U.S. in 2023
- Head Start enrolled 10% disabled U.S. preschoolers in 2022
- VA disability compensation paid $127 billion to 5.3 million vets in 2023
- 529,000 U.S. disabled on state Medicaid buy-in in 2021
- SNAP benefits reached 9 million disabled U.S. households in 2022
- PASS plans approved for 12,000 disabled U.S. SSDI applicants in 2023
- U.S. IDEA special ed served 7.5 million disabled students in 2021
- LIHEAP assisted 1 million disabled U.S. households with energy costs in 2022
- SSDI conversion from DI to retirement for 800,000 U.S. annually in 2023
- 2.1 million U.S. disabled adults on state-only general assistance in 2021
- Pell Grants awarded to 1.5 million disabled U.S. students in 2022
Government Programs and Benefits Interpretation
The sheer scale of these numbers reveals a vast, patchwork safety net that millions of disabled Americans precariously navigate, where the initial hurdle to entry is formidably high but the subsequent reliance on myriad supports is profound, costly, and perpetually under financial and bureaucratic strain.
Healthcare and Access to Services
- U.S. adults with disabilities were twice as likely to delay medical care due to cost in 2022 (27% vs 13%)
- Only 66% of U.S. disabled adults had a primary care provider in 2021, vs 87% without
- 40.5% of U.S. adults with disabilities reported poor health status in 2022
- U.S. disabled adults were 3 times more likely to be uninsured (14% vs 5%) in 2023
- 25% of U.S. disabled report difficulty finding providers accepting Medicaid in 2022
- Emergency room visits for U.S. disabled were 2.5 times higher per capita in 2021
- Only 52% of U.S. disabled adults received preventive services in 2022, vs 72% non-disabled
- 35% of U.S. adults with mobility disabilities faced transportation barriers to care in 2023
- U.S. disabled adults had 78% higher hospitalization rates in 2021
- 28.4% of U.S. disabled skipped medications due to cost in 2022
- Dental care access for U.S. disabled adults was 48% unmet need in 2021
- Telehealth use among U.S. disabled rose to 45% in 2023, but accessibility issues persist
- 22% of U.S. disabled adults reported unmet mental health needs in 2022
- Long-term care needs met for only 20% of U.S. disabled seniors in 2021
- U.S. disabled with cognitive issues had 4x higher preventable hospitalization rates in 2022
- 31% of U.S. rural disabled lacked specialist care access in 2023
- Assistive tech access for U.S. disabled was 65% in 2021
- U.S. disabled adults smoked at 24.1% rate vs 12.5% general in 2022
- Home health services reached 12 million U.S. disabled in 2021
- 41% of U.S. disabled delayed care due to no transportation in 2022
- Mental health treatment gap for U.S. disabled youth was 60% in 2023
- U.S. disabled had 50% higher chronic disease prevalence in 2021
- Vision rehab services served 1.2 million U.S. adults in 2022
- 33% of U.S. disabled adults reported communication barriers with providers in 2023
- Hospice care for disabled U.S. patients averaged 70 days in 2021
- U.S. disabled cancer screening rates were 10-15% lower in 2022
- Physical therapy access for U.S. mobility disabled was 55% in 2021
- 26% of U.S. disabled veterans faced VA wait times over 30 days in 2023
- Medicaid HCBS waivers served 700,000 disabled U.S. adults in 2022
- Suicide attempt rate for U.S. disabled youth was 22.4% in 2021
Healthcare and Access to Services Interpretation
The American healthcare system is a bit like a luxury resort charging for the basic amenities of life, and for people with disabilities, it's alarmingly common to find the accessible room overbooked, the critical path to the pool closed, and the bill for survival quietly slipped under the door.
Prevalence and Demographics
- In 2021, 13.7% of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population had a disability, equating to 42.5 million people
- Among U.S. adults aged 18-64 in 2022, 12.9% reported serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
- In 2023, 27.1% of U.S. adults with disabilities reported cognitive difficulties, compared to 1.1% without
- The prevalence of disability among U.S. children aged 5-17 was 6.9% in 2021, totaling about 3.4 million
- In 2022, 4.1% of U.S. adults had serious difficulty seeing, even with glasses
- Disability prevalence in the U.S. South was 15.2% in 2021, higher than the national average
- Among U.S. females, 15.3% had a disability in 2022, versus 12.5% for males
- In 2021, 32.9% of U.S. adults aged 65+ reported a disability
- Black or African American U.S. adults had a 15.6% disability rate in 2022
- In rural U.S. areas, disability prevalence was 17.6% in 2021, compared to 12.7% in urban
- 8.4% of U.S. working-age adults (18-64) had an ambulatory disability in 2022
- U.S. veterans had a 25.4% disability prevalence in 2021
- In 2023, 5.2% of U.S. children had an intellectual disability
- Hispanic U.S. adults showed 12.1% disability rate in 2022
- Disability among U.S. adults with less than high school education was 28.4% in 2021
- 10.6% of U.S. adults reported serious hearing difficulty in 2022
- In 2021, 3.7% of U.S. population had vision disability
- Asian U.S. adults had the lowest disability rate at 8.9% in 2022
- Disability prevalence increased with age, reaching 42.8% for 85+ in 2021
- 7.2% of U.S. adults had self-care disability in 2022
- Native American/Alaska Native adults had 18.2% disability rate in 2021
- In 2023, 14.5% of U.S. households included someone with a disability
- U.S. adults with disabilities were 2.5 times more likely to be obese in 2022
- 11.3% of U.S. employed adults had a disability in 2021
- Disability rate among U.S. poor adults (below poverty) was 25.6% in 2022
- 4.8% of U.S. children aged 0-4 had developmental disabilities in 2021
- White U.S. adults had 13.8% disability prevalence in 2022
- In 2021, 16.4% of U.S. adults in the Midwest had disabilities
- Multiracial U.S. adults reported 15.9% disability rate in 2022
- 9.1% of U.S. college students self-identified as having a disability in 2021
Prevalence and Demographics Interpretation
While these statistics offer a meticulous census of bodies in need of accommodation, they also quietly map a more uncomfortable terrain of inequality, showing how disability in America is not a random lottery but a predictable consequence of who you are, where you live, and what resources you've been denied.
Trends and Projections
- U.S. disability prevalence rose from 10.2% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2021
- By 2030, U.S. disabled adults projected to reach 61 million
- SSDI awards increased 12% from 2019 to 2022 due to aging population
- Disability employment rate projected to rise to 25% by 2028
- U.S. HCBS spending expected to double to $300 billion by 2030
- Autism prevalence in U.S. children doubled from 1 in 150 (2000) to 1 in 36 (2023)
- Remote work could boost U.S. disabled employment by 5 million by 2030
- U.S. disability poverty rate forecasted to drop to 20% by 2030 with policy changes
- Mental health disabilities in U.S. workforce expected to rise 25% by 2025
- SSI caseload projected stable at 7.5 million through 2032
- U.S. disabled seniors to triple to 21 million by 2040
- Telehealth adoption for disabled projected at 60% by 2025
- U.S. obesity-related disabilities to affect 20% adults by 2030
- Vocational rehab success rate expected to hit 60% by 2027
- U.S. disability insurance claims up 20% post-COVID in 2023
- Aging baby boomers to add 10 million to U.S. disabled by 2030
- Assistive tech market for U.S. disabled to grow to $30 billion by 2028
- U.S. disabled labor participation forecasted up 10% with AI aids by 2035
- Childhood disability prevalence stable at 7% through 2030
- U.S. Medicare disabled spending to rise 50% by 2031
- Opioid-related disabilities in U.S. peaked then declined 15% 2018-2022
- U.S. disabled voting turnout up from 41% (2016) to 49% (2020)
- Pandemic accelerated U.S. disability claims by 8% in 2021
- By 2050, 1 in 4 U.S. adults expected to have disability
- U.S. HCBS waitlists for disabled shortened 10% post-ARPA 2023
Trends and Projections Interpretation
The numbers paint a picture of a nation where disability is becoming a more common thread of the human experience, demanding—and slowly beginning to see—a society that adapts with policy, technology, and a dose of pragmatic optimism.
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