Disability Data from the Current 

Population Survey

Terence McMenamin

Division of Labor Force Statistics

December 11, 2013
Current Population Survey (CPS) 

Disability Data 

 The effort to establish and maintain 

disability questions in the CPS is a joint 

effort between BLS and ODEP

 Questions designed to identify those 

with a disability were added to the 

monthly CPS in June 2008
What is the civilian noninstitutional 

population?

Excludes people:

 in institutions (for example, correctional 

facilities and residential nursing and 

mental health care facilities)

 in the Armed Forces
Disability rates by age

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

Percent of 

population 

2012

3.6 4.0 5.5

9.6

15.4

19.8

23.4

43.2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

16 to 24

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 to 69

years

70 to 74

years

75 years

and over
45.7

13.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

With a disability With no disability

16-64 years 65 years and older Percent 

A greater portion of people with 

disabilities are age 65 and over

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
Persons 65 years of age and over

by disability status

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

Total, 65 and over

No disability, 65 and over

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

Population level

(in thousands)

No disability, 65 and over
20.6

34.4

28.9

7.4

69.4

82.5

70.8

23.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total, 16 years

and over

Men, 16-64

years

Women, 16-64

years

Total, 65 years

and over

With a disability With no disability Percent

Labor force participation rates by 

sex, age, and disability status

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
Labor force participation rate for 

persons with a disability by sex

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

Women, 16 to 64 years

Percent

Men, 16 to 64 years

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey
17.8 18.5 13.5 15.6 16.2

63.9 64.9

58.7 62.7 63.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total White Black Asian Hispanic

With a disability With no disability Percent

Employment-population ratios by 

race, ethnicity, and disability status

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
17.6

8.2

15.4

22.7 28.4

67.5

50.2

62.0

69.7

76.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total, 25

years and

over

Less than a

HS diploma

High school,

no college

Some college

or associate

degree

Bachelor's

degree and

higher

With a disability With no disability

Percent

Employment-population ratios by 

educational attainment

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
12

9

23

18

22

16

16

9

24

20

18

14

0 5 10 15 20 25

Production

Natural resources and

construction

Sales and office

Service

Professional

Management

With a disability With no disability

Percent

Percent distribution of employed persons 

by occupation and disability status, 2012

.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey
73

15 11

79

14

7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Private wage and

salary

Government Self-employed or

unpaid family

worker

With a disability With no disability Percent

Percent distribution of employed 

persons by class of worker and 

disability status

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
7.2

5.6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Part time for economic reasons

With a disability With no disability

Percent of employed

Part time for economic reasons by 

disability status

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

2012
Unemployment rates by age, sex, 

and disability status

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

13.4

14.5 14.7

7.4 7.9 8.1 7.7

6.1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Both sexes,

age 16 and

over

Men, age 16-

64

Women, age

16-64

Both sexes,

age 65 and

over

With a disability With no disability

2012

Percent 
Portion of those not in the labor 

force who want a job

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

0

2

4

6

With a disability No disability With a disability No disability

Discouraged workers

Other marginally

attached workers

16 to 64 years

2012

Percent 

65 years and over
CPS Supplements

 Supplements follow the regular CPS 

questions and can draw upon the 

responses to the earlier questions.

 Must be planned and funded years in 

advance.

 Questions are subject to a detailed 

testing and approval process.
May 2012 CPS Disability 

Supplement

The May 2012 supplement asked about:

Barriers to employment

Prior work experience

Career assistance programs

Financial assistance programs

Difficulty completing work duties

Requesting changes in the workplace

Commute

Work at home

Flexible work hours

Temporary jobs
Persons with a disability who were not 

employed, with a barrier to employment

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Type of barrier

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, May 2012 supplement data

Percent
Persons with a disability who received 

career assistance by employment status

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Total, 16 years and

over

Employed Unemployed Not in the labor

force

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, May 2012 supplement data

Percent
CPS Disability Data online

 May 2012 CPS Disability news release: 

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/dissup.nr0.htm

 2012 Annual Disability Press Release: 

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.toc.htm

 Monthly employment data (Table A6): 

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.toc.htm

 Visual essay in Monthly Labor Review (2012 data): 

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/images/peoplewith-a-disability-in-2012-a-visual-essay.pdf

 CPS Disability FAQ: 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm#disability
Contact Information

Terence M. McMenamin

Division of Labor Force Statistics

www.bls.gov/cps

202-691-5436

mcmenamin.terence@bls.gov