19% of Americans Disabled in 2010
According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau – Americans with Disabilities: 2010: 56.7 million Americans, 19% of the population, almost 1 in 5 people, had a disability in 2010. This number has increased by 2.2 million since the 2005 report, but the percentage has stayed the same.
However, the number and percentage of those who reported having a severe disability has increased which results in an increased need for assistance. A severe disability is based on the level of difficulty an individual has when performing a specific set of functional and participatory activities.
Findings included that:
- Adults aged 21 to 64 with disabilities had median monthly earnings of $1,961 compared to $2,724 for those without a disability;
- 41% of those age 21 to 64 with a disability were employed compared with 79% of those without a disability;
- 29% of those aged 15 to 64 with severe disabilities lived in poverty, compared to 18% of adults with nonsevere disabilities, and 14% of those with no disability; and
- Those with severe disabilities were also more likely to experience persistent poverty over a two-year period – 11% compared to 5% for those with nonsevere disabilities and 4% for those with no disabilities.
Click here to read the report.
