OCTOBER 2009 Disabilities in the Workplace National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a great opportunity to acknowledge disability in the workplace! Check out the statistics below! How many working-age people in the United States have a disability? About 32.1 million working-age people (or 18.7 percent of the population ages 15 to 64) have a disability. What percentage of people with a disability are employed? For people ages 21 to 64 with no disability, the likelihood of having a job or owning a business is 82.1 percent. The rate is 76.9 percent for individuals with a non-severe disability and 26.1 percent for those with a severe disability. How many people have a work limitation? About 16.2 million working-age people have a work limitation (10.5 percent of the population 15 to 64). How do the states differ in the numbers of people with a work disability? The five states with the highest percentage of working age persons are ranked as follows: West Virginia (12.6 percent) Kentucky (11.4 percent) Arkansas (11.2 percent) Mississippi (11 percent) and Louisiana (10.3 percent). Does labor force participation of people with a work disability differ by gender? Among working age men (16 to 64 years), only 32.3 percent of men with a work disability (2.7 million) were in the work force, compared to 89.1 percent of men with no work disability (68.2 million). Similarly, only 28.5 percent of women with a work disability (2.5 million) participate in the labor force, compared to 75.8 percent of women with no work disability (59.7 million). What are the median earnings of working people by disability status? The median monthly earnings of men with no disabilities is $2,190. Men with non-severe disabilities earned $1,857 and men with severe disabilities earned $1,262. Women with no disabilities earned $1,470. Women with non-severe disabilities earned $1,200 and those with severe disabilities, $1,000. What chronic health trends most frequently cause work limitation? It is estimated that almost 4 million people experience work limitations that primarily are caused by back disorders (21.1 percent). This is followed by heart disease (2.1 million people or 10.9 percent), osteoarthritis and related disorders (1.6 million people or 8.3 percent) and diseases of the respiratory system (1.1 million or 5.6 percent). Other top causes of work limitation include mental disorders (925,000 or 4.9 percent), orthopedic impairments of lower extremities (861,000 or 4.5 percent) and diabetes (624,000 or 3.3 percent). How is work limitation associated with race and ethnicity? In the working-age population 18 to 69, Native Americans report the highest percentage of limitation in work due to chronic conditions - 17.3 percent or 262,000 people. African Americans also have a high rate of limitation - 14.4 percent or 2.7 million people. Asian Americans reported the lowest levels of limitation - 5.7 percent or 311,000 persons. In comparison, white non-Hispanics reported work limitations of 11.6 percent or 14,261,000 people, white Hispanics reported 9.6 percent or 996,000 people and black Hispanics reported 15.7 percent or 60,000. These varying rates may be related to cultural, social, economical and geographical distinctions. How does work disability differ by age? Among people 16 to 24 years old, only 4.1 percent are work disabled, and in the 25 to 34 years old group, 5.5 percent have a work disability. For those between 35 and 44 years old, work disability increases to 9.1 percent. Between 45 and 54 years old, the work disability rate increases to 13.2 percent, and reaches 23.1 percent for the 55 to 64 years old group. How do employed adults with disabilities find their jobs? More than half (52 percent) of employed adults with disabilities found their jobs through personal contacts. The remaining found their jobs through help wanted ads (13 percent), mainstream employment services (five percent), programs for people with disabilities (five percent), educational placement service (three percent) and other means (21 percent).   SOURCE: Stoddard, S., Jans, L., Ripple, J. & Kraus, L. Chartbook on Work and Disability in the United States, 1998. An InfoUse Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Accessed via http://www.infouse.com/disabilitydata/workdisability/index.php. Disclaimer: Although we try to use the most credible sources, we are not responsible for any incorrect findings. Read more: September Statistics - Hispanic Americans August Statistics - Mixed-Race Americans July Statistics - Asian Indian Americans June Statistics - Caribbean Americans May Statistics - Asian/Pacific Americans in the U.S. "Census changes reflect diversity" By Elizabeth MacGillivray "Cultural insights: Everyone judges from experience" By Craig Storti Want more statistics on a variety of topics? Find more in the Cultural Diversity at Work Archive or the Diversity Statistics page

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