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Population Distribution
41.3 million: Number of people who have some level of disability. They represent 15 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population 5 and older.
By age —
6% of children 5 to 15 have disabilities.
12% of people 16 to 64 have disabilities.
41% of adults 65 and older have disabilities.
Specific Disabilities
1.8 million: Number of people 15 and older who report being unable to see.
1 million: Number of people 15 and older who report being unable to hear.
2.6 million: Number of people 15 and older who have some difficulty having their speech understood by others. Of this number, 610,000 were unable to have their speech understood at all.
14.3 million: Number of people with limitations in cognitive functioning, or who have a mental or emotional illness that interferes with daily activities, including those with Alzheimer's disease and mental retardation. This group comprises 6 percent of the population 15 and older.
On the Job
56% of people 21 to 64 having some type of disability who were employed in the past year.
Perceived Health Status
33% of people 25 to 64 who have a nonsevere disability and report their health as being "very good" or "excellent."
This compares with 13% of those with a severe disability and 73 percent of those without a disability.
Income and Poverty
$22,000 Median earnings for people with a nonsevere disability. This compares with $25,000 for those with no disability.
18% of people with a nonsevere disability with household incomes of $80,000 or more. By comparison, 26 percent of people without a disability had household incomes of $80,000 or more.
Education
33% of people 25 to 64 who had a nonsevere disability and were college graduates. This compares with 43 percent with no disability.
Plugged into the Net
36% and 29% of people 15 to 64 with a severe disability who use a computer and the Internet at home, respectively. The respective figures for those without a disability are 61 percent and 51 percent.
Serving Our Nation
2.7 million: Number of veterans who received compensation totaling $26.6 billion for service-connected disabilities in 2006.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 508 and Table 509 at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/.
