The U.S. economy depends on people being able to work.
But employers in some states face a strong headwind: Many people ages 16 through 64 face conditions, such as blindness, deafness or an inability to walk, that could interfere with their ability to work in many workplaces with use of assistive technology or other accommodations.
Managers of the American Community Survey, a major U.S. Census Bureau survey program, measure the impact of disability on the labor force by looking at the percentage of people ages 16 through 64 with a disability who are employed.
In the latest 1-year estimates, for 2024, the median ratio of employment to population for working-age people with a disability increased to 46.9%, from 39.4% in 2019.
The increase might be due to factors such as a strong job market and an increase in the number of work-from-home jobs.
But the employment ratio for working-age people with disabilities compares with an employment ratio of 64.9% for all working-age people, and, in some states, well under half of the working-age adults with disabilities had jobs.
For employers in states with high disability rates, keeping workers from becoming disabled might be a challenge, and figuring out how to accommodate workers with physical challenges who want to work might be a good way to find motivated workers.
For a look at the 12 states with the worst employment ratios for working-age adults with disabilities in 2024, see the gallery accompanying this article.
The U.S. Census Bureau's new American Community Survey 1-year estimates for 2024 show that
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