National Summary of the Data

 

 

Taken from the Justice For All Information Bulletin #186 (12/06)

* Nearly 15% of the population 5 years and over (i.e., 40 million people) have one or more disabilities.

* For the population 16-64 years, 12% of that population(i.e., nearly 23 million people) have one or more disabilities. Of all people 16-64 years, nearly 3% have a sensory disability, more than 7% have a physical disability, and 4.5% have a mental disability. [Remember people can have more than one type of disability and show up in two categories.]

* For the population 16-64 years, only 37.5% of the people with a disability are employed. That is, more than 14 million people with disabilities who are unemployed.

* For the population 65 years and over, 40.5% of that population (i.e., more than 14 million people) have one or more disabilities. Of all people over 65years, 16% have a sensory disability, 31% have physical disability, 11.5% have a mental disability, nearly 10% have a self-care disability, and 16.6% have a "go-outside-home disability."

* For the population 5 years and over who have one or more disabilities, 21.1% are below the poverty level (which is about $9,200 for a single person). That is, more than 8 million persons have a disability and are below the poverty level. Of all people 5 years and over who are below the poverty level, 18.7% have a sensory disability, 21% have a physical disability, and 26.4% have a mental disability.

* As a comparison, for the population 5 years and over with no
disability, 11.3% are below the poverty level, while for the
same age group with one or more disabilities, 21.1% are below the poverty level.