Census 2000 data showed

that approximately 20.9 million American families had at

least one member with a disability1 and that they differed

in important ways from

other families. Disability can

be measured in a variety of

ways, as described in the

next section. The remainder

of this report presents estimates of disability prevalence in American families

using the measures available

from Census 2000, discusses

the general economic wellbeing of families with members with a disability, and

examines differences across

demographic groups and

geographical regions. 

It is based on data from the

Census 2000 long form,

which includes all the questions on the short form plus

additional detailed questions

relating to the social, economic, and housing characteristics of each individual

and household.2 Estimates

in this report are limited to

families and people in

families; see text box

“Definition of Family and

Related Concepts.” It

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued July 2005

CENSR-23

Disability and 

American Families: 2000 

Census 2000 Special Reports

By 

Qi Wang

1 See “Disability status” in the

next section. 2 The long form was sent to a

sample of approximately one in every

six households. See the section on

Accuracy of the Estimates for sampling procedures and sampling errors.

DEFINITION OF FAMILY AND 

RELATED CONCEPTS

Family Household: Census 2000 collected data

on two types of households: family households

and non-family households. This report focuses

on the former, which, by the Census Bureau’s definition, consists of a householder living with one or

more individuals related to him or her by birth,

marriage, or adoption. The householder and all

the people in the household related to him or her

are defined as family members. People living by

themselves or with others to whom they are not

related are not included in this report.

Family Structure: This report examines three

types of families: married-couple families, families

with a female householder, and families with a

male householder. Married-couple families are

defined as those in which the householder and

spouse are listed as members of the same household. Families with a female householder are those

with a female householder and no husband of the

householder present. Similarly, families with a

male householder are those with a male householder and no wife of the householder present. 

Family Householder: The householder refers to

the person (or one of the people) in whose name

the housing unit is owned or rented (maintained)

or, if there is no such person, any adult member,

excluding roomers, borders, or paid employees. If

the home is owned or rented jointly by a married

couple, the householder may be either the husband or the wife. The person designated as the

householder is the “reference person” to whom the

relationship of all other household members, if

any, is recorded. This report uses the characteristics of the family householder, such as race and

Hispanic origin, to describe the family.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

complements a Census 2000 brief

on the disability status of all noninstitutionalized individuals who

were aged 5 and older by providing

new details about the prevalence of

families with members with a disability and their economic wellbeing in 2000.3

DISABILITY MEASUREMENTS

IN CENSUS 2000 AND 

THIS REPORT

Census disability questions: The

Census 2000 long form had six

questions on disability, as shown in

the text box “Questions on

Disability From Census 2000.” The

following terms are used in this

report for the six questions:

“Sensory Disability” for Question 16

part a, “Physical Disability” for

Question 16 part b, “Mental

Disability” for Question 17 part a,

“Self-care Disability” for Question 17

part b, “Going-outside-home

Disability” for Question 17 part c,

and “Employment Disability” for

Question 17 part d. This report

adopts the above terms to be consistent with those used in other

Census 2000 data products such as

Summary File 3, Demographic

Profiles, and the Census 2000 brief

on the disability status of U.S. noninstitutionalized individuals 5 years

or older. Rather than relying on the

technical labels, readers are encouraged to review the actual questions,

which are shown in the text box. 

The six disability questions on the

Census 2000 long form were the

result of a collaborative effort of a

federal interagency working group

convened by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB).4

Due to the time constraints on

questionnaire development, limitations on one portion of the questions were not identified in time to

adjust it for Census 2000.

Consequently, this paper concentrates on the responses to the

other portion. Currently, another

interagency effort, also under the

auspices of OMB, is reviewing the

census disability questions to identify improved ones for the 2008

American Community Survey

(ACS).5

Disability status: At times, this

report uses a summary measure of

disability for its estimates and comparisons. The summary measure

combines responses from the first

five questions to identify family

members with a disability if they

are in one of the following categories: first, they were 5 through

15 years old and reported having

any one or a combination of the

four disabilities: sensory, physical,

mental, or self-care; or second, they

were aged 16 and over and reported having one or a combination of

the five disabilities: sensory, physical, mental, self-care, or going-outside-home. A person so identified

is referred to in this report as “a

family member with a disability.” A

Does this person have any of the following

long-lasting conditions:

a. Blindness, deafness, or a severe

vision or hearing impairment?

b. A condition that substantially limits

one or more basic physical activities

such as walking, climbing stairs,

reaching, lifting, or carrying?

Yes No

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional

condition lasting 6 months or more, does

this person have any difficulty in doing any of

the following activities:

a. Learning, remembering, or

concentrating?

Yes No

b. Dressing, bathing, or getting around

inside the home?

c. (Answer if this person is 16 YEARS OLD

OR OVER.) Going outside the home

alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office?

d. (Answer if this person is 16 YEARS OLD

OR OVER.) Working at a job or business?

REPRODUCTION OF THE QUESTIONS ON 

DISABILITY FROM CENSUS 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

16

17

3 See: Judith Waldrop and Sharon Stern,

Disability Status: 2000, C2KBR-17, Washington D.C.: US Government Printing Office,

2003. 4 Adler, Michele C., Robert F. Clark,

Theresa J. DeMaio, Louisa F. Miller, and Arlene

F. Saluter. 1999. “Collecting Information on

Disability in 2000 Census: An Example of

Interagency Cooperation.” Social Security

Bulletin, Vol. 62, No. 4, pp 21-30. 

5 The American Community Survey (ACS)

is a nationwide survey collecting year-to-year

information from households similar to what

was collected on the Census 2000 long

form. It is to replace the long form in the

2010 Census. 
family member with a disability is

sometimes further identified,

according to his or her family role,

as “a householder with a disability”

or “a child with a disability.” 

The summary measure is designed

to capture specific functional limitations and long-term difficulty

with functional or daily living activities.6 Since the concept of working at a job or business (Question

17 part d) is not tied to any particular limitation or function, people

who only reported difficulty in

working at a job or business are

not included in this summary

measure. As a result, this summary

measure differs from the one used

in Summary File 3, which includes

data on work disability status. 

Families with members with a

disability: The unit of analysis in

this report is the family.

Households made up solely of unrelated individuals are not included in

this report. The core comparisons

are between families with members

with a disability and families without members with a disability. The

report classifies all families that had

at least one member reporting a

disability as “families with members

with a disability,” or as “families

with children with a disability” if the

person reporting a disability was

under 18 years old in 2000. In general, this report does not distinguish between families with only

one member with a disability and

those with multiple members with a

disability. Rather, it groups them

together as “families with at least

one member with a disability” or

“families with members with a disability.” Both terms refer to the

same group and are used interchangeably in this report. 

DISABILITY PREVALENCE

AMONG AMERICAN

FAMILIES7

Census 2000 counted a total

of 72.3 million families and

found that nearly 28.9 percent

of them (about 2 in every 7

families) reported having at

least one member with a

disability. 

Table 1 shows that nearly 20.9 million families had members with a

disability. Some of the families fell

in more than one of the following

categories: 

• 5.8 million families, or 8.0 percent, reported one or more

U.S. Census Bureau 3

6 The term “functional limitations” generally refers to people who have difficulty

performing one or more functional activities,

such as seeing, hearing, speaking, lifting,

using stairs, or walking. Examples of daily

living activities include getting around inside

the home, dressing, and bathing.

Table 1.

Disability Prevalence Among American Families: 20001

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Disability category

Families with members

with a disability

Families with a householder

with a disability

Families with children

with a disability

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Sensory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,759,550 8.0 3,323,365 4.6 482,630 0.7

Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,004,065 16.6 7,161,740 9.9 500,470 0.7

Mental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,360,965 10.2 2,850,060 3.9 2,031,865 2.8

Self-care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,090,905 5.7 1,780,165 2.5 411,975 0.6

Going outside home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,613,760 13.3 5,696,545 7.9 382,295 0.6

Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,319,470 17.0 9,728,385 13.5 (X) (X)

With a sensory or physical or both disabilities. . . 14,557,890 20.2 9,021,470 12.5 874,540 1.2

With any of five disabilities, excluding

employment disability2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,874,130 28.9 12,993,520 18.0 2,840,735 3.9

X Not applicable.

1

The total number of U.S. families was 72,261,780 in 2000. Households made up of unrelated individuals are not included in this report.

2

This is a summary recode of the five disability measurements on the Census 2000 long form. A family was coded as having members

with a disability if one or more of its members reported any of the five disabilities: sensory, physical, mental, self-care, or going-outsidehome. The current report uses this recode as its primary disability indicator in its estimates and comparisons. For more detailed explanations about this recode, see sections on Disability Status and Families with Members with a Disability of this report.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

7 The estimates in this report (which may

be shown in text, figures, and tables) are

based on responses from a sample of the

population and may differ from actual values

because of sampling variability or other factors. As a result, apparent differences

between the estimates for two or more groups

may not be statistically significant. All comparative statements have undergone statistical

testing and are significant at the 90-percent

confidence level unless otherwise noted.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

members with blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment. 

• 12.0 million families, or 16.6

percent, reported one or more

members with a condition that

substantially limited one or

more basic physical activities

such as walking, climbing stairs,

reaching, lifting, or carrying. 

• 7.4 million families, or 10.2 percent, reported one or more

members who had difficulty in

learning, remembering, or concentrating. 

• 4.1 million families, or 5.7 percent, reported one or more

members who had difficulty

with dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home. 

• 9.6 million families, or 13.3 percent, reported one or more

members who had difficulty

going outside the home alone to

shop or visit a doctor’s office. 

• 12.3 million families, or 

17.0 percent, reported one or

more members who had difficulty working at a job or business.

In 13 million families, the

householder had a disability

(18.0 percent of all families),

and in 2.8 million families 

(3.9 percent of all families),

children had a disability 

(see Table 1).8

Often, more than one family member reported having a disability.

Of the 20.9 million families reporting at least one member with a

disability, 5.5 percent had both

adults and children with a disability. Among the 20.9 million families, 25.7 percent had two people

with a disability and 5.7 percent

had three or more people with a

disability (see Table 2). 

Disability rates varied 

among single-race groups 

and Hispanics.

Census 2000 asked respondents to

report one or more races. With the

exception of the Two or More

Races population, all the race

groups discussed in this report

refer to householders who indicated only one racial identity among

the six major categories: White,

Black or African American,

American Indian and Alaska Native,

Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other

Pacific Islander, and Some Other

Race. The use of the single-race

categories to present data in this

report does not imply it is the preferred method. 

The prevalence of disability varied

among families of different racial

groups and Hispanic origin. In the

groups examined in this report,

disability occurrence was most

common among families with

American Indian and Alaska Native

householders — 217,000, or 

Table 2.

Presence of Disabilities in Families and Children: 2000

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Family member disabilities

Number

Percent of total

families

Percent of families

with members or

children with

a disability

Total families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,261,780 100.0 (X)

Reporting no member with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,387,650 71.1 (X)

Reporting at least one member with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,874,130 28.9 100.0

Families reporting any members with a disability

Reporting one member with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,325,175 19.8 68.6

Reporting two members with a disability ........................ 5,361,850 7.4 25.7

Reporting three or more members with a disability ............... 1,187,105 1.6 5.7

Families reporing adults or children with a disability

Reporting only adults with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,033,395 25.0 86.4

Reporting only children with a disability ......................... 1,686,305 2.3 8.1

Reporting both adults and children with a disability . ............. 1,154,425 1.6 5.5

Families reporting children with a disability1

Reporting one or more children with a disability ................. 2,840,735 3.9 100.0

Reporting one child with a disability ............................ 2,473,245 3.4 87.1

Reporting two children with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310,985 0.4 10.9

Reporting three or more children with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,500 0.1 2.0

X = Not Applicable.

1

This number includes all people 5 to 17 years old.

Note: Details may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

8 For the definition of a family householder, see text box “Definition of Family and

Related Concepts” in this report.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

38.5 percent. Next were families

with a Black householder, with a

prevalence rate of 35.7 percent (or

2.9 million families). Disability

prevalence rates for families with

non-Hispanic White householders

and Asian householders were

below the national average at 

27.1 percent and 26.5 percent,

respectively. Hispanic families had

a prevalence rate of 33.2 percent

(or 2.5 million families reporting

one or more members with a disability), as shown in Table 3.9

Disability was more prevalent

among families in the South

and in rural areas.

Disability prevalence was not evenly distributed across the four U.S.

regions or between urban and rural

areas.10 With a 30.8 percent disability prevalence rate, the South

had the highest concentration of

families with members reporting

disabilities, whereas the Midwest

had the lowest prevalence rate at

26.5 percent. About 30.1 percent

of rural families and 28.5 percent

of urban families reported at least

one member with a disability (see

Table 3). 

One in every three families

with a female householder

with no husband present

reported members with 

a disability.

Families with a female householder

with no husband present were

more likely than other family types

to report having members with a

disability. Among the 12.5 million

such families, 34.8 percent reported one or more members with a

disability, compared with 27.3 percent among the 55.5 million married-couple families and 31.6 percent among the 4.3 million families

with a male householder with no

wife present (see Figure 1). 

Table 3.

Disability Prevalence by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Geographic Location: 2000

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Family charcteristics

Total

Families reporting members with

a disability

Number Percent

All Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,261,780 20,874,130 28.9

Race and Hispanic Origin

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,470,095 15,548,770 27.5

White alone, not Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,769,535 14,322,150 27.1

Black alone . .................................................. 8,209,430 2,931,270 35.7

American Indian and Alaska Native alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563,650 217,195 38.5

Asian alone.................................................... 2,350,400 623,255 26.5

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79,255 25,075 31.6

Some other race alone ......................................... 3,206,530 1,032,330 32.2

Two or more races . . ........................................... 1,382,420 496,235 35.9

Hispanic (of any race) .......................................... 7,483,040 2,486,495 33.2

Region

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,633,405 3,830,505 28.1

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,769,420 4,450,450 26.5

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,428,370 8,146,465 30.8

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,430,585 4,446,710 28.8

Rural/urban

Rural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,679,230 5,024,380 30.1

Urban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,582,550 15,849,750 28.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

9 Because Hispanics may be any race,

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with

data for racial groups. Based on the Census

2000 sample data used for analysis of disability, the proportion of Hispanics was 

8.0 percent for Whites, 1.9 percent for

Blacks, 14.6 percent for American Indians

and Alaska Natives, 1.0 percent for Asians,

9.5 percent for Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islanders, 97.1 percent for those

reporting Some Other Race, and 31.1 percent for those reporting Two or More Races.

10 The Northeast region includes the states

of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The

Midwest region includes the states of Illinois,

Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,

South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The South

region includes the states of Alabama,

Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,

North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and

the District of Columbia, a state equivalent.

The West region includes the states of Alaska,

Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming. 
6 U.S. Census Bureau

ECONOMIC

CHARACTERISTICS OF

FAMILIES VARIED WITH

DISABILITY STATUS 

Families with members with a

disability had lower median

income than other families.

Families with members with a disability had a median income of

$39,155, below the overall family

median income of $50,046 and the

$54,515 median income of families

without members with a disability

(see Table 4).11 Across disability

types, families with members with

a mental disability had a median

income of $36,197, lower than the

median incomes of $38,775 and

$36,950 for families with members

with a sensory disability or those

with a physical disability,

respectively.

Families with members with a

disability were less likely than

other families to have earnings

and more likely to receive

income from Social Security

and public assistance.

About 3 in 4 families with members with a disability (73.1 percent) had earnings from wages or

salaries in 1999, compared to 

84.6 percent of all U.S. families

and 89.3 percent of families without members with a disability.

About 11.1 percent of families

with members with a disability had

earnings from self-employment,

compared to 13.8 percent for all

families and 14.8 percent for families with members without a disability (see Table 5).

About 42.8 percent of families with

members with a disability received

income from Social Security, compared with 22.5 percent of all families and 14.2 percent of families

without members with a disability.

About 11.7 percent had incomes

from Supplemental Security Income,

compared with 4.0 percent of all

U.S. families and 0.9 percent of

families without members with a

disability. About 6.5 percent had

incomes from welfare payments

from state or local governments.

Families with children with a

disability were also more likely 

to receive various types of assistance from state and local governments — 11.4 percent, compared

with 3.8 percent of all U.S. families

and 2.7 percent of families without

members with a disability (see

Table 5). 

Family householders with

disabilities were less likely 

to be employed and less likely 

to be in the labor force than

other family householders.

Family householders are often the

breadwinners of their households

(see text box on page 1 for definition of Family Householder used in

this report). Of all family householders, those with a disability had

a lower employment rate (53.5 percent compared with 80.7 percent

for all family householders) and a

larger proportion of people not in

the labor force (42.3 percent compared with 16.4 percent for all family householders) (see Figure 2).

Figure 1.

Family Structure and Presence of Disabilities: 20001

1

 The total number of families was 72.3 million in 2000, including 55.5 million 

married-couple families, 12.5 million families with a female householder with no husband 

present, and 4.3 million families with a male householder with no wife present. 

Households of unrelated individuals are not included in this analysis. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

(Percent distribution. Data based on sample. For information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Family with

a male

householder,

no wife

present

Family with

a female

householder,

no husband

present

Married-couple

family

Members with 

a disability

No members with 

a disability

27.3 34.8 31.6

72.7 65.2

68.4

11 Income levels are for calendar year

1999. 
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 4.

Median Income by Presence and Type of Disabilities in the Family: 1999

(Data based on a sample. Family characteristics as of 2000. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Family characteristics Number of families Median income (dollars)

All families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,261,780 50,046

Families without members with a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,387,650 54,515

Families with members with any disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,874,130 39,155

With members with a sensory disability . . . .................................. 5,759,550 38,775

With members with a physical disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,004,065 36,950

With members with a mental disability ...................................... 7,360,965 36,197

All families with a householder who worked year-round full-time in 19991 . . . . . 39,175,525 61,537

Families with a householder without disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,907,510 62,301

Families with a householder with any disability ................................. 3,268,015 51,914

With a householder with a sensory disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731,755 56,854

With a householder with a physical disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,117,910 52,870

With a householder with a mental disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393,390 46,248

All families raising children2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,702,405 48,936

Families raising children without a disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,867,765 50,098

Families raising children with any disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,834,640 38,332

Raising children with a sensory disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481,910 34,603

Raising children with a physical disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499,210 32,265

Raising children with a mental disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,030,230 39,353

1

This category includes family householders aged 16 to 64 in the noninstitionalized civilian population.

2

Householders and their spouses aged 15-17 are not considered as children in this table.

Note: In addition to the summary measure of families with members with a disability, this table includes estimates of three specific types

of disability: sensory, physical, and mental, as they represent the central domains of disabilities. See Appendix for details on measuring disability in surveys. See the section on Family Disability Status for details on the summary measure of families with members with a disability.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

Table 5.

Family Income Sources by Presence of Disabilities: 1999

(Data based on a sample. Family characteristics as of 2000. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

1999 Income Sources

All families

Families without

members with

a disability1

Families with members

with a disability3

Families with children

with a disability

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Earnings from wages or salaries

from all jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,134,715 84.6 45,866,920 89.3 15,267,790 73.1 2,508,265 88.3

Earnings from self-employment1 . . . . . 9,953,105 13.8 7,627,555 14.8 2,325,555 11.1 359,475 12.7

Social Security . . .................. 16,249,895 22.5 7,310,905 14.2 8,938,990 42.8 304,090 10.7

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 2,901,565 4.0 456,330 0.9 2,445,230 11.7 258,340 9.1

Any public assistance or welfare

payments from the state or local

welfare office. . ................... 2,768,355 3.8 1,403,925 2.7 1,364,430 6.5 323,695 11.4

Total2 ............................ 72,261,780 100.0 51,387,650 100.0 20,874,130 100.0 2,840,730 100.0

1

Self-employment income includes income from own nonfarm business or farm business, including proprietorships and partnerships.

2

The types of income are not mutually exclusive as families can have more than one types of income in a given year. As a result, details

will not sum to totals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
Among householders with disabilities, those with a mental disability

had the lowest employment rate,

34.2 percent, and the largest proportion of people not in the labor

force, 60.8 percent. Next were

householders with a physical disability, with an employment rate of

39.3 percent; in 2000, 56.8 percent

of them did not participate in the

labor force. 

The median income of

families with a householder

who worked full-time, yearround varied by whether the

householder had a disability

and by the type of disability.

Among the approximately 3.3 million families with householders

who reported a disability and

worked full-time year-round in

1999, the median income was

$51,914, lower than the median

income of $61,537 for all U.S. families with householders working

full-time year-round and the median income of $62,301 for families

with householders without a disability and working full-time yearround. Across disability types,

families with householders with a

mental disability and working fulltime year-round reported the lowest median income ($46,248),

compared with families with

householders with a physical disability ($52,870) or those with a

sensory disability ($56,854) (see

Table 4). 

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 2.

Employment Status of Family Householders by Presence and Selected 

Type of Disabilities: 20001

1

 The total number of family householders in the civilian population aged 16 to 64 years old was 59.7 million in 2000. A family 

householder was coded as having a disability if he or she reported any of the five disabilities: sensory, physical, mental, self-care, or 

going-outside-home.

Note 1: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. 

Note 2: In addition to the summary measure of families with members with a disability, Figures 2, 3, 4, and 6 in this report include 

estimates of three specific types of disability: sensory, physical, and mental, as they represent the central domains of disabilities. See 

Appendix for details on measuring disability in surveys. See the section on Family Disability Status for details on the summary measure 

of families with members with a disability. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3. 

(Percent distribution. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Not in labor force

Unemployed

Employed 

Family

householders

with a mental

disability

Family

householders

with a physical

disability

Family

householders

with a sensory

disability

Family

householders

with a

disability

Family

householders

without a

disability

All family

householders

80.7

2.9

16.4

85.1

2.7

12.2

53.5

4.3

42.3

58.7

3.7

37.6

39.3

3.9

56.8

34.2

5.0

60.8
Families with householders

with a disability were less

likely to own their residence

than other families.

Among families with householders

with a disability, a smaller proportion (71.3 percent) lived in owneroccupied housing units than all

U.S. families (74.2 percent) or than

families with householders without

any disability (74.8 percent) (see

Figure 3).12

Homeownership also varied by

types of disability in the family.

Families with a householder with a

mental disability had the smallest

proportion (65.6 percent) living in

owner-occupied housing units.

Families with a householder with a

sensory disability, meanwhile, had

the largest proportion (78.4 percent).

U.S. Census Bureau 9

Figure 3.

Homeownership by Selected Type of Disabilities of the Family Householder: 2000 

Note 1: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. 

Note 2: In addition to the summary measure of families with members with a disability, Figures 2, 3, 4, and 6 in this report include 

estimates of three specific types of disability: sensory, physical, and mental, as they represent the central domains of disabilities. See 

Appendix for details on measuring disability in surveys. See the section on Family Disability Status for details on the summary measure 

of families with members with a disability. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3. 

(Percent distribution. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Owner-occupied 

housing unit

Renter-occupied 

housing unit

Families with

householder

with a mental

disability

Families with

householder

 with a physical

disability

Families with

householder

with a sensory

disability

Families with

householder

with a

disability

Families with

householder

without a

disability

All families

74.2

25.8

74.8 

25.2

71.3 

28.7

78.4 

21.6

73.9 

26.1

65.6 

34.4

12 The Census 2000 long form collected

information on housing tenure from respondents of all occupied housing units. Housing

units are classified as either owner-occupied

or renter-occupied. A housing unit is owneroccupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the

unit even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid

for. Occupied housing units which are not

owner-occupied, whether they are rented for

cash rent or occupied without payment of

cash rent, are classified as renter-occupied. 
DISABILITY AND FAMILY

POVERTY13

Using poverty status as another

indicator of economic well-being,

this section discusses disability

and poverty among American families and the extent to which they

varied across different family structures and regional and racial

groups.14 A description of the definition and measurement of family

poverty is contained in the text

box “Definition of Family Poverty

and Related Concepts.” 

In every state, families with

members with a disability

were more likely than other

families to live in poverty.

Among families with one or more

members with a disability, the

poverty rate was 12.8 percent —

higher than the 9.2 percent for all

families and the 7.7 percent for

families without members with a

disability. In every state and in the

District of Columbia, the poverty

rate was higher among families

with members with a disability than

among families without, as shown

in Table 6. The magnitude of the

difference varied across states. In

Hawaii, for instance, the poverty

rate for families with members with

a disability was 8.9 percent — a difference of 1.7 points from the 

7.1 percent for those without members with a disability. The corresponding rates in Nevada were 

6.9 percent compared with 9.1 percent and in Utah 5.8 percent compared with 8.4 percent, as shown in

the last column of Table 6. 

Of the families with two or

more members with a disability,

16.5 percent were in poverty. 

Poverty rates increased with the

number of family members

reporting a disability and varied 

10 U.S. Census Bureau

Total Family Income: Census 2000 asked about

money income received during the 1999 calendar

year. The incomes of all members in each family

were then summed and treated as a single amount:

total family income. 

Family Poverty: Following the Office of

Management and Budget’s (OMB) Statistical Policy

Directive 14, this report uses a set of money

income thresholds that vary by family size and

composition (see the matrix below). To determine

whether a family was in poverty in 1999, the total

family income was compared with the appropriate

poverty threshold. If the total family income was

less than the threshold, then the family was considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Thresholds (Annual Dollar Amounts) by Size of Family and Number of Related

Children Under 18 Years Old: 1999

Size of family unit

Related children under 18 years

None One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Eight or

more

One person (unrelated individual)

Under 65 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,667

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,990

Two people

Householder under 65 years . . . . . . . 11,156 11,483

Householder 65 years and over . . . . 10,070 11,440

Three people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,032 13,410 13,423

Four people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,184 17,465 16,895 16,954

Five people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,723 21,024 20,380 19,882 19,578

Six people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,835 23,930 23,436 22,964 22,261 21,845

Seven people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,425 27,596 27,006 26,595 25,828 24,934 23,953

Eight people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,673 30,944 30,387 29,899 29,206 28,327 27,412 27,180

Nine people or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,897 37,076 36,583 36,169 35,489 34,554 33,708 33,499 32,208

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

DEFINITION OF FAMILY POVERTY AND RELATED CONCEPTS

13 Poverty, like income, refers to calendar

year 1999. 14 Estimates and comparisons in this section use the family as the unit of analysis.

For poverty statistics of the entire U.S. population, see Alemayehu Bishaw and John

Iceland, Poverty: 1999: Census 2000, 

C2KBR-19, Washington D.C.: US Government

Printing Office, 2003.
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Table 6.

Poverty Rate by Presence of Disabilities for States: 1999

(Data based on a sample. Family characteristics as of 2000. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Area

Total Families Families without members

with a disability

Families with members

with a disability

Difference in

percentage

points1

Number

(1)

Percent

in poverty (2)

Number of

families

(3)

Number in

poverty

(4)

Percent

in poverty (5)

Number of

families

(6)

Number in

poverty

(7)

Percent

in poverty (8)

Column

(8)

minus

column

(2)

Column

(8)

minus

column

(5)

United States. . . .......... 72,261,780 9.2 51,387,650 3,950,480 7.7 20,874,130 2,670,465 12.8 3.6 5.1

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,223,185 12.5 809,780 84,530 10.4 413,405 68,585 16.6 4.1 6.2

Alaska . . . ................ 153,610 6.7 116,135 6,895 5.9 37,475 3,375 9.0 2.3 3.1

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,296,595 9.9 918,660 80,220 8.7 377,935 48,100 12.7 2.8 4.0

Arkansas. . . .............. 736,065 12.0 484,330 49,165 10.2 251,735 39,310 15.6 3.6 5.5

California. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,985,490 10.6 5,582,810 519,790 9.3 2,402,680 326,205 13.6 3.0 4.3

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,092,350 6.2 825,895 43,275 5.2 266,455 24,340 9.1 2.9 3.9

Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885,745 5.6 663,135 30,540 4.6 222,615 19,440 8.7 3.1 4.1

Delaware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205,775 6.5 148,765 8,175 5.5 57,010 5,130 9.0 2.5 3.5

District of Columbia. . . . . . . . . 115,965 16.7 77,540 11,415 14.7 38,425 7,950 20.7 4.0 6.0

Florida. . . ................ 4,238,410 9.0 2,877,525 229,560 8.0 1,360,885 153,570 11.3 2.2 3.3

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,126,360 9.9 1,503,745 124,195 8.3 622,615 85,945 13.8 3.9 5.5

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289,010 7.6 203,800 14,555 7.1 85,215 7,545 8.9 1.3 1.7

Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337,885 8.3 246,605 18,615 7.5 91,280 9,515 10.4 2.1 2.9

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,125,320 7.8 2,289,615 147,260 6.4 835,705 97,045 11.6 3.8 5.2

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,611,045 6.7 1,162,630 64,745 5.6 448,415 43,045 9.6 2.9 4.0

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774,245 6.0 586,605 30,605 5.2 187,645 16,035 8.5 2.5 3.3

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706,785 6.7 524,995 30,885 5.9 181,790 16,415 9.0 2.3 3.1

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,110,425 12.7 729,775 69,885 9.6 380,655 70,635 18.6 5.9 9.0

Louisiana. . . .............. 1,163,190 15.8 782,590 107,240 13.7 380,605 76,210 20.0 4.3 6.3

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342,430 7.8 244,370 15,185 6.2 98,060 11,430 11.7 3.9 5.4

Maryland . . . .............. 1,368,645 6.1 1,004,175 49,920 5.0 364,475 33,315 9.1 3.1 4.2

Massachusetts . . . ......... 1,587,535 6.7 1,172,100 61,535 5.2 415,435 44,085 10.6 4.0 5.4

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,591,310 7.4 1,854,455 113,020 6.1 736,860 79,360 10.8 3.4 4.7

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,262,955 5.1 981,780 41,565 4.2 281,175 22,615 8.0 3.0 3.8

Mississippi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752,235 16.0 486,700 64,985 13.4 265,535 55,055 20.7 4.8 7.4

Missouri. . . ............... 1,486,545 8.6 1,063,985 76,760 7.2 422,560 50,560 12.0 3.4 4.8

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238,735 10.5 175,045 16,485 9.4 63,685 8,520 13.4 2.9 4.0

Nebraska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446,550 6.7 341,005 20,615 6.0 105,545 9,360 8.9 2.2 2.8

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502,510 7.5 355,575 24,515 6.9 146,935 13,360 9.1 1.6 2.2

New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . 325,580 4.3 243,130 8,105 3.3 82,450 5,845 7.1 2.8 3.8

New Jersey . . . ............ 2,167,575 6.3 1,586,670 83,395 5.3 580,905 52,155 9.0 2.7 3.7

New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468,900 14.5 324,755 42,125 13.0 144,145 26,055 18.1 3.5 5.1

New York. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,673,485 11.5 3,252,020 303,035 9.3 1,421,465 232,900 16.4 4.9 7.1

North Carolina. . . .......... 2,173,345 9.0 1,522,720 114,920 7.5 650,625 81,500 12.5 3.5 5.0

North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166,965 8.3 127,010 9,485 7.5 39,955 4,405 11.0 2.7 3.6

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,007,205 7.8 2,180,070 143,365 6.6 827,140 91,660 11.1 3.3 4.5

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927,705 11.2 632,500 62,300 9.8 295,200 41,455 14.0 2.9 4.2

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884,875 7.9 635,790 43,755 6.9 249,085 26,275 10.6 2.7 3.7

Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,225,705 7.8 2,332,680 148,680 6.4 893,030 101,620 11.4 3.6 5.0

Rhode Island. . . ........... 266,655 8.9 190,185 14,315 7.5 76,470 9,290 12.1 3.3 4.6

South Carolina . . . ......... 1,078,735 10.7 735,795 65,480 8.9 342,945 50,420 14.7 4.0 5.8

South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195,455 9.3 147,140 12,045 8.2 48,315 6,125 12.7 3.4 4.5

Tennessee. . . ............. 1,557,620 10.3 1,057,975 88,245 8.3 499,645 72,470 14.5 4.2 6.2

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,283,475 12.0 3,749,740 387,200 10.3 1,533,735 245,475 16.0 4.0 5.7

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539,730 6.5 402,300 23,430 5.8 137,440 11,540 8.4 1.9 2.6

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,685 6.3 118,610 6,210 5.2 40,075 3,715 9.3 3.0 4.0

Virginia . . . ............... 1,859,985 7.0 1,353,560 77,365 5.7 506,425 52,525 10.4 3.4 4.7

Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,509,395 7.3 1,098,330 68,945 6.3 411,065 41,720 10.1 2.8 3.9

West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507,255 13.9 324,695 35,865 11.0 182,560 34,585 18.9 5.1 7.9

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,395,035 5.6 1,059,690 49,115 4.6 335,350 29,075 8.7 3.1 4.0

Wyoming. . . .............. 131,510 8.1 98,195 6,960 7.1 33,315 3,625 10.9 2.8 3.8

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,008,555 44.6 556,375 228,215 41.0 452,180 222,040 49.1 4.5 8.1

1

These differences are statistically significant at 90-percent confidence level.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 4.

Poverty Rates by Number and Type of Members With a Disability: 1999 

Note 1: Householders and their spouses aged 15-17 are not considered as children. 

Note 2: In addition to the summary measure of families with members with a disability, Figures 2, 3, 4, and 6 in this report include estimates 

of three specific types of disability: sensory, physical, and mental, as they represent the central domains of disabilities. See Appendix for details 

on measuring disability in surveys. See the section on Family Disability Status for details on the summary measure of families with members 

with a disability. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3. 

(In percent. Family characteristics as of 2000. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Families with members with a disability

Families without members with a disability

All families

Families with both adults and children with a disability

Families with children with a disability only

Families with adults with a disability only

Families with two or more children with a disability

Families with one child with a disability

Families with at least one child with a disability

Families with any three or more members with a disability

Families with any two members with a disability

Families with any one member with a disability

Families raising children with a mental disability

Families raising children with a physical disability

Families raising children with a sensory disability

Families with members with a mental disability

Families with members with a physical disability

Families with members with a sensory disability

By types of members with a disability

All families

By number of members with a disability

By disability types

21.1

9.2

7.7

12.8

11.4

17.0

28.9

12.8

14.2

18.9

21.8

20.2

32.4

11.0

12.6

16.2

25.7

27.6
across disability type. Among the

estimated 6.5 million families with

two or more members with a

disability, 16.5 percent were in

poverty. The poverty rate for the

1.2 million families with both

adults and children with a disability was 28.9 percent (see Figure 4). 

Across disability types, families

with members with a mental disability were more likely to live in

poverty, 16.2 percent, than were

families with members with a

physical or a sensory disability at

12.6 percent and 11.3 percent,

respectively (see Figure 4). 

Poverty and disability 

tended to occur in similar

proportions in Black families

and American Indian and

Alaska Native families. 

Of the single-race and Hispanic

groups examined in this report,

Black families and American Indian

U.S. Census Bureau 13

Table 7.

Poverty Rates by Presence of Disabilities and Selected Family Characteristics: 1999

(Data based on a sample. Family characteristics as of 2000. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Family characteristics

All families Families without members

with a disability

Families with members with

a disability

Difference in

percentage

points1

Number

(1)

Percent

in poverty

(2)

Number

(3)

Families

in poverty

(4)

Percent in

poverty

(5)

Number

(6)

Families

in poverty

(7)

Percent in

poverty

(8)

Column

(8)

minus

column

(2)

Column

(8)

minus

column

(5)

Race and Hispanic

Origin1

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,470,095 6.3 40,921,325 2,109,285 5.2 15,548,770 1,439,250 9.3 3.0 4.2

White alone, not

Hispanic ............. 52,769,535 5.5 38,447,385 1,702,285 4.4 14,322,150 1,186,810 8.3 2.8 3.9

Black alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,209,430 21.7 5,278,165 1,043,235 19.8 2,931,270 733,870 25.0 3.4 5.3

American Indian and

Alaska Native alone ..... 563,650 21.8 346,455 67,605 19.5 217,195 55,325 25.5 3.7 6.0

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,350,400 9.7 1,727,145 149,920 8.7 623,255 76,995 12.4 2.7 3.7

Native Hawaiian and other

Pacific Islander alone.... 79,255 14.6 54,18 7,405 13.7 25,075 4,180 16.7 2.1 3.0

Some other race alone . . . 3,206,530 22.0 2,174,205 444,525 20.5 1,032,330 261,955 25.4 3.3 4.9

Two or more races . . . . . . . 1,382,420 16.5 886,185 128,510 14.5 496,240 98,895 19.9 3.5 5.4

Hispanic (of any race) . . . . 7,483,040 20.0 4,996,545 922,615 18.5 2,486,495 572,680 23.0 3.1 4.6

Region

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,633,405 8.5 9,802,900 671,000 6.8 3,830,505 480,475 12.5 4.1 5.7

Midwest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,769,420 7.2 12,318,970 739,460 6.0 4,450,450 465,695 10.5 3.3 4.5

South. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,428,370 10.6 18,281,905 1,630,450 8.9 8,146,465 1,174,130 14.4 3.8 5.5

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,430,585 9.5 10,983,875 909,570 8.3 4,446,710 550,165 12.4 2.9 4.1

Rural/Urban Status

Rural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,679,230 8.3 11,654,850 770,485 6.6 5,024,380 607,870 12.1 3.8 5.5

Urban. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,582,550 9.4 39,732,800 3,179,995 8.0 15,849,750 2,062,600 13.0 3.6 5.0

Family Type

Married-couple family. . . . . 55,458,450 4.9 40,293,445 1,530,325 3.8 15,165,005 1,188,735 7.8 2.9 4.0

Family with female householder, no spouse

present ................ 12,500,760 26.5 8,150,735 2,062,650 25.3 4,350,025 1,253,265 28.8 2.3 3.5

Family with male householder, no spouse

present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,302,570 13.6 2,943,470 357,505 12.2 1,359,095 228,465 16.8 3.2 4.6

1

These difference are statistically significant at 90-percent confidence level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
and Alaska Native families were

most likely to be in poverty (each

having a poverty rate of approximately 22 percent) and most likely

to have family members with a disability (35.7 percent for Black families and 38.5 percent for American

Indian and Alaska Native families).

In contrast, non-Hispanic White

families and Asian families had the

lowest poverty rates (8.3 percent

and 12.4 percent, respectively) and

the lowest disability prevalence

rates (27.1 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively). Hispanic

families had a poverty rate of 

23.0 percent and a disability rate

of 33.2 percent (see Table 3 and

Table 7).

Families in the South had

higher prevalence rates of

both disability and poverty.

Among the four U.S. regions, families in the South had a higher

poverty rate (10.6 percent) than

their counterparts in the other

three regions (see Table 7). The

South was also the region where

families had the highest disability

prevalence (30.8 percent). The

Northeast had the largest difference in poverty rates: 12.5 percent

poverty rate for families with members with a disability, compared

with the 6.8 percent poverty rate

for families without members with

a disability. 

In both urban and rural areas, larger

proportions of families with members with a disability than families

without a disability lived in poverty

(see Table 7). Families in rural

areas had a higher disability rate

14 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

Poverty Rates by Presence of Disabilities and Other 

Selected Family Characteristics: 1999 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

(In percent. Family characteristics as of 2000. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Families with a male householder,

no wife present

Families with a female householder,

no husband present

Married-couple families

Hispanics (of any race)

Some other race alone

Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian alone

Black alone

White alone, not Hispanics

White alone

All families

Race and Hispanic origin

(Number)

Family structure

 Families without

members with a disability

Families with 

members with a disability 

12.1 16.8

12.8

9.3

8.3

25.0

25.5

12.4

16.7

25.4

23.0

7.8

28.8

7.7

5.2

4.4

19.8

19.5

8.7

13.7

20.5

18.5

3.8

25.3

(51.4 million) (20.9 million)
than those in urban areas (30.1 percent compared with 28.5 percent),

but not a higher poverty rate 

(8.3 percent compared with 

9.4 percent). 

The poverty rates for 

families with a member with 

a disability varied with the

composition of the family and

the race and Hispanic origin

of the householder. 

The poverty rate among families

with a female householder with no

husband present and with members

with a disability — 28.8 percent —

exceeded the national average of

12.8 percent. The corresponding

rate for families with a male householder with no wife present and

with members with a disability was

16.8 percent, as shown in Table 7

and Figure 5. Married-couple families with members with a disability

had a poverty rate of 7.8 percent.

With a poverty rate of 8.3 percent,

families with a non-Hispanic White

householder and members with a

disability were less likely to be in

poverty than other families with a

member with a disability. While not

statistically different from each

other, the poverty rates for families

with a member with a disability

and a householder who was Black,

American Indian or Alaska Native,

or Some Other Race (ranging from

25.0 percent to 25.5 percent),

were higher than the rates for families with a member with a disability and an Asian householder 

(12.4 percent), a Native Hawaiian

or Other Pacific Islander householder (16.7 percent), or a Hispanic

householder (23.0 percent). 

U.S. Census Bureau 15

Table 8.

Poverty Rates Among Families Raising Children and Other Selected Family

Characteristics: 1999

(Data based on a sample. Family characteristics as of 2000. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/docs/sf3.pdf)

Family characteristics

Families raising children

without a disability

Families raising children

with a disability

Difference in

percentage

points1

Number

(1)

Percent in

poverty

(2)

Number

(3)

Percent in

poverty

(4)

Column (4)

minus

column (2)

All families raising children1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,867,765 12.6 2,834,640 21.8 9.2

Race and Hispanic Origin

White alone .................................... 20,054,590 8.5 1,942,215 15.9 7.4

White alone, not Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,253,415 7.2 1,760,315 14.4 7.2

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,040,705 25.5 509,520 37.7 12.2

American Indian and Alaska Native alone . . . . . . . . . 274,480 25.9 39,295 33.4 7.5

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,020,830 11.7 61,190 18.4 6.7

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone . . 42,155 17.1 4,280 22.7 5.6

Some other race alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,807,190 24.7 194,445 34.3 9.6

Two or more races.............................. 627,820 19.8 83,705 29.0 9.2

Hispanic (of any race)........................... 3,912,795 23.5 419,975 32.7 9.2

Region

Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,112,020 11.7 526,580 22.4 10.7

Midwest ..................................... 6,332,275 9.7 653,880 18.6 8.9

South . . ..................................... 10,095,460 14.4 1,060,420 24.0 9.6

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,328,010 13.3 593,760 20.6 7.3

Rural/Urban Status

Rural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,136,745 11.0 609,770 19.4 8.4

Urban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,731,020 13.0 2,224,870 22.4 9.4

Family Structure

Married-couple family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,876,035 6.3 1,746,055 10.7 4.4

Family with a female householder with no husband

present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,231,650 31.5 906,205 42.7 11.2

Family with a male householder with no wife

present. . ..................................... 1,760,080 16.6 182,380 23.5 6.9

1

These differences are all statistically significant at 90-percent confidence level.

Note: Householders and their spouses aged 15-17 are not considered as children.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
FAMILIES RAISING CHILDREN

WITH A DISABILITY

This section describes levels of 

income, employment situations,

and the prevalence of poverty

among families raising children

with a disability.

One in every 26 American

families reported raising

children with a disability. 

An estimated 2.8 million families

were raising at least one child aged

5 to 17 with a disability.15 This figure represents 3.9 percent of the

72.3 million American families and

9.2 percent of the 30.7 million families raising children in 2000 (see

Table 8). Among the 2.8 million

families, 367,000 families, or 

1.3 percent, reported raising two or

more children with a disability.

Employment situations varied

among householders raising

children with a disability.

Among the 2.7 million workingage family householders raising

children with a disability, 2 million,

or 73.5 percent, worked part or all

of 1999. The employment rate

was 82.4 percent for all householders raising children and 

83.3 percent for householders raising children without a disability

(see Figure 6). Across disability

16 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 6.

Employment Status of Family Householders Raising 

Children With Disabilities: 20001 

1

 The total number of family householders in the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 16 to 64 years old and raising children 

was 29.7 million in 2000.

Note 1: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. 

Note 2: In addition to the summary measure of families with members with a disability, Figures 2, 3, 4, and 6 in this report include 

estimates of three specific types of disability: sensory, physical, and mental, as they represent the central domains of disabilities. See 

Appendix for details on measuring disability in surveys. See the section on Family Disability Status for details on the summary measure 

of families with members with a disability. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3. 

(Percent distribution. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Not in labor force

Unemployed

Employed 

Householders

raising children

with a mental

disability

Householders

raising children

with a physical

disability

Householders

raising children

with a sensory

disability

Householders

raising children

with a

disability

Householders

raising children

without any

disability

All householders

raising children 

82.4 

3.3 

14.4

83.3 

3.1 

13.6

73.5

4.8 

21.8

70.8 

5.1 

24.1

68.1 

5.3 

26.6

74.8 

4.7 

20.5

15 Householders and their spouses aged

15-17 are not considered as children.
types, householders raising children with a mental disability had

an employment rate of 74.8 percent, compared with 70.8 percent

of householders raising children

with a sensory disability and 

68.1 percent of those raising children with a physical disability.

Families raising children 

with a disability had a lower

median income than 

other families.

Families raising children with a disability had a median income of

$38,332, compared with $39,515

for families with any members

with a disability and $48,936 for

all families raising children. Across

disability types, families raising

children with a mental disability

reported a median income of

$39,353, compared to $34,603

and $32,265 for families raising

children with a sensory disability

or with a physical disability,

respectively (see Table 4). 

U.S. Census Bureau 17

Figure 7.

Poverty Rates Among Families Raising Children by 

Selected Family Characteristics: 1999 

Note: Householders and their spouses aged 15 - 17 are not considered as children. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3. 

(In percent. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Race and HIspanic origin

(Number)

Family structure

Families raising children

without a disability

Families raising children 

with a disability

(27.9 million) (2.8 million)

Families with a male householder,

no wife present

Families with a female householder,

no husband present

Married-couple families

Hispanics (of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian alone

Black alone

White alone, not Hispanics

White alone

All families

23.5

21.8

15.9

14.4

37.7

33.4

18.4

22.7

34.3

29.0

32.7

10.7

42.7

16.6

12.6

8.5

7.2

25.5

25.9

11.7

17.1

24.7

19.8

23.5

6.3

31.5
Families raising children with

a disability were more likely

to live in poverty than other

families raising children.

Families raising children with a disability had a poverty rate of 

21.8 percent, compared with 

12.6 percent for families raising

children without a disability. The

poverty rate of families raising

children with a physical disability

was 27.6 percent, compared with

25.7 percent of those raising children with a sensory disability and

21.1 percent of those raising children with a mental disability, as

shown in Figure 4. 

The poverty rate increased with the

number of children in the family

who had a disability. While about 1

in every 5 families raising one child

with a disability lived in poverty, the

rate was about 1 in 3 for families

raising two or more children with a

disability, as shown in Figure 4. 

Married-couple families

raising children with a

disability were better off

economically than other

families raising children 

with a disability. 

Among families raising children

with a disability, 10.7 percent of

married-couple families lived in

poverty, compared with 42.7 percent of families with a female

householder with no husband present and 23.5 percent of families

with a male householder with no

wife present (see Figure 7). 

ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES

The data contained in this report

are based on the sample of households who responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately 1 out of

every 6 housing units was included

in this sample. As a result, the

sample estimates may differ somewhat from the 100-percent figures

that would have been obtained if

all housing units, people within

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters had been

enumerated using the same questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample

estimates also differ from the values that would have been obtained

from different samples of housing

units, and hence of people living in

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters. The deviation of a sample estimate from

the average of all possible samples

is called the sampling error. 

In addition to the variability that

arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 100-

percent data are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error

may be introduced during any of

the various complex operations

used to collect and process data.

Such errors may include: not enumerating every household or every

person in the population, failing to

obtain all required information

from the respondents, obtaining

incorrect or inconsistent information, and recording information

incorrectly. In addition, errors can

occur during the field review of the

enumerators’ work, during clerical

handling of the census questionnaires, or during the electronic

processing of the questionnaires.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.

Nonsampling error may affect the

data in two ways: first, errors that

are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the data

and, therefore, should be reflected

in the standard errors; and second,

errors that tend to be consistent in

one direction will bias both sample

and 100-percent data in that direction. For example, if respondents

consistently tend to underreport

their incomes, then the resulting

estimates of households or families by income category will tend

to be understated for the higher

income categories and overstated

for the lower income categories.

Such biases are not reflected in the

standard errors.

All statements in this report have

undergone statistical testing and

all comparisons are significant at

the 90-percent confidence level

unless otherwise noted. The estimates in tables, maps, and other

figures may vary from actual values due to sampling and nonsampling errors. As a result, estimates

in one category used to summarize

statistics in the maps and figures

may not be statistically different

from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the accuracy of the data is

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf. For further

information on the computation

and use of standard errors, contact

the Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242. 

18 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau 19

APPENDIX

Background on Disability and Its Measurement in Surveys

For over 30 years, the accepted definitions of disability have been

changing. In the 1970s, the concept of a disability was associated

directly with an underlying physical

or mental condition. Today, there is

a growing acceptance that disability

is a complex process that involves

the interaction between a person

and his or her environment. In

other words, in 1970 a person with

leg paralysis would have been considered to be disabled based solely

on physical condition. In 2004,

ascertainment of disability status

could involve the nature of the

physical impairment as well as the

barriers in the environment which

prevent full social participation.

The development of the

International Classification of

Functioning, Disability, and Health

(ICF) by the World Health

Organization reflects this new perspective. The ICF is meant to codify a classification of functioning,

disability, and health “to provide a

unified standard language and

framework for the description of

health and health-related state.”

The ICF views disability as an

umbrella term and does not provide

a single way to determine disability

status. Thus, it is important to

state clearly what aspect of the disablement process is being captured

by a specific set of questions. 

As public perception of disability

has changed over time, so have

the goals of programs supporting

people with disabilities. In the

past, the emphasis was to provide

support to people with disabilities

primarily through benefits. Today,

that has shifted to an emphasis on

supporting independence and promoting involvement in all aspects

of society. As the conceptualization of disability and as service

programs for people with disabilities have changed, the Census

Bureau and other statistical bodies

have struggled with operationalizing the concept of disability for the

purpose of measurement. The “definitions” devised by the disability

theorists and researchers present

challenges in two areas. First, the

process of measuring a complex,

multi-dimensional concept in a survey format with limited space is

inherently difficult. Second, the

constantly evolving concept of

disability requires survey

professionals to continuously

develop new measurement

approaches to adapt to the newest

definitions of disability. 

The preparations for Census 2000

followed the same pattern established for previous decennial censuses. The Census Bureau worked

with other federal agencies to determine which aspects of disability

were relevant and necessary for the

agencies to meet their specific legal

or regulatory obligations for planning and/or evaluating programs

and services. As in the previous

census, two of the groups that

Census 2000 tried to measure were

people unable to care for themselves and people limited or unable

to work due to health impairment.

During the 1990s, along with the

Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA) guaranteeing civil rights to

people with disabilities, agencies

began requesting that statistical

agencies collect and report disability statistics as a demographic characteristic of the population. 

The work group which developed

the questions for Census 2000

faced three tasks: (1) measuring

disability using a definition in

keeping with the ADA, (2) meeting

the needs of various agencies

requiring specific information, and

(3) having a maximum of six questions. The committee agreed that

three domains (sensory, physical,

and mental/emotional/cognitive)

sufficiently represented the broad

classification of impairments and

health conditions that generally

result in disability. In addition, the

committee concluded that it could

meet an array of other programmatic requirements with three

questions on difficulty with specific types of functional activities.

They were intended to address

people with limitations in performing the following: Activities of

Daily Living, which generally

include self-care type activities

such as bathing or dressing;

Instrumental Activities of Daily

Living, which are activities often

associated with independent living

such as going out alone to shop or

visit a doctor’s office; and, finally,

working at a job or business.
20 U.S. Census Bureau

Andresen, Elena, et al. 2002.

“Reliability and Validity of

Disability Questions for US

Census 2000,” American Journal

of Public Health 90(8): 297-1299. 

Burkhauser, R. et al. 2002. “SelfReported Work-Limitation Data:

What They Can and Cannot Tell

Us,” Demography 12(3): 

541-555.

Jette, A. and E. Badley. 2000.

“Conceptual Issues in the

Measurement of Work

Disability,” in Survey

Measurement of Work Disability:

4-27 edited by N. Mathiowetz

and G. Wunderlich. Washington,

DC: National Academy Press.

Hale, T. 2001. “The Lack of a

Disability Measure in Today’s

Current Population Survey,”

Monthly Labor Review, June: 

38-40.

Stern, Sharon. 2003. “Counting

People with Disabilities,”

Proceedings from 2003 Joint

Statistical Meetings, (May):

4064-4071.

REFERENCES