For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, May 1, 2020 				USDL-20-0721

Technical information:	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 2019


In July 2019, almost half of all persons with a disability who were not working reported
some type of barrier to employment, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
A person's own disability, lack of education or training, lack of transportation, and 
the need for special features at the job 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 2019 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 2019 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 once before, in May 2012. For more information, see the
Technical Note.

Selected Characteristics of Persons with a Disability

In July 2019, 30.3 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 2019,
50.6 percent of persons with a disability were age 65 and over, compared with 16.4
percent of those with no disability. Reflecting the aging of the population, these
shares have increased for both groups since the last time the survey was conducted;
in May 2012, 45.4 percent of persons with a disability and 13.4 percent of those with
no disability were age 65 and over. (See table 1.)

Women made up a greater proportion of persons with a disability than men in July 2019
(53.8 percent, compared with 46.2 percent), partly reflecting the greater life
expectancy of women. By educational attainment, 19.6 percent of persons age 25 and over
with a disability had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 39.4 percent for
persons with no disability. 

In July 2019, 19.2 percent of persons with a disability were employed, which was less
than one-third of the employment-population ratio for persons with no disability (67.1
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 2019, 47.5 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 2.0 percentage points lower than the proportion in May
2012 (49.5 percent). When asked to identify barriers they had encountered, most reported
that their own disability was a barrier to employment in July 2019 (79.0 percent). Other
barriers cited included lack of education or training (12.2 percent), lack of 
transportation (10.6 percent), and the need for special features at the job (9.9 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 2019 than those age 65 and over (71.3 percent and 30.4 
percent, respectively). This may reflect the fact that older workers are, in general, 
less likely to participate in the labor force. Among persons with a disability age 25 and
over, 34.7 percent of persons with a bachelor's degree and higher who were not employed 
reported a barrier to employment, compared with 54.7 percent of those with less than a
high school diploma.

Prior Work Experience

Among persons with a disability who were not in the labor force in July 2019 (that is,
neither employed nor unemployed), 88.6 percent had worked previously. This proportion
was about the same for both men and women. 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.)

The proportion of persons with a disability who were not in the labor force but had
prior work experience increased with age. In July 2019, 25.1 percent of 16- to 24-year-
olds had worked before, compared with 97.4 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 
and higher, 97.1 percent had worked before, compared with 82.5 percent of those with
less than a high school diploma.

Career Assistance Programs

In July 2019, 6.5 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. In May 2012, 7.4 percent of persons with a disability reported using some type 
of career assistance. Career assistance sources include State Vocational Rehabilitation
agencies and other job assistance programs. (See table 5.)

Persons with a disability who were unemployed 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 2019, 20.8 percent of unemployed persons with a disability reported
using a career assistance program, compared with 10.1 percent of employed persons with a 
disability and 5.3 percent of those not in the labor force.

Persons with a disability ages 16 to 64 were more likely to have used a career assistance
program than those age 65 and over (10.3 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively).

Financial Assistance Programs

In July 2019, 58.1 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. This was about the same percentage as in May 2012 (58.4 percent). (See table 6.)

Among persons with a disability in July 2019, those who were employed were least likely
to have received some type of financial assistance within the past year (27.6 percent).
Of those with a disability who were unemployed, 45.5 percent received assistance from at
least one of the financial assistance programs listed above, compared with 65.8 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 2019, the vast majority (91.7 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.

Difficulty Completing Work Duties

Just over half of employed persons with a disability reported that their disability
caused some difficulty in completing their current work duties in July 2019--27.8 
percent reported a little difficulty in completing work duties, 19.2 percent reported
moderate difficulty, and 6.9 percent reported severe difficulty. In July 2019, 46.1
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--44.0 percent versus 56.1 percent. In July 2019, 55.8 percent of women and 52.2 percent
of men reported some difficulty completing work duties due to their disability.

Requesting Changes in the Workplace

According to the July 2019 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 (13.8 percent and 9.1 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, 15.4 percent of those ages 16 to 64 had requested a change in their current
workplace, compared with 6.8 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.)

Persons with a disability who asked for a change in their current workplace were more
likely to have requested physical changes to the workplace than were those with no 
disability. In contrast, employed persons with no disability were more likely than those
with a disability to request policy changes, training, or accommodations for family or
personal obligations.

Commute

In July 2019, 73.6 percent of persons with a disability used their own vehicle for their
commute to work, compared with 83.3 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 2019, 26.3 percent of employed persons with a disability did some work at home
as part of their job, compared with 23.0 percent of those with no disability. Older 
workers (age 65 and over) with a disability were more likely to do some work at home
than those ages 16 to 64 (42.9 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively). Men and women
with a disability were about equally likely to work at home (25.8 percent and 26.9
percent, respectively). (See table 11.)  

Persons with a disability who had higher educational attainment were more likely to do
some work at home. In July 2019, among persons with a disability age 25 and over, those
with a bachelor's degree and higher were more than 4 times as likely to do some work at
home than those with less than a high school diploma (51.2 percent and 12.0 percent,
respectively).

Flexible Work Hours

Employed persons with a disability were more likely than those with no disability to
have flexible work schedules in July 2019 (46.8 percent and 38.7 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 up from May 2012 (42.2 percent and 35.0
percent, respectively.) (See table 12.)

In July 2019, 67.2 percent of workers with a disability age 65 and over had flexible
work schedules, compared with 42.2 percent of those between 16 and 64 years of age.
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 at least a bachelor's degree than for those with less education.

Temporary Jobs

In July 2019, 6.3 percent of employed persons with a disability held jobs that were
temporary, compared with 4.6 percent of those with no disability. These workers
expected their job to last only for a limited time or until the completion of
project. (See table 13.)

Technical Note
 
The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the July 2019
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 2019 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.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals
upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200, Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

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 2019 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 2019 survey are
the same as those used in May 2012, the first time the supplement was fielded. The questions
used to identify these workers were essentially unchanged.

However, there are a few issues that could affect the comparability of these estimates with
those from 2012. For example, changes in the demographic characteristics of people with 
disabilities can complicate comparisons of data over time. Also, the 2012 and 2019 supplements
were collected at different points in the business cycle. In addition, the 2019 supplement was
collected in July, and the 2012 supplement was collected in May. 

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 2019 [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	259,225	166,526	64.2	159,469	61.5	7,057	4.2	92,699
Men	125,378	88,459	70.6	85,059	67.8	3,400	3.8	36,919
Women	133,847	78,067	58.3	74,410	55.6	3,657	4.7	55,780
PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY
Total, 16 years and over	30,344	6,344	20.9	5,830	19.2	513	8.1	24,001
Men	14,019	3,388	24.2	3,141	22.4	247	7.3	10,632
Women	16,325	2,956	18.1	2,689	16.5	267	9.0	13,369
Age
16 to 64 years	14,982	5,222	34.9	4,751	31.7	470	9.0	9,760
16 to 24 years	1,526	600	39.3	503	33.0	97	16.1	926
25 to 34 years	1,888	947	50.2	800	42.4	147	15.6	941
35 to 44 years	2,068	909	44.0	856	41.4	53	5.8	1,158
45 to 54 years	3,392	1,172	34.6	1,092	32.2	80	6.8	2,220
55 to 64 years	6,108	1,593	26.1	1,500	24.6	93	5.9	4,515
65 years and over	15,362	1,122	7.3	1,079	7.0	43	3.8	14,240
Educational attainment
Total, 25 years and over	28,818	5,744	19.9	5,327	18.5	417	7.3	23,074
Less than a high school diploma	4,943	444	9.0	403	8.2	41	9.1	4,499
High school graduates, no college(1)	10,115	1,728	17.1	1,597	15.8	132	7.6	8,387
Some college or associate degree	8,101	1,930	23.8	1,786	22.0	144	7.5	6,171
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	5,659	1,641	29.0	1,541	27.2	101	6.1	4,018
PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY
Total, 16 years and over	228,881	160,182	70.0	153,639	67.1	6,543	4.1	68,699
Men	111,359	85,071	76.4	81,918	73.6	3,153	3.7	26,288
Women	117,522	75,111	63.9	71,721	61.0	3,390	4.5	42,411
Age
16 to 64 years	191,282	151,632	79.3	145,361	76.0	6,271	4.1	39,650
16 to 24 years	36,202	22,997	63.5	20,814	57.5	2,183	9.5	13,206
25 to 34 years	43,033	36,692	85.3	35,325	82.1	1,366	3.7	6,341
35 to 44 years	38,908	33,578	86.3	32,538	83.6	1,040	3.1	5,330
45 to 54 years	37,000	32,054	86.6	31,154	84.2	900	2.8	4,946
55 to 64 years	36,139	26,312	72.8	25,530	70.6	782	3.0	9,827
65 years and over	37,599	8,550	22.7	8,278	22.0	272	3.2	29,049
Educational attainment
Total, 25 years and over	192,678	137,185	71.2	132,825	68.9	4,361	3.2	55,493
Less than a high school diploma	15,609	9,123	58.5	8,705	55.8	418	4.6	6,485
High school graduates, no college(1)	51,158	33,557	65.6	32,401	63.3	1,156	3.4	17,601
Some college or associate degree	49,986	36,114	72.2	34,826	69.7	1,287	3.6	13,872
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	75,926	58,391	76.9	56,892	74.9	1,499	2.6	17,535
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 May 2012 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 2019 [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	24,514	11,635	12,322	100.0	47.5	50.3
16 to 64 years	10,231	7,292	2,662	100.0	71.3	26.0
65 years and over	14,283	4,343	9,659	100.0	30.4	67.6
Men	10,878	5,287	5,310	100.0	48.6	48.8
Women	13,636	6,347	7,012	100.0	46.5	51.4
Total, 25 years and over	23,491	10,894	12,061	100.0	46.4	51.3
Less than a high school diploma	4,540	2,481	1,906	100.0	54.7	42.0
High school graduates, no college(2)	8,518	3,982	4,366	100.0	46.7	51.3
Some college or associate degree	6,315	3,000	3,194	100.0	47.5	50.6
Bachelor's degree and higher(3)	4,118	1,430	2,595	100.0	34.7	63.0
Never worked(4)	2,806	1,986	769	100.0	70.8	27.4
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 2019 [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	11,635	12.2	5.1	10.6	4.4	9.9	7.6	79.0	16.8
16 to 64 years	7,292	14.3	6.4	12.1	5.3	12.5	9.1	81.6	13.5
65 years and over	4,343	8.7	2.8	7.9	2.9	5.5	5.1	74.6	22.3
Men	5,287	12.2	5.1	9.9	4.6	9.8	7.9	80.0	15.6
Women	6,347	12.2	5.0	11.1	4.3	10.0	7.4	78.2	17.8
Total, 25 years and over	10,894	11.7	4.8	9.9	4.3	9.5	7.5	79.1	16.8
Less than a high school diploma	2,481	20.6	6.9	11.9	3.6	8.3	6.3	75.3	17.9
High school graduates, no college(2)	3,982	10.4	4.6	10.1	4.4	8.4	6.1	81.4	15.3
Some college or associate degree	3,000	9.6	4.4	8.5	5.0	12.1	10.3	80.7	15.3
Bachelor's degree and higher(3)	1,430	4.4	2.5	8.5	3.4	9.4	7.6	75.9	21.9
Never worked(4)	1,986	16.7	7.2	11.0	3.4	10.9	4.0	76.2	18.3
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 2019 [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	24,001	21,254	2,747	100.0	88.6	11.4
Men	10,632	9,391	1,241	100.0	88.3	11.7
Women	13,369	11,863	1,506	100.0	88.7	11.3
Age
16 to 64 years	9,760	7,384	2,376	100.0	75.7	24.3
16 to 24 years	926	233	694	100.0	25.1	74.9
25 to 34 years	941	494	447	100.0	52.5	47.5
35 to 44 years	1,158	855	303	100.0	73.8	26.2
45 to 54 years	2,220	1,778	442	100.0	80.1	19.9
55 to 64 years	4,515	4,024	491	100.0	89.1	10.9
65 years and over	14,240	13,870	370	100.0	97.4	2.6
Educational attainment
Total, 25 years and over	23,074	21,021	2,053	100.0	91.1	8.9
Less than a high school diploma	4,499	3,711	789	100.0	82.5	17.5
High school graduates, no college(2)	8,387	7,535	852	100.0	89.8	10.2
Some college or associate degree	6,171	5,877	294	100.0	95.2	4.8
Bachelor's degree and higher(3)	4,018	3,899	118	100.0	97.1	2.9
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 2019 [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	30,344	1,968	6.5
Employed	5,830	590	10.1
Unemployed	513	107	20.8
Not in the labor force	24,001	1,272	5.3
Previously worked	21,254	1,065	5.0
Never worked(2)	2,747	208	7.6
Total, 16 to 64 years	14,982	1,550	10.3
Employed	4,751	565	11.9
Unemployed	470	98	20.8
Not in the labor force	9,760	887	9.1
Previously worked	7,384	693	9.4
Never worked(2)	2,376	194	8.2
Total, 65 years and over	15,362	419	2.7
Employed	1,079	24	2.3
Unemployed	43	9	-
Not in the labor force	14,240	385	2.7
Previously worked	13,870	371	2.7
Never worked(2)	370	14	3.8
Footnotes (1) Career assistance programs include: State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, 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 2019 [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	30,344	17,634	58.1	100.0	7.3	91.7
16 to 64 years	14,982	8,033	53.6	100.0	11.9	86.7
65 years and over	15,362	9,601	62.5	100.0	3.4	95.9
Employed	5,830	1,610	27.6	100.0	14.1	85.2
Usually work full time	3,957	767	19.4	100.0	7.7	91.8
Usually work part time	1,873	843	45.0	100.0	20.0	79.3
Unemployed	513	233	45.5	100.0	6.4	92.8
Not in the labor force	24,001	15,791	65.8	100.0	6.6	92.4
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 2019 [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	5,830	100.0	46.1	27.8	19.2	6.9
16 to 64 years	4,751	100.0	43.9	28.6	20.1	7.4
65 years and over	1,079	100.0	56.0	23.9	15.2	4.9
Men	3,141	100.0	47.8	28.2	18.1	5.9
Women	2,689	100.0	44.2	27.3	20.5	8.1

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 2019 [Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic	Total employed	Requested a change in current workplace
		Total	Percent of total employed
TOTAL
Total, 16 years and over	159,469	14,827	9.3
16 to 64 years	150,112	14,141	9.4
65 years and over	9,357	686	7.3
Men	85,059	7,435	8.7
Women	74,410	7,392	9.9
Persons with a disability
Total, 16 years and over	5,830	805	13.8
16 to 64 years	4,751	732	15.4
65 years and over	1,079	73	6.8
Men	3,141	354	11.3
Women	2,689	451	16.8
Persons with no disability
Total, 16 years and over	153,639	14,022	9.1
16 to 64 years	145,361	13,409	9.2
65 years and over	8,278	613	7.4
Men	81,918	7,082	8.6
Women	71,721	6,940	9.7
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, as they were for the May 2012 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 2019 [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	14,827	36.3	14.8	20.8	45.8	15.1	1.6	13.4	12.2	11.3
16 to 64 years	14,141	36.1	14.8	20.7	46.3	15.1	1.5	13.6	12.2	11.1
65 years and over	686	40.0	14.7	24.0	35.8	14.4	1.8	10.7	12.3	15.2
Men	7,435	42.7	16.3	21.8	43.2	15.2	1.9	11.0	13.9	10.4
Women	7,392	29.8	13.3	19.9	48.4	14.9	1.2	15.9	10.5	12.2
Persons with a disability
Total, 16 years and over	805	33.0	21.0	8.7	40.2	11.6	0.1	8.7	6.5	18.4
16 to 64 years	732	33.9	21.3	8.9	41.5	12.4	0.1	9.6	6.7	17.0
65 years and over	73	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Men	354	34.3	25.3	12.3	37.9	13.4	0.2	9.2	5.5	16.8
Women	451	32.1	17.6	5.8	42.0	10.2	-	8.4	7.2	19.6
Persons with no disability
Total, 16 years and over	14,022	36.5	14.4	21.5	46.1	15.3	1.6	13.7	12.5	10.9
16 to 64 years	13,409	36.2	14.4	21.3	46.5	15.2	1.6	13.8	12.5	10.8
65 years and over	613	41.8	14.3	26.1	36.8	15.8	2.0	12.0	13.2	13.1
Men	7,082	43.1	15.8	22.3	43.5	15.3	2.0	11.1	14.4	10.1
Women	6,940	29.6	13.0	20.8	48.8	15.2	1.3	16.4	10.7	11.7
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, as they were for the May 2012 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 2019 [Percent distribution]

Characteristic	Total	Persons with a disability	Persons with no disability
Total employed (in thousands)	159,469	5,830	153,639
Percent of employed persons by commute method
Total employed	100.0	100.0	100.0
Bus	2.3	3.7	2.2
Specialized bus or van service for people with disabilities	0.1	1.1	0.1
Train/subway	2.7	1.5	2.8
Taxi	0.3	0.9	0.3
Own vehicle	83.0	73.6	83.3
Passenger in a friend or family member's car	2.7	4.7	2.6
Carpool	1.1	1.9	1.1
Bicycle	0.7	1.0	0.7
Walk	2.3	3.5	2.2
Other	2.1	2.0	2.1
Work from home	4.9	7.9	4.7
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 2019 [Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic	Total employed	Worked at home
		Number	Percent of total employed
TOTAL
Total, 16 years and over	159,469	36,876	23.1
16 to 64 years	150,112	33,637	22.4
65 years and over	9,357	3,239	34.6
Men	85,059	19,268	22.7
Women	74,410	17,608	23.7
Total, 25 years and over	138,152	35,645	25.8
Less than a high school diploma	9,108	629	6.9
High school graduates, no college(1)	33,998	3,722	10.9
Some college or associate degree	36,612	7,321	20.0
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	58,433	23,973	41.0
Persons with a disability
Total, 16 years and over	5,830	1,532	26.3
16 to 64 years	4,751	1,069	22.5
65 years and over	1,079	463	42.9
Men	3,141	809	25.8
Women	2,689	723	26.9
Total, 25 years and over	5,327	1,497	28.1
Less than a high school diploma	403	48	12.0
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,597	218	13.7
Some college or associate degree	1,786	441	24.7
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,541	789	51.2
Persons with no disability
Total, 16 years and over	153,639	35,344	23.0
16 to 64 years	145,361	32,568	22.4
65 years and over	8,278	2,776	33.5
Men	81,918	18,459	22.5
Women	71,721	16,885	23.5
Total, 25 years and over	132,825	34,148	25.7
Less than a high school diploma	8,705	581	6.7
High school graduates, no college(1)	32,401	3,504	10.8
Some college or associate degree	34,826	6,879	19.8
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	56,892	23,184	40.8
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 2019 [Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic	Total employed	Flexible work hours
		Number	Percent of total employed
TOTAL
Total, 16 years and over	159,469	62,152	39.0
16 to 64 years	150,112	56,912	37.9
65 years and over	9,357	5,240	56.0
Men	85,059	33,667	39.6
Women	74,410	28,485	38.3
Total, 25 years and over	138,152	56,082	40.6
Less than a high school diploma	9,108	2,578	28.3
High school graduates, no college(1)	33,998	10,712	31.5
Some college or associate degree	36,612	14,051	38.4
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	58,433	28,740	49.2
Persons with a disability
Total, 16 years and over	5,830	2,728	46.8
16 to 64 years	4,751	2,003	42.2
65 years and over	1,079	725	67.2
Men	3,141	1,489	47.4
Women	2,689	1,239	46.1
Total, 25 years and over	5,327	2,523	47.4
Less than a high school diploma	403	149	36.9
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,597	632	39.6
Some college or associate degree	1,786	804	45.0
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,541	938	60.9
Persons with no disability
Total, 16 years and over	153,639	59,424	38.7
16 to 64 years	145,361	54,909	37.8
65 years and over	8,278	4,515	54.5
Men	81,918	32,178	39.3
Women	71,721	27,246	38.0
Total, 25 years and over	132,825	53,559	40.3
Less than a high school diploma	8,705	2,429	27.9
High school graduates, no college(1)	32,401	10,080	31.1
Some college or associate degree	34,826	13,247	38.0
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	56,892	27,803	48.9
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 2019 [Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic	Total employed	Temporary job
		Number	Percent of total employed
TOTAL
Total, 16 years and over	159,469	7,487	4.7
16 to 64 years	150,112	7,108	4.7
65 years and over	9,357	379	4.1
Men	85,059	4,106	4.8
Women	74,410	3,382	4.5
Total, 25 years and over	138,152	4,291	3.1
Less than a high school diploma	9,108	662	7.3
High school graduates, no college(1)	33,998	921	2.7
Some college or associate degree	36,612	945	2.6
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	58,433	1,763	3.0
Persons with a disability
Total, 16 years and over	5,830	366	6.3
16 to 64 years	4,751	331	7.0
65 years and over	1,079	35	3.2
Men	3,141	235	7.5
Women	2,689	131	4.9
Total, 25 years and over	5,327	305	5.7
Less than a high school diploma	403	32	7.9
High school graduates, no college(1)	1,597	77	4.8
Some college or associate degree	1,786	105	5.9
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	1,541	90	5.9
Persons with no disability
Total, 16 years and over	153,639	7,122	4.6
16 to 64 years	145,361	6,777	4.7
65 years and over	8,278	344	4.2
Men	81,918	3,871	4.7
Women	71,721	3,251	4.5
Total, 25 years and over	132,825	3,986	3.0
Less than a high school diploma	8,705	630	7.2
High school graduates, no college(1)	32,401	844	2.6
Some college or associate degree	34,826	840	2.4
Bachelor's degree and higher(2)	56,892	1,672	2.9
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.