Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Employed, Age 18 to 64, 2016
Involvement in paid employment provides individuals with financial, social, and health-related advantages. We identified and compared the percentage of people age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities living in the community who are employed (this is known as the employment rate). This measure allows us to see that a much higher percentage of people without disabilities are employed (US Average is 75.4% with a range of 70.5% in Mississippi to 83.6% in North Dakota) than are people with disabilities (US average is 34.6% with a range of 26.0% in West Virginia to 52.1% in North Dakota). This employment disparity suggests that more people with disabilities than without disabilities may not be enjoying financial, social, and health-related advantages of paid employment. The employment rate for people with disabilities may be low due to lower educational attainment, individual and systemic barriers to employment, and discrimination. State employment percentages may vary due to local economies, policies, and services.
Click to skip over US state map to equivalent table
Data source. 2016, American Community Survey (ACS), 5 year Estimates. Table C18120, employment by disability status
Calculation. This percentage is calculated by dividing the number in each group (people with disabilities or people without disabilities) who are currently employed by the total population of each group.
Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Employed, Age 18 to 64 by region
Click on a state to view city data.
| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 34.6% | 75.4% |
| Alaska | 43.7% | 76.2% |
| Alabama | 27.6% | 71.7% |
| Arkansas | 30.5% | 73.6% |
| Arizona | 34.1% | 72.6% |
| California | 33.5% | 72.2% |
| Colorado | 41.5% | 78.6% |
| Connecticut | 39.2% | 77.8% |
| District of Columbia | 32.1% | 75.8% |
| Delaware | 35.6% | 76.1% |
| Florida | 30.9% | 73.4% |
| Georgia | 31.4% | 73.2% |
| Hawaii | 40.3% | 76.9% |
| Iowa | 45.2% | 82.1% |
| Idaho | 39.6% | 75.9% |
| Illinois | 35.3% | 76.0% |
| Indiana | 35.2% | 77.1% |
| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 42.1% | 79.7% |
| Kentucky | 27.8% | 74.3% |
| Louisiana | 32.7% | 72.9% |
| Massachusetts | 35.7% | 78.8% |
| Maryland | 40.1% | 78.7% |
| Maine | 32.5% | 79.6% |
| Michigan | 30.5% | 74.4% |
| Minnesota | 45.7% | 82.9% |
| Missouri | 33.9% | 77.8% |
| Mississippi | 27.4% | 70.5% |
| Montana | 40.5% | 77.5% |
| North Carolina | 31.9% | 74.4% |
| North Dakota | 52.1% | 83.6% |
| Nebraska | 46.5% | 83.3% |
| New Hampshire | 40.9% | 81.6% |
| New Jersey | 37.4% | 76.0% |
| New Mexico | 32.5% | 71.2% |
| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 40.1% | 74.3% |
| New York | 32.7% | 74.2% |
| Ohio | 34.4% | 76.9% |
| Oklahoma | 36.0% | 75.6% |
| Oregon | 36.6% | 74.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 34.7% | 76.5% |
| Rhode Island | 33.4% | 77.5% |
| South Carolina | 30.1% | 73.9% |
| South Dakota | 50.9% | 82.6% |
| Tennessee | 30.2% | 74.9% |
| Texas | 38.3% | 75.1% |
| Utah | 44.4% | 77.7% |
| Virginia | 37.7% | 77.6% |
| Vermont | 37.7% | 80.6% |
| Washington | 37.3% | 75.8% |
| Wisconsin | 40.1% | 81.0% |
| West Virginia | 26.0% | 70.6% |
| Wyoming | 49.1% | 79.7% |