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Disability Statistics

Online Resource for U.S. Disability Statistics
 

Frequently Asked Questions


What data source should I use?

Answer: Which data source you select depends on the information you wish to find. The Current Population Survey and the Census 2000 each have different strengths. Review the table below to determine which data source will be best for your needs.

TOPICDATA SOURCE
Type of Disability:
Work LimitationCPS
Sensory DisabilityCensus 2000
Physical DisabilityCensus 2000
Mental DisabilityCensus 2000
Self-Care DisabilityCensus 2000
  
Trends over time:CPS
  
Geographic levels:
NationalCPS or Census 2000
StateCPS or Census 2000
CountyCensus 2000
Congressional DistrictCensus 2000
Metropolitan Statistical AreaCensus 2000
American Indian / Alaskan Native /
Hawaiian Home areas		Census 2000
  
Age:
18 – 64CPS
5 – 15Census 2000
16 – 20Census 2000
21 – 64CPS or Census 2000
16 – 64Census 2000
  
Employment Measure:
Employment RateCPS or Census 2000
Labor Force Attachment RateCPS
  
Income:
Median Household IncomeCPS
Poverty RatesCPS
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I've heard that there are 54 million Americans living with a disability. Where does that number come from?

Answer: The estimate of 54 million is from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data. The following report describes the method used to construct this estimate:

McNeil, J. (2001). Americans with disabilities. Current Population Reports: Household studies, no. 1997. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p70-73.pdf>

The following is what that the McNeil (2001) report used to determine disability from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data. The report used a variety of different angles to try to get at disability that is quite different from the disability determination used in the Current Population Survey and the Decennial Census 2000.

Definitions of disability status, functional limitations, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) Individuals 15 years old and over were identified as having a disability if they met any of the following criteria:

  1. Used a wheelchair, a cane, crutches, or a walker
  2. Had difficulty performing one or more functional activities (seeing, hearing, speaking, lifting/carrying, using stairs, walking, or grasping small objects)
  3. Had difficulty with one or more activities of daily living. (The ADLs included getting around inside the home, getting in or out of bed or a chair, bathing, dressing, eating, and toileting.)
  4. Had difficulty with one or more instrumental activites of daily living. (The IADLs included going outside the home, keeping track of money and bills, preparing meals, doing light housework, taking prescription medicines in the right amount at the right time, and using the telephone.)
  5. Had one or more specified conditions (a learning disability, mental retardation or another developmental disability, Alzheimers disease, or some other type of mental or emotional condition)
  6. Had any other mental or emotional condition that seriously interfered with everyday activities (frequently depressed or anxious, trouble getting along with others, trouble concentrating, or trouble coping with day-to-day stress)
  7. Had a condition that limited the ability to work around the house
  8. If age 16 to 67, had a condition that made it difficult to work at a job or business
  9. Received federal benefits based on an inability to work

Individuals were considered to have a severe disability if they met criteria 1, 6, or 9; or had Alzheimers disease, or mental retardation or another developmental disability; or were unable to perform or needed help to perform one or more of the activities in criteria 2, 3, 4, 7, or 8. The disability questions that were asked as part of the SIPP wave 5 Topical Module can be found at the following Web site: http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/top_mod/1996/quests/folder.htm.

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Why do I find different estimates of the number or percentage of people with disabilities on this website?

Answer: There are several reasons for differences in reported numbers or percentages of people with disabilities, including different definitions of disability, changes in the disability questions used over time, different data sources, different year or times of the year, different age groups, and different base populations (i.e., civilians only, institutionalized population). Go to the Key Issues section for a broader discussion on defining disability, Data Source for the measures used in the different surveys, or the Glossary of this website to find a specific definition.

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Where can I get more Census 2000 information on disability?

Answer: The Census Bureau has many disability-related tables available on their website. However, many of these tables include an error, which affects both the overall disability numbers and the "go-outside disability" and "employment disability" categories. This error does not affect the statistics posted on DisabilityStatistics.org. Go to the Key Issues: Census 2000 enumerator issue section for a broad discussion of this error.

To access the Census 2000 disability-related summary tables from the Census Bureau:

  1. Go to American Factfinder.
  2. Click on the "Data sets" tab, currently located on the left hand side of the page.
  3. Click on the Decennial Census tab, located at the top of the page.
  4. Click on the "Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF3) - Sample Data" for most numbers, or "Census 2000 Summary File 4 (SF4) - Sample Data", which duplicates the SF3 file by specific racial/ethnic group.
  5. Select the product of interest from the list of options in the blue box to the right. (Detailed Tables, Quick Tables, or Thematic Maps)
  6. Select the geography of interest.
  7. From the top drop-down list, select a geographic type. (State, County, etc.)
  8. Using the series of lists, choose the exact area of interest, click "Add", and then click "Next".
  9. Select the map or table of interest.
  10. At the top of the page, you will see the word "Search". Click the button to the right, labeled "by subject". Use the drop-down box to select "Disability", and click the blue "Search" button. Now your choices for maps or tables will be limited to disability only.
  11. Select the map or table of interest, click "Add", and then click the "Show Result" button.
  12. The table or map you selected will appear. To change your geographical or table selection, click on either the "geography" or "tables" links. These links are located at the top of the page, just above the blue bar containing the links labeled "Options" and "Print/Download".
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What are the Annual Disability Status Reports?

The Annual Disability Status Reports provide policy makers, disability advocates, reporters, and the public with a summary of the most recent demographic and economic statistics on the working-age (ages 21-64) population with disabilities by state in the United States. They contain information on the population size, prevalence, employment, earnings, poverty, household income, home ownership, and activity limitations of working-age people with disabilities, as well as the composition of this population by age, race, gender, and educational attainment. Comparisons are made to working-age people without disabilities as well as across types of disabilities. Additional statistics by state are available at www.DisabilityStatistics.org.

The Status Reports look at the working-age population (21-64) because the employment gap between people with and without disabilities is a major focus of government programming and advocacy efforts. Furthermore, employment is a key factor in the social integration and economic self-sufficiency of working-age people with disabilities. Future Status Reports will address the school- and retirement-age populations and eventually expand to education and health-related issues.

The estimates in the 2005 Disability Status Reports are based on American Community Survey (ACS) data­a survey of the U.S. Census Bureau designed to replace the decennial census long form. In future years, we hope to add information derived from other data sources, such as the Current Population Survey (CPS) and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). See ACS User Guide for additional disability-related information in the ACS. A Census Bureau report, http://www.census.gov/acs/www/UseData/advance_copy_user_guide.pdf, provides a broader discussion of the ACS.

The estimates in these reports are based on responses from a sample of the population and may differ from actual values because of sampling variability or other factors. As a result, apparent differences between the estimates for two or more groups may not be statistically significant.

Download the 2006 Disability Status Reports from the home page

Why do the ACS numbers on this website differ from the Census Bureau?

According to the Census Bureau estimates from the ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file are expected to differ slightly from the ACS summary tables produced by the Census Bureau because they are subject to additional sampling error and further data processing operations. (See www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/2005/AccuracyPUMS.pdf).

Minor discrepancies may be due to one or more of the following reasons:

Sampling error

  • As a result of selecting the PUMS housing and person records through an additional stage of sampling
  • Census Bureau estimates are based on the full ACS sample including 1,924,246 households
  • Disability Statistics are based on the Census Bureau's ACS PUMS data files, which contains a sub-sample of 1,245,246 households (64.7% of the full ACS sample)

Census Bureau confidentiality edits to the Microdata file

  • To maintain the confidentiality of the data, the Census Bureau applies certain techniques to assure that published data do not disclose information about specific individuals, households, or housing units.

Population "universe" differences

  • Many Census Bureau table estimates are limited to the civilian population
  • DisabilityStatistics.org estimates do not include that limitation
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