Visual Essay: People with a Disability
People with a disability in 2012: a visual essay
Terence M. McMenamin
In 2008, six questions were added to the Current Population Survey (CPS) to identify people with a disability. The six disability-related questions were developed
through the efforts of multiple federal agencies and
disability experts over the course of several years. The
questions used by the CPS for measuring disability are
prefaced by the following:
This month we want to learn about people who have
physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer
for household members who are 15 years old or over.
This introduction is then followed by the six questions:
1. Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty
hearing?
2. Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty
seeing even when wearing glasses?
3. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty concentrating,
remembering, or making decisions?
4. Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
5. Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?
6. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition,
does anyone have difficulty doing errands alone such as
visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?
A response of yes to any of the six questions is required
to classify a person as having a disability.
The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a monthly
survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and
other characteristics of the nation’s civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over. The addition of
the disability-related questions made such data available for the first time specifically about people with a
disability. More information about the CPS disabilityrelated questions is available online at: http://www.bls.
gov/cps/cpsdisability_faq.htm.
This visual essay presents information on the employment status and other labor force characteristics
of people 16 years and over with a disability in 2012.
All of the charts present annual average data for 2012.
This essay was prepared by Terence M. McMenamin,
an economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics,
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Email: [email protected].
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
3
Visual Essay: People with a Disability
1. People with a disability are more likely to be ages 65 and over than people with no disability
[In percent]
65 years
and older
16 to 24
years
16 to 24
years
5.0
65 years
and older
13.5
17.4
45.7
49.3
25 to 64
years
People with a disability
69.1
25 to 64
years
People with no disability
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
In 2012, 45.7 percent of people with a disability were ages 65 or older; in contrast, only 13.5 percent of
people with no disability were in that age group.

Among people with a disability, the proportion ages 16 to 24 was 5.0 percent; in contrast, among people
with no disability, the proportion in that age group was 17.4 percent.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
2. Older people are considerably more likely than younger people to have a disability
Percent with
a disability
50
Percent with
a disability
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
16 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 to 69
70 to 74
75 and over
Ages
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The primary reason such a large proportion of those with a disability were 65 years and over is because the
likelihood of having a disability increases dramatically with age.

The proportion of people with a disability was around 5 percent or less for those below 45 years of age. This
proportion rose to about 10 percent among people ages 45 to 54 and continued increasing with age, rising
to 43 percent among those 75 years and over.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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Visual Essay: People with a Disability
3. Older people with a disability are more likely to be women
Portion
persons
a disability
who were women
Proportion of
of people
with awith
disability
who were women
Proportion
of
people
with
a
disability
who
were
men
Portion of persons with a disability who were men
Ages
75 and over
70 to 74
65 to 69
55 to 64
45 to 54
35 to 44
25 to 34
16 to 24
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percent
60
70
80
90
100
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
In older age groups, women tend to make up an increasingly large share of people with a disability. This
partly reflects the longer life expectancy of women.

Although the overall population of people 16 to 24 years of age was about evenly split between men and
women, nearly 3 out of every 5 people with a disability in this age group were men.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
4. Educational attainment is lower for people with a disability
Percent
100
90
15.8
80
70
24.8
60
50
40
36.7
30
10
Bachelor’s
degree
Bachelor's
and higher
degree and
higher
90
33.4
80
Some
Somecollege or
associate’s degree
college or
associate
degree
High
Highschool
school
graduates, no
graduates,
college
no college
Less than a high
Less
high
school
diploma
school diploma
20
Percent
100
70
60
26.8
50
40
30
29.2
20
22.8
10
10.6
0
0
With a disability
No disability
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 25 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 3 out of 5 people ages 25 and over with a disability had a high school education or less, whereas 3
out of 5 people in the same age group but with no disability either had a college degree or had attended
at least some college.

The proportion of people with a disability who did not graduate from high school—about 23 percent—
was more than twice as high as for people without a disability.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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Visual Essay: People with a Disability
55. At each level of educational attainment, people ages 25 and over with a disability have a lower labor force
participation rate than people with no disability
Labor force
participation rate
90
80
Labor force
participation rate
90
With
disability
With aa disability
No disability
No
disability
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Less than a high
school diploma
High school
graduates,
no college
Some college,
no degree
Associate’s
degree
Bachelor’s
degree
Advanced
degree
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 25 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
Labor force participation rates are higher among people with greater educational attainment regardless of
disability status. However, people with a disability had lower labor force participation rates at all levels of
educational attainment than did people with no disability.

In 2012, the labor force participation rate of people with a disability was highest for those who held an
advanced college degree—32.7 percent. This compares with a participation rate of 79.7 percent for those
with no disability who held an advanced degree.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
.6. Within each age group, people with a disability have a lower labor force participation rate than people
with no disability
Labor force
participation rate
90
Labor force
participation rate
90
80
70
With aa disability
disability
With
No disability
No
disability
Column1
Column2
80
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Total
16 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 to 69
70 to 74
75 and over
Ages
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Labor force participation for people with no disability was highest for those ages 25 to 54, with a large
decline among older age groups. In contrast, labor force participation for those with a disability was highest for 25- to 34-year-olds but declined steadily starting at age 35.

The labor force participation rates for people ages 65 and over were much lower than for people in younger
age groups, both for those with and for those without a disability; however, even among people ages 65
and over, there was a large difference between the labor force participation rates of those with a disability
and of those without.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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Visual Essay: People with a Disability
7. Within each major race and ethnicity group, people ages 16 to 64 with a disability are less likely to participate in
the labor force than people with no disability
Labor force
participation rate
90
Labor force
participation rate
90
80
Withaadisability
disability
With
No disability
disability
No
Column1
Column2
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Total
White
Black or African
American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity
NOTE: People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race. Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional
population ages 16 to 64.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
Regardless of race or ethnicity, people ages 16 to 64 with a disability were much less likely to participate
in the labor force than people with no disability; their labor force participation rates in 2012 were 31.6
percent and 76.5 percent, respectively.

The labor force participation rate for people with a disability who were White (33.6 percent) or Asian
(33.7 percent) was higher than for people with a disability who were Black (23.0 percent) or Hispanic
(28.0 percent).
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
8. The unemployment rate for people with a disability is higher than for people with no disability
Unemployment
rate
16
Unemployment
rate
16
14
Withaadisability
disability
With
disability
No disability
14
12
Column1
Column2
12
10
10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
Total, 16 years
and over
Men, 16 to 64
years
Women, 16 to 64
years
Total, 65 years
and over
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since 2008 when data on the labor force status of people with a disability first were collected, the unemployment rate for people with a disability has remained considerably higher than that for people with no
disability. In 2012, the unemployment rate for people with a disability was 13.4 percent, compared with
7.9 percent for those with no disability.

Similarly, among people ages 16 to 64, the unemployment rate in 2012 was much higher for those with a
disability. Men ages 16 to 64 with a disability had an unemployment rate of 14.5 percent, compared with
8.1 percent among those with no disability. Among women in this age group, those with a disability had
an unemployment rate about twice as high as those without a disability; their rates were 14.7 percent and
7.7 percent, respectively.

People ages 65 and over had lower unemployment rates than younger people, regardless of disability
status. The difference in the unemployment rates between those with and without a disability was less
pronounced than among younger people.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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Visual Essay: People with a Disability
9. Employed people with a disability are less likely than those with no disability to have managerial and
professional jobs and more likely to have production jobs
Management, professional,
and related occupations
Service occupations
Sales and office occupations
With a disability
With
a disability
No disability
No
disability
Natural resources, construction,
and maintenance occupations
Production, transportation, and
material moving occupations
0
10
20
30
Percent distribution of employed
people by occupation
40
50
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
Employed people 16 years and over with a disability were more likely in 2012 to work in production, transportation, and material moving occupations than were those with no disability (15.5 percent versus 11.8
percent). This pattern also held for service occupations (20.0 percent versus 17.8 percent).

Employed people with a disability were less likely than those with no disability to be in management,
professional, and related occupations—32.2 percent compared with 38.1 percent.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
10. Employed people ages 16 to 64 with a disability are more likely to work part time than people with no disability
Percent of
employed
100
Percent of
employed
100
90
90
80
80
70
70
Part time
Part
time
60
60
Full time
Full
time
50
50
Column1
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
With a disability
No disability
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2012, nearly 1 in 3 workers ages 16 to 64 with a disability usually worked part time—that is, less than
35 hours per week—compared with about 1 in 5 workers with no disability.

Employed people ages 65 and over with a disability were also more likely to usually work part time than
those with no disability.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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Visual Essay: People with a Disability
11. Employed people with a disability are more likely than those with no disability to work part time for
economic reasons
Percent of
employed
9
Percent of
employed
9
8
No
Witha disability
With
No disability
Column1
Column2
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
0
Total, 16 years
and over
Men, 16 to 64
years
Women, 16 to 64
years
Total, 65 years
and over
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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
People with a disability were more likely to work part time because of economic reasons than were people
with no disability—7.2 percent compared with 5.6 percent. Those who worked part time because their
hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job are classified as working part
time for economic reasons (also referred to as involuntary part time workers).

The difference was most pronounced among workers ages 16 to 64. Among workers ages 65 and over, the
incidence of involuntary part time work was about the same regardless of disability status.
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
12. Regardless of disability status, relatively few people not in the labor force are marginally attached to the labor
force
Percent of those not
in the labor force
8
Percent of those not
in the labor force
8
7
7
Other
Other marginally attached workers
6
Discouraged workers
Disc
6
5
Column3
5
Column2
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
0
With a
No
disability disability
Total, 16 years and over
With a
No
disability disability
Men, 16 to 64 years
With a
No
disability disability
Women, 16 to 64 years
With a
No
disability disability
Total, 65 years and over
NOTE: Data are 2012 annual averages for the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and over.
SOURCE: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Relatively few people not in the labor force—that is, people neither working nor actively looking for
work—showed some attachment to the labor market. Of those not in the labor force, only 1.0 percent of
people with a disability were classified as marginally attached to the labor force, compared with 3.5 percent
of people with no disability. People marginally attached to the labor force wanted to work, were available
for work, and had looked for a job at some point in the prior 12 months but not in the past 4 weeks.

People ages 65 and over who were marginally attached to the labor force accounted for less than 1 percent
of those not in the labor force regardless of disability status.

Some people who were marginally attached to the labor force were classified as discouraged workers. These
people suspended their job search for at least one of the following reasons: they think no work is available,
they could not find work, they lack schooling or training, employers think they are too young or old, or
other types of discrimination. Only a very small proportion of those not in the labor force were discouraged workers, whether they had a disability or not (0.3 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively).
Monthly Labor Review • April 2013
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