Employment of persons with a disability, 2011

In 2011, the employment-population ratio was 17.8 percent for persons with a disability. Among those with no disability, the ratio was much higher (63.6 percent).

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From 2010 to 2011, the employment-population ratio for persons with a disability fell from 18.6 percent to 17.8 percent, while the ratio for persons without a disability was little changed. Among persons with a disability, the employment-population ratio for those age 16 to 64 declined (from 28.6 percent to 27.0 percent), while the ratio for those age 65 and over rose (from 6.1 percent to 6.4 percent).

The lower ratio among persons with a disability is due, in part, to the fact that a large share of the population of persons with a disability was age 65 and older, and older workers in general are less likely to be employed. However, across all age groups, persons with a disability were much less likely to be employed than those with no disability.

These data are from the Current Population Survey (CPS). To learn more, see "Persons With a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2011" (HTML) (PDF). The data on persons with a disability are collected as part of the CPS monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on employment and unemployment in the United States. The employment-population ratio is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population that is employed.