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 onethird of the employment-population ratio for persons with no disability (67.1 percent). In part, 
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this reflects the older age profile of persons with a disability. However, the employmentpopulation 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.)
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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 
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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.) 
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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 a 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 laborrelated 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

noninstitutional

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 college1

. . . . . . . . .. 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 higher2

................ 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 college1

. . . . . . . . .. 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 higher2

................ 75,926 58,391 76.9 56,892 74.9 1,499 2.6 17,535

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 employed1 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 college2

............................... 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 higher3.................................... 4,118 1,430 2,595 100.0 34.7 63.0

Never worked4

......................................................... 2,806 1,986 769 100.0 70.8 27.4

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

with a

barrier to

employment1

Percent of total by type of barrier

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 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 college2

............ 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 higher3.................. 1,430 4.4 2.5 8.5 3.4 9.4 7.6 75.9 21.9

Never worked4....................................... 1,986 16.7 7.2 11.0 3.4 10.9 4.0 76.2 18.3

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

worked1 Total Previouslyworked

Never

worked1

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 college2

............................... 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 higher3

.................................... 4,018 3,899 118 100.0 97.1 2.9

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 assistance1

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 worked2

.................................................................................... 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 worked2

.................................................................................... 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 worked2

.................................................................................... 370 14 3.8

1

2

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.

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

program1

Did not

work less

because

of

program1

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

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

communication or

information

sharing

Changes

to

comply

with

religious

beliefs

Accommodations 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 college1

............................................................... 33,998 3,722 10.9

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 36,612 7,321 20.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 1,597 218 13.7

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 1,786 441 24.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 32,401 3,504 10.8

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 34,826 6,879 19.8

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 56,892 23,184 40.8

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 college1

............................................................... 33,998 10,712 31.5

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 36,612 14,051 38.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 1,597 632 39.6

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 1,786 804 45.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 32,401 10,080 31.1

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 34,826 13,247 38.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 56,892 27,803 48.9

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 college1

............................................................... 33,998 921 2.7

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 36,612 945 2.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 1,597 77 4.8

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 1,786 105 5.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 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 college1

............................................................... 32,401 844 2.6

Some college or associate degree................................................................ 34,826 840 2.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher2.................................................................... 56,892 1,672 2.9

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.