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Economic News Release
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Persons with a Disability: Barriers to Employment and Other Labor-Related Issues News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 30, 2022 			       USDL-22-0555

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps 
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


	PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY: BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT, TYPES OF ASSISTANCE,
	               AND OTHER LABOR-RELATED ISSUES -- JULY 2021              


In July 2021, 43.7 percent of persons with a disability who were not working reported 
some type of barrier to employment, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
This was down from 47.5 percent in July 2019, the last time the supplement was conducted.
A person's own disability, lack of education or training, the need for special features
at the job, and lack of transportation were among the barriers reported. Among persons
with a disability who were employed, over half experienced some difficulty completing 
their work duties because of their disability. 

This information was obtained from a supplement to the July 2021 Current Population 
Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on 
employment and unemployment in the United States. The July 2021 supplement, sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office, collected information about 
barriers to employment, prior work experience, career and financial assistance, 
requested changes to the workplace, and related topics for persons with a disability. 
This supplement was conducted twice before, in May 2012 and July 2019. Data in this news
release reflect the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor market. 
For more information about the disability supplement, see the Technical Note.

Selected Characteristics of Persons with a Disability

In July 2021, 32.2 million persons in the civilian noninstitutional population age 16
and over had a disability. Persons with a disability tend to be older than those with no
disability, reflecting the increased incidence of disability with age. In July 2021, 
49.6 percent of persons with a disability were age 65 and over, compared with 17.5 
percent of those with no disability. (See table 1.)

Women made up a greater proportion of persons with a disability than men in July 2021 
(53.8 percent, compared with 46.2 percent), partly reflecting the greater life 
expectancy of women. 

By educational attainment, 21.1 percent of persons age 25 and over with a disability had
a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 41.0 percent for persons with no disability.

In July 2021, 19.4 percent of persons with a disability were employed, which was less 
than one-third of the employment-population ratio for persons with no disability (64.9 
percent). In part, this reflects the older age profile of persons with a disability. 
However, the employment-population ratio was much lower among persons with a disability 
for all age groups.

Barriers to Employment

In July 2021, 43.7 percent of those with a disability who were not employed (that is, 
persons who were either unemployed or not in the labor force) reported at least one 
barrier to employment. This was 3.8 percentage points lower than the proportion in July
2019 (47.5 percent). When asked to identify barriers they had encountered, most reported
that their own disability was a barrier to employment in July 2021 (78.9 percent). Other
barriers cited included lack of education or training (12.0 percent), the need for 
special features at the job (10.5 percent), and lack of transportation (10.3 percent).
(See tables 2 and 3.)

Among those who were not employed, a greater proportion of persons ages 16 to 64 reported
a barrier to employment in July 2021 than did those age 65 and over (67.9 percent and 
26.1 percent, respectively). This may reflect the fact that older workers are, in general,
less likely to participate in the labor force. Men with a disability who were not employed
were more likely to report a barrier to employment than their female counterparts (45.5
percent versus 42.3 percent). 

Among persons with a disability age 25 and over, 31.0 percent of persons with a bachelor's
degree or higher who were not employed reported a barrier to employment, compared with 
50.4 percent of those with less than a high school diploma. 

For all major demographic groups, the share of not employed persons with a disability who
reported a barrier to employment was lower in July 2021 than in July 2019.

Prior Work Experience

Among persons with a disability who were not in the labor force in July 2021 (that is,
neither employed nor unemployed), 87.1 percent had worked previously. This figure is lower
than in July 2019 (88.6 percent). A person's disability status was established at the time
of the survey; their previous work experience may have occurred at a time when they did 
not have a disability. (See table 4.)

In July 2021, women with a disability who were not in the labor force were more likely 
than their male counterparts to have worked previously (87.9 percent versus 86.1 percent).

The proportion of persons with a disability who were not in the labor force but had prior
work experience increased with age. In July 2021, 21.1 percent of persons ages 16 to 24 
had worked before, compared with 97.3 percent of those age 65 and over.

Individuals with a disability who had higher levels of educational attainment were more
likely to have had work experience. Of those age 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or
higher, 96.3 percent had worked before, compared with 83.5 percent of those with less than
a high school diploma.

Career Assistance Programs

In July 2021, 5.7 percent of persons with a disability reported using some type of career
assistance program within the past 5 years to help them prepare for work or advance on 
the job. This figure is down from 6.5 percent in July 2019. Career assistance sources 
include State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and other job assistance programs. 
(See table 5.)

Persons with a disability who were unemployed (that is, actively looking for work) at the
time of the survey were more likely than those who were employed or not in the labor 
force to have used some type of career assistance. In July 2021, 24.0 percent of 
unemployed persons with a disability reported using a career assistance program, compared
with 7.9 percent of employed persons with a disability and 4.5 percent of those not in 
the labor force.

Persons with a disability ages 16 to 64 were much more likely to have used a career
assistance program than those age 65 and over (9.6 percent versus 1.8 percent).

Financial Assistance Programs

In July 2021, 56.8 percent of persons with a disability received financial assistance 
within the past year from one or more of the following sources: Workers Compensation, 
Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Disability 
compensation, disability insurance payments, Medicaid, Medicare, and other payments or
programs. (See table 6.)

Among persons with a disability in July 2021, those who were employed were least likely to
have received some type of financial assistance within the past year (23.8 percent). Of 
those with a disability who were unemployed, 48.5 percent received assistance from at 
least one of the financial assistance programs listed above, compared with 65.3 percent 
for those not in the labor force. (Differences in use of financial assistance among those 
with a disability reflect a variety of factors such as age, work history, or program 
eligibility requirements.)

Some financial assistance programs include work limitations in order to establish or 
maintain program eligibility. In July 2021, 93.4 percent of those who received financial 
assistance within the past year reported that the program(s) they used did not cause them 
to work less than they otherwise would have. This figure is up from 91.7 percent in July
2019.

Difficulty Completing Work Duties

More than half of employed persons with a disability reported that their disability caused
some difficulty in completing their current work duties in July 2021--28.5 percent 
reported a little difficulty in completing work duties, 20.4 percent reported moderate 
difficulty, and 6.9 percent reported severe difficulty. In July 2021, 44.2 percent of 
employed persons with a disability had no difficulty completing their current work duties.
(See table 7.)

Among employed persons with a disability, those age 65 and over were less likely to report
that they had some difficulty completing their work duties than were those ages 16 to 64--
47.5 percent versus 57.4 percent. In July 2021, 59.7 percent of women and 52.4 percent of 
men reported some difficulty completing work duties due to their disability.

Requesting Changes in the Workplace

According to the July 2021 data, employed persons with a disability were more likely to 
have requested a change in their current workplace to do their job better than were those 
with no disability (14.5 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively). Such changes included new
or modified equipment; physical changes to the workplace; policy changes to the workplace;
changes in work tasks, job structure, or schedule; changes in communication or information
sharing; changes to comply with religious beliefs; accommodations for family or personal 
obligations; training; or other changes. Among workers with a disability, 15.6 percent of 
those ages 16 to 64 had requested a change in their current workplace, compared with 8.4 
percent of those age 65 and over. (See table 8.)  

Regardless of disability status, requests for changes to work tasks, job structure, or 
schedule and requests for new or modified equipment were most common. (See table 9.)

In July 2021, persons with a disability who asked for a change in their current workplace
were about as likely to have requested physical changes to the workplace as were those 
with no disability (13.9 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively). 

Commute

In July 2021, 73.1 percent of persons with a disability used their own vehicle for their
commute to work, compared with 77.8 percent for persons with no disability. For persons
with and without a disability, other commuting methods were used much less often; these 
methods included riding in a friend or family member's car, taking a bus, walking, and 
taking the train or subway. (See table 10.)

Work at Home

In July 2021, 30.9 percent of employed persons with a disability did at least some work at
home as part of their job, up from 26.3 percent in July 2019. Among those with no 
disability, 30.7 percent of employed persons did some work at home in July 2021, up from 
23.0 percent in July 2019. These increases likely reflect the impact of the coronavirus 
(COVID-19) pandemic, which resulted in an increased incidence of telework. (See table 11.)

Older workers (age 65 and over) with a disability were more likely to do at least some 
work at home in July 2021 than were those ages 16 to 64 (38.1 percent and 29.6 percent, 
respectively). Employed women with a disability were more likely to work at home than 
employed men with a disability (35.7 percent and 26.8 percent, respectively). 

Persons with a disability who had higher educational attainment were more likely to do at 
least some work at home. In July 2021, among persons with a disability age 25 and over, 
those with a bachelor's degree or higher were more than 9 times as likely to do some work
at home as those with less than a high school diploma (55.9 percent and 6.0 percent, 
respectively). 

In July 2021, 12.5 percent of persons with a disability and 13.1 percent of those without
a disability reported they worked mostly or entirely from home. Both figures were up from
their pre-pandemic figures in July 2019, by 4.6 percentage points and 8.4 percentage 
points, respectively. (See table 10.)

Flexible Work Hours

Employed persons with a disability were more likely than those with no disability to have
flexible work schedules in July 2021 (45.4 percent and 38.4 percent, respectively). These
workers reported that they had flexible work hours that allowed them to vary the time 
they began or ended work. Both figures are about the same as in July 2019. (See table 12.)

In July 2021, 57.9 percent of workers with a disability age 65 and over had flexible work
schedules, compared with 43.1 percent of those ages 16 and 64. Men and women with 
disabilities were about equally likely to have flexible work hours.

Regardless of disability status, the likelihood of having a flexible work schedule was
higher for persons with a bachelor's degree or higher than for those with less education.

Temporary Jobs

In July 2021, 5.4 percent of employed persons with a disability held jobs that were 
temporary, compared with 4.1 percent of those with no disability. These workers expected
their job to last only for a limited time or until the completion of a project. 
(See table 13.)




Technical Note
 
The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the July 2021 Current 
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 eligible 
households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other
characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. 
The July 2021 supplement was designed to gather data in several specific areas related
to the employment situation of persons with disabilities. The collection of these data
was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to
access telecommunications relay services.

Definitions and concepts from the monthly CPS

Disability status. The monthly CPS uses a set of six questions to identify persons with
disabilities. In the CPS, persons are classified as having a disability if there is a
response of "yes" to any of these questions. Persons who respond "no" to all of these
questions are classified as having no disability. The disability questions are as
follows.

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
all household members who are 15 years old or over. 

   --Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing?

   --Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing
     glasses?

   --Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious
     difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

   --Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

   --Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?

   --Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty
     doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?

The CPS questions for identifying individuals with disabilities are only asked of 
household members who are age 15 and older. Each of the questions asks the respondent 
whether anyone in the household has the condition described, and if the respondent 
replies "yes," they are then asked to identify everyone in the household who has the 
condition. Labor force measures from the CPS are tabulated for persons age 16 and 
older. More information on the disability questions and the merits and limitations of
the CPS disability data is available on the BLS website at 
www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability_faq.htm.

Labor force status. Employed persons are all those who, during the survey reference 
week, (a) did any work at all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, 
profession, or on their own farm; or (c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in
a family member's business. Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs because
of illness, vacation, labor dispute, or another reason also are counted as employed.

Unemployed persons are those who had no employment during the reference week, were 
available for work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find employment 
sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons who were
waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not have been
looking for work to be classified as unemployed.

Civilian labor force comprises all persons classified as employed or unemployed.

Unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed persons as a percent of the 
civilian labor force.

Not in the labor force includes all persons who are not classified as employed or 
unemployed.

Not employed includes persons who were unemployed or not in the labor force. 

Additional information on the concepts and methodology of the CPS is available on 
the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

Selected questions and concepts from the July 2021 supplement

Barriers to employment. This information was obtained from responses to a question 
asked of persons with a disability who were not employed (that is, either unemployed 
or not in the labor force). Respondents were classified as having a barrier to 
employment if they answered "yes" to one or more of the response options in the 
following question.

 The purpose of this next question is to identify barriers to employment faced by 
 persons with difficulties. Do you consider any of the following a barrier to 
 employment for you?
   1.  Lack of education or training
   2.  Lack of job counseling
   3.  Lack of transportation
   4.  Loss of government assistance
   5.  Need for special features at the job
   6.  Employer or coworker attitudes
   7.  Your difficulty (hearing/seeing/concentrating, remembering, or making 
       decisions/walking or climbing stairs/dressing or bathing/doing errands alone)
   8.  Other


Prior work experience. This information was obtained from answers to the following 
question, which was asked of persons with a disability who were not employed and had 
not already reported working before.

 Have you ever worked for pay at a job or business?
   1.  Yes
   2.  No


Career assistance. Persons with a disability were asked the following question to 
determine whether they had received certain types of career assistance. Individuals 
could give multiple responses.

 The purpose of this next question is to find out if you have taken advantage of any
 of the following sources that help people prepare for work or advance on the job.
 In the past 5 years, have you received assistance from:
   1.  State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies
   2.  One-Stop Career Centers
   3.  Ticket to Work program
   4.  Assistive Technology Act program
   5.  Center for Independent Living for individuals with disabilities
   6.  Client Assistance Program
   7.  Any other employment assistance program


Financial assistance. This information was obtained from responses to two questions.
All persons were asked the following question and could give multiple responses.

 There are a variety of programs designed to provide financial assistance to people.
 In the past year, did you receive assistance from any of the following programs?
   1.  Workers' Compensation
   2.  Social Security Disability Income
   3.  Supplemental Security Income
   4.  Veterans Disability Compensation
   5.  Disability insurance payments
   6.  Other disability payments
   7.  Medicaid
   8.  Medicare
   9.  Other program

The following question was asked only of persons who indicated in the above question
that they received assistance from one or more programs.

 Some financial assistance programs include limitations on the amount of work you can
 do. Did this program cause you to work less than you would otherwise?
   1.  Yes
   2.  No


Level of disability-related difficulty in completing work duties. This information was
obtained from answers to the following question, which was asked of employed persons 
with a disability.

 Previously, you mentioned that you had difficulty (hearing/seeing/concentrating, 
 remembering, or making decisions/walking or climbing stairs/dressing or bathing/doing
 errands alone). How has this difficulty affected your ability to complete current work
 duties? Would you say this has caused no difficulty, a little difficulty, moderate 
 difficulty, or severe difficulty?
   1.  No difficulty
   2.  A little difficulty
   3.  Moderate difficulty
   4.  Severe difficulty


Requested changes in the current workplace. This information was obtained from answers
to two questions. The first, asked of all employed persons, was as follows.

 Have you ever requested any change in your current workplace to help you do your 
 job better?  For example, changes in work policies, equipment, or schedules.
   1.  Yes
   2.  No

The following question was asked only of persons who responded "yes" to the above 
question. Individuals could identify multiple changes.  

 What changes did you request?
   1.  New or modified equipment
   2.  Physical changes to the workplace
   3.  Policy changes to the workplace
   4.  Changes in work tasks, job structure, or schedule
   5.  Changes in communication or information sharing
   6.  Changes to comply with religious beliefs
   7.  Accommodations for family or personal obligations
   8.  Training
   9.  Other changes

Typical commute to work. This information was obtained from responses to the following
question, which was asked of all employed persons. Individuals could identify multiple
commuting methods.

 How do you typically commute to work?
   1.  Bus
   2.  Specialized bus or van service for people with disabilities
   3.  Train/subway
   4.  Taxi
   5.  Own vehicle
   6.  Passenger in a friend or family member's car
   7.  Carpool
   8.  Bicycle
   9.  Walk
   10. Other
   11. Work from home


Work at home. This information was obtained from two questions. First, persons who 
answered "work from home" to the question regarding their typical commute to work were
included among those who work at home. In addition, the following question was asked 
of all remaining employed persons.

 Do you do any work at home for your job or business?
   1.  Yes
   2.  No


Flexible work hours. All employed persons were asked the following question to 
determine whether they have flexible work hours at their current job.

 Do you have flexible work hours that allow you to vary or make changes in the time 
 you begin and end work?
   1.  Yes
   2.  No


Temporary jobs. All employed persons were asked the following question to determine
if their jobs were temporary.

 Some people are in temporary jobs that last only for a limited time or until the 
 completion of a project. Is your job temporary?
   1.  Yes
   2.  No


Comparability of the estimates

The concepts of barriers to employment, prior work experience, career and financial
assistance, and other labor-related issues for persons with a disability used in 
the July 2021 survey are the same as those used in July 2019 and May 2012, the two
times the supplement was previously fielded. The questions used to identify these
workers were essentially the same as in previous collections.

However, there are a few issues that could affect the comparability of these 
estimates from previous years. For example, changes in the demographic 
characteristics of people with disabilities can complicate comparisons of data over
time. In addition, the 2012 supplement was collected in May, and the more recent 
supplements were collected in July. 

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. 
When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance 
that the sample estimates may differ from the true population values they represent.
The component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is 
known as sampling error, and its variability is measured by the standard error of 
the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an 
estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the
true population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 
conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The monthly CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can
occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population,
inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or 
unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the
collection or processing of the data.

General information on the reliability of data from the CPS is available at 
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.




Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by disability status and selected characteristics, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Civilian noninsti-
tutional
population
Civilian labor force Not in labor
force
Total Participation
rate
Employed Unemployed
Total Percent of
population
Total Rate

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

261,469 164,660 63.0 154,946 59.3 9,714 5.9 96,809

Men

126,499 87,648 69.3 82,640 65.3 5,009 5.7 38,851

Women

134,970 77,012 57.1 72,306 53.6 4,706 6.1 57,958

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over

32,220 7,174 22.3 6,259 19.4 915 12.8 25,046

Men

14,898 3,821 25.6 3,360 22.6 460 12.1 11,077

Women

17,322 3,353 19.4 2,899 16.7 454 13.6 13,969

Age

16 to 64 years

16,242 6,061 37.3 5,278 32.5 782 12.9 10,182

16 to 24 years

1,906 788 41.3 621 32.6 167 21.2 1,118

25 to 34 years

2,170 1,120 51.6 933 43.0 187 16.7 1,050

35 to 44 years

2,367 1,096 46.3 954 40.3 142 12.9 1,272

45 to 54 years

3,387 1,264 37.3 1,127 33.3 137 10.8 2,123

55 to 64 years

6,411 1,793 28.0 1,643 25.6 150 8.4 4,618

65 years and over

15,978 1,113 7.0 981 6.1 132 11.9 14,864

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over

30,314 6,386 21.1 5,638 18.6 748 11.7 23,928

Less than a high school diploma

4,939 488 9.9 390 7.9 98 20.1 4,451

High school graduates, no college(1)

10,676 1,872 17.5 1,605 15.0 267 14.3 8,805

Some college or associate degree

8,314 1,946 23.4 1,782 21.4 163 8.4 6,369

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

6,384 2,081 32.6 1,860 29.1 220 10.6 4,303

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over

229,250 157,486 68.7 148,687 64.9 8,799 5.6 71,763

Men

111,601 83,827 75.1 79,279 71.0 4,548 5.4 27,774

Women

117,648 73,659 62.6 69,408 59.0 4,251 5.8 43,990

Age

16 to 64 years

189,022 148,913 78.8 140,518 74.3 8,394 5.6 40,109

16 to 24 years

35,344 22,182 62.8 19,975 56.5 2,207 10.0 13,162

25 to 34 years

42,591 36,410 85.5 34,178 80.2 2,232 6.1 6,180

35 to 44 years

39,501 33,807 85.6 32,247 81.6 1,560 4.6 5,695

45 to 54 years

36,100 30,865 85.5 29,642 82.1 1,223 4.0 5,235

55 to 64 years

35,486 25,649 72.3 24,477 69.0 1,172 4.6 9,837

65 years and over

40,227 8,574 21.3 8,168 20.3 405 4.7 31,654

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over

193,905 135,304 69.8 128,712 66.4 6,592 4.9 58,602

Less than a high school diploma

14,903 8,525 57.2 7,762 52.1 763 8.9 6,378

High school graduates, no college(1)

50,604 32,177 63.6 30,221 59.7 1,956 6.1 18,427

Some college or associate degree

48,965 34,269 70.0 32,473 66.3 1,796 5.2 14,696

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

79,434 60,333 76.0 58,256 73.3 2,077 3.4 19,101

Footnotes
(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: These estimates, which come from a special supplemental survey, may differ slightly from previously published estimates for July 2021 that come from the regular monthly labor force survey.


Table 2. Persons with a disability who were not employed by age, sex, educational attainment, prior work experience, and barrier to employment, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Not employed(1) Percent distribution
Total Barrier No barrier Total Barrier No barrier

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

25,961 11,356 14,054 100.0 43.7 54.1

16 to 64 years

10,964 7,446 3,241 100.0 67.9 29.6

65 years and over

14,997 3,909 10,812 100.0 26.1 72.1

Men

11,538 5,254 6,046 100.0 45.5 52.4

Women

14,423 6,102 8,008 100.0 42.3 55.5

Total, 25 years and over

24,676 10,521 13,615 100.0 42.6 55.2

Less than a high school diploma

4,549 2,294 2,155 100.0 50.4 47.4

High school graduates, no college(2)

9,072 3,943 4,922 100.0 43.5 54.3

Some college or associate degree

6,532 2,882 3,473 100.0 44.1 53.2

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

4,524 1,401 3,066 100.0 31.0 67.8

Never worked(4)

3,307 2,184 1,048 100.0 66.0 31.7

Footnotes
(1) Persons who are not employed include both the unemployed and those not in the labor force (neither working nor looking for work). Employed persons were not asked about barriers to employment.
(2) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(3) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
(4) This estimate represents all persons with a disability who have never worked. It includes both unemployed persons and persons not in the labor force.

NOTE: Persons with a disability were able to report more than one barrier to employment. Data may not sum to total because some persons did not respond to the question identifying barriers to employment. Barriers to employment include: lack of education or training, lack of job counseling, lack of transportation, loss of government assistance, need for special features at the job, employer or coworker attitudes, own disability, and other.


Table 3. Persons with a disability who were not employed by age, sex, educational attainment, prior work experience, and type of barrier to employment, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total not
employed(1)
with a
barrier to
employment
Percent of total by type of barrier
Lack of
education
or training
Lack of job
counseling
Lack of
transpor-tation
Loss of
government assistance
Need for
special
features at
the job
Employer
or
coworker
attitudes
Own
disability
Other

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

11,356 12.0 5.2 10.3 4.0 10.5 8.4 78.9 19.5

16 to 64 years

7,446 13.1 6.3 11.6 4.9 12.5 10.4 81.5 17.5

65 years and over

3,909 9.9 3.1 7.7 2.2 6.7 4.5 73.9 23.4

Men

5,254 12.9 6.1 9.4 4.1 10.8 9.3 80.5 18.0

Women

6,102 11.2 4.4 11.0 3.9 10.2 7.6 77.5 20.9

Total, 25 years and over

10,521 11.6 4.8 9.9 4.0 10.2 8.1 78.7 19.7

Less than a high school diploma

2,294 23.3 8.6 13.0 4.8 8.2 7.9 73.0 23.6

High school graduates, no college(2)

3,943 9.9 4.7 8.8 3.2 10.1 6.9 80.2 18.3

Some college or associate degree

2,882 7.8 3.0 10.3 4.3 12.4 8.9 79.3 19.6

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

1,401 4.8 2.4 6.7 4.4 9.5 9.9 82.3 17.7

Never worked(4)

2,184 10.9 4.3 7.0 2.9 6.5 3.7 77.5 23.6

Footnotes
(1) Persons who are not employed include both the unemployed and those not in the labor force (neither working nor looking for work). Employed persons were not asked about barriers to employment.
(2) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(3) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
(4) This estimate represents all persons with a disability who have never worked. It includes both unemployed persons and persons not in the labor force.

NOTE: Percents may sum to more than 100 percent because persons with a disability were able to report more than one barrier to employment.


Table 4. Persons with a disability who were not in the labor force by sex, age, educational attainment, and prior work experience, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Not in the labor force Percent distribution
Total Previously
worked
Never
worked(1)
Total Previously
worked
Never
worked(1)

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over

25,046 21,818 3,228 100.0 87.1 12.9

Men

11,077 9,539 1,538 100.0 86.1 13.9

Women

13,969 12,279 1,690 100.0 87.9 12.1

Age

16 to 64 years

10,182 7,351 2,831 100.0 72.2 27.8

16 to 24 years

1,118 236 882 100.0 21.1 78.9

25 to 34 years

1,050 514 536 100.0 49.0 51.0

35 to 44 years

1,272 822 449 100.0 64.7 35.3

45 to 54 years

2,123 1,724 400 100.0 81.2 18.8

55 to 64 years

4,618 4,054 564 100.0 87.8 12.2

65 years and over

14,864 14,468 397 100.0 97.3 2.7

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over

23,928 21,582 2,346 100.0 90.2 9.8

Less than a high school diploma

4,451 3,717 734 100.0 83.5 16.5

High school graduates, no college(2)

8,805 7,740 1,064 100.0 87.9 12.1

Some college or associate degree

6,369 5,982 387 100.0 93.9 6.1

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

4,303 4,143 160 100.0 96.3 3.7

Footnotes
(1) This estimate does not represent all persons with a disability who have never worked. It excludes a small number of unemployed persons who have never worked before.
(2) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(3) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.


Table 5. Persons with a disability who received career assistance in the past 5 years by current employment status, prior work experience, and age, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Persons
with a
disability
Received career assistance(1)
Number Percent of
persons
with a
disability

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

32,220 1,850 5.7

Employed

6,259 495 7.9

Unemployed

915 220 24.0

Not in the labor force

25,046 1,135 4.5

Previously worked

21,818 900 4.1

Never worked(2)

3,228 235 7.3

Total, 16 to 64 years

16,242 1,567 9.6

Employed

5,278 467 8.9

Unemployed

782 210 26.8

Not in the labor force

10,182 889 8.7

Previously worked

7,351 660 9.0

Never worked(2)

2,831 230 8.1

Total, 65 years and over

15,978 283 1.8

Employed

981 27 2.8

Unemployed

132 10 7.6

Not in the labor force

14,864 246 1.7

Previously worked

14,468 240 1.7

Never worked(2)

397 6 1.5

Footnotes
(1) Career assistance programs include: Vocational Rehabilitation Centers, One-Stop Career Centers, Ticket to Work program, Assistive Technology Act program, Center for Independent Living for individuals with disabilities, Client Assistance Program, and other.
(2) This estimate does not represent all persons with a disability who have never worked. It excludes a small number of unemployed persons who have never worked before.

NOTE: Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


Table 6. Persons with a disability who used a financial assistance program in the past year by age, employment status, usual full- or part-time status, and program limitation on work, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total Persons who used a financial assistance program
Total Percent of
total
Percent of persons who used a
financial assistance program
Total Worked
less
because
of
program(1)
Did not
work less
because
of
program(1)

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

32,220 18,296 56.8 100.0 5.7 93.4

16 to 64 years

16,242 8,317 51.2 100.0 9.9 89.0

65 years and over

15,978 9,979 62.5 100.0 2.2 97.0

Employed

6,259 1,491 23.8 100.0 11.9 87.0

Usually work full time

4,570 785 17.2 100.0 7.8 90.7

Usually work part time

1,689 706 41.8 100.0 16.4 82.9

Unemployed

915 443 48.5 100.0 12.9 87.1

Not in the labor force

25,046 16,361 65.3 100.0 4.9 94.1

Footnotes
(1) Persons with a disability were able to report more than one financial assistance program, and the report of a limitation could refer to any of the assistance programs used. Data may not sum to total because some persons did not respond to the question on work limitation.

NOTE: Full time is 35 hours or more per week; part time is less than 35 hours. Financial assistance programs include: Workers' Compensation, Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Disability Compensation, disability insurance payments, Medicaid, Medicare, and other payments or programs.


Table 7. Employed persons with a disability by age, sex, and level of disability-related difficulty in completing current work duties, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total
employed
Percent of total employed by level of difficulty
Total No difficulty A little
difficulty
Moderate
difficulty
Severe
difficulty

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

6,259 100.0 44.2 28.5 20.4 6.9

16 to 64 years

5,278 100.0 42.6 29.7 20.5 7.2

65 years and over

981 100.0 52.5 22.5 19.6 5.4

Men

3,360 100.0 47.6 28.2 18.9 5.3

Women

2,899 100.0 40.3 28.9 22.1 8.7

Table 8. Employed persons who requested a change in their current workplace to help them do their job better by age, sex, and disability status, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total
employed
Requested a change in current workplace
Total Percent
of total
employed

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

154,946 10,931 7.1

16 to 64 years

145,796 10,406 7.1

65 years and over

9,149 525 5.7

Men

82,640 5,134 6.2

Women

72,306 5,797 8.0

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

6,259 905 14.5

16 to 64 years

5,278 823 15.6

65 years and over

981 82 8.4

Men

3,360 374 11.1

Women

2,899 530 18.3

Persons with no disability

Total, 16 years and over

148,687 10,026 6.7

16 to 64 years

140,518 9,584 6.8

65 years and over

8,168 443 5.4

Men

79,279 4,760 6.0

Women

69,408 5,266 7.6

NOTE: Data on people who requested a change in their current workplace are restricted to those who also provided a response about the type of change requested. A relatively small number of people who did not specify the type of change requested are excluded from these estimates.


Table 9. Employed persons who requested a change in their current workplace to help them do their job better by age, sex, disability status, and type of change requested, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total who
requested a
change in
current
workplace
Percent of total by type of change requested
New or
modified
equipment
Physical
changes
to the
workplace
Policy
changes
to the
workplace
Work
tasks, job
structure, or
schedule
Changes in
communi-
cation or
information
sharing
Changes to
comply with
religious
beliefs
Accommo-
dations for
family or
personal
obligations
Training Other

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

10,931 37.6 13.1 18.7 40.2 14.6 1.1 13.1 9.2 15.4

16 to 64 years

10,406 37.9 12.9 18.5 40.3 14.5 1.0 13.1 9.5 15.5

65 years and over

525 31.5 17.9 21.4 37.6 18.5 2.3 13.3 4.2 14.4

Men

5,134 43.0 13.4 19.8 37.5 15.4 1.0 11.9 9.9 15.0

Women

5,797 32.8 12.8 17.6 42.6 14.0 1.2 14.2 8.6 15.9

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

905 32.3 13.9 12.3 43.2 13.0 0.5 10.4 9.1 19.9

16 to 64 years

823 31.6 13.2 12.4 45.2 14.2 0.6 11.5 9.5 19.9

65 years and over

82 39.0 21.3 10.9 23.6 1.2 - - 5.3 20.2

Men

374 38.2 10.8 9.9 34.2 9.3 - 6.1 9.2 26.5

Women

530 28.1 16.1 13.9 49.6 15.7 0.9 13.5 9.1 15.2

Persons with no disability

Total, 16 years and over

10,026 38.1 13.0 19.2 39.9 14.8 1.1 13.4 9.3 15.0

16 to 64 years

9,584 38.5 12.8 19.0 39.9 14.5 1.0 13.3 9.5 15.1

65 years and over

443 30.1 17.3 23.3 40.2 21.7 2.8 15.7 4.0 13.3

Men

4,760 43.4 13.6 20.6 37.7 15.9 1.1 12.3 10.0 14.1

Women

5,266 33.3 12.5 18.0 41.9 13.8 1.2 14.3 8.6 15.9

NOTE: Data on people who requested a change in their current workplace are restricted to those who also provided a response about the type of change requested. A relatively small number of people who did not specify the type of change requested are excluded from these estimates. Percents may sum to more than 100 percent because employed persons may have requested more than one change. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


Table 10. Employed persons by typical commute to work and disability status, July 2021 [Percent distribution]
Characteristic Total Persons with a
disability
Persons with
no disability

Total employed (in thousands)

154,946 6,259 148,687

Percent of employed persons by commute method

Total employed

100.0 100.0 100.0

Bus

1.8 2.6 1.7

Specialized bus or van service for people with disabilities

0.1 0.7 0.1

Train/subway

1.7 0.8 1.8

Taxi

0.3 0.1 0.3

Own vehicle

77.6 73.1 77.8

Passenger in a friend or family member's car

2.4 4.8 2.3

Carpool

1.0 0.9 1.0

Bicycle

0.6 0.6 0.6

Walk

1.8 2.6 1.8

Other

2.0 3.0 1.9

Work from home

13.1 12.5 13.1

NOTE: The percent using each commuting method may sum to more than 100 percent because employed persons may have reported more than one method.


Table 11. Employed persons who worked at home by age, sex, educational attainment, and disability status, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total
employed
Worked at home
Number Percent of
total
employed

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

154,946 47,611 30.7

16 to 64 years

145,796 44,061 30.2

65 years and over

9,149 3,550 38.8

Men

82,640 23,507 28.4

Women

72,306 24,104 33.3

Total, 25 years and over

134,350 45,475 33.8

Less than a high school diploma

8,152 607 7.4

High school graduates, no college(1)

31,826 4,394 13.8

Some college or associate degree

34,255 8,701 25.4

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

60,116 31,773 52.9

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

6,259 1,937 30.9

16 to 64 years

5,278 1,563 29.6

65 years and over

981 374 38.1

Men

3,360 901 26.8

Women

2,899 1,036 35.7

Total, 25 years and over

5,638 1,883 33.4

Less than a high school diploma

390 24 6.0

High school graduates, no college(1)

1,605 301 18.7

Some college or associate degree

1,782 519 29.1

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

1,860 1,040 55.9

Persons with no disability

Total, 16 years and over

148,687 45,675 30.7

16 to 64 years

140,518 42,498 30.2

65 years and over

8,168 3,177 38.9

Men

79,279 22,606 28.5

Women

69,408 23,068 33.2

Total, 25 years and over

128,712 43,592 33.9

Less than a high school diploma

7,762 583 7.5

High school graduates, no college(1)

30,221 4,093 13.5

Some college or associate degree

32,473 8,183 25.2

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

58,256 30,733 52.8

Footnotes
(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Persons who worked at home include those who responded that they work at home when asked about their typical commute and those who responded yes when asked if they do any work at home for their job or business.


Table 12. Employed persons with flexible work hours by age, sex, educational attainment, and disability status, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total
employed
Flexible work hours
Number Percent of
total
employed

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

154,946 59,936 38.7

16 to 64 years

145,796 55,095 37.8

65 years and over

9,149 4,841 52.9

Men

82,640 32,433 39.2

Women

72,306 27,503 38.0

Total, 25 years and over

134,350 53,760 40.0

Less than a high school diploma

8,152 2,103 25.8

High school graduates, no college(1)

31,826 9,523 29.9

Some college or associate degree

34,255 12,800 37.4

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

60,116 29,335 48.8

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

6,259 2,842 45.4

16 to 64 years

5,278 2,274 43.1

65 years and over

981 568 57.9

Men

3,360 1,473 43.8

Women

2,899 1,369 47.2

Total, 25 years and over

5,638 2,587 45.9

Less than a high school diploma

390 129 33.0

High school graduates, no college(1)

1,605 661 41.2

Some college or associate degree

1,782 782 43.9

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

1,860 1,015 54.6

Persons with no disability

Total, 16 years and over

148,687 57,095 38.4

16 to 64 years

140,518 52,821 37.6

65 years and over

8,168 4,274 52.3

Men

79,279 30,960 39.1

Women

69,408 26,135 37.7

Total, 25 years and over

128,712 51,173 39.8

Less than a high school diploma

7,762 1,974 25.4

High school graduates, no college(1)

30,221 8,862 29.3

Some college or associate degree

32,473 12,017 37.0

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

58,256 28,320 48.6

Footnotes
(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Flexible work hours allow employed persons to vary or make changes in the time they begin and end work.


Table 13. Employed persons with temporary jobs by age, sex, educational attainment, and disability status, July 2021 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Total
employed
Temporary job
Number Percent of
total
employed

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

154,946 6,467 4.2

16 to 64 years

145,796 6,078 4.2

65 years and over

9,149 389 4.3

Men

82,640 3,513 4.3

Women

72,306 2,954 4.1

Total, 25 years and over

134,350 3,798 2.8

Less than a high school diploma

8,152 568 7.0

High school graduates, no college(1)

31,826 754 2.4

Some college or associate degree

34,255 859 2.5

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

60,116 1,617 2.7

Persons with a disability

Total, 16 years and over

6,259 341 5.4

16 to 64 years

5,278 281 5.3

65 years and over

981 59 6.1

Men

3,360 195 5.8

Women

2,899 146 5.0

Total, 25 years and over

5,638 283 5.0

Less than a high school diploma

390 38 9.8

High school graduates, no college(1)

1,605 99 6.2

Some college or associate degree

1,782 56 3.2

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

1,860 89 4.8

Persons with no disability

Total, 16 years and over

148,687 6,126 4.1

16 to 64 years

140,518 5,797 4.1

65 years and over

8,168 330 4.0

Men

79,279 3,318 4.2

Women

69,408 2,808 4.0

Total, 25 years and over

128,712 3,516 2.7

Less than a high school diploma

7,762 530 6.8

High school graduates, no college(1)

30,221 655 2.2

Some college or associate degree

32,473 803 2.5

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

58,256 1,528 2.6

Footnotes
(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: A temporary job is one that lasts only for a limited time or until the completion of a project.


Last Modified Date: September 30, 2022