For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, June 21, 2016 USDL-16-1248 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS — 2015 

In 2015, 17.5 percent of persons with a disability were employed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 65.0 

percent. The employment-population ratio for persons with a disability edged up in 2015, and the ratio 

for persons without a disability continued to increase. The unemployment rate for persons with a 

disability fell to 10.7 percent in 2015, and the rate for those without a disability declined to 5.1 percent. 

The data on persons with a disability are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a 

monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on employment and 

unemployment in the United States. The collection of data on persons with a disability is sponsored by 

the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. For more information, see the 

Technical Note in this news release. 

Highlights from the 2015 data: 

 Persons with a disability were about three times as likely as those with no disability to be age 65 

and over. (See table 1.) 

 For all age groups, the employment-population ratio was much lower for persons with a 

disability than for those with no disability. (See table 1.) 

 Unemployment rates were higher for persons with a disability than for those with no disability 

among all educational attainment groups. (See table 1.) 

 In 2015, 32 percent of workers with a disability were employed part time, compared with 18 

percent for those with no disability. (See table 2.) 

 Workers with a disability were more likely to be self-employed than those with no disability. 

(See table 4.) 

Demographic characteristics

Persons with a disability tend to be older than persons with no disability, reflecting the increased 

incidence of disability with age. In 2015, 47 percent of persons with a disability were age 65 and over, 

compared with 15 percent of those with no disability. Women were somewhat more likely to have a 
disability than men, and Blacks and Whites continued to have a higher prevalence of disability than 

Hispanics and Asians in 2015. (See table 1.) 

Employment

The employment-population ratio for persons with a disability, at 17.5 percent, edged up in 2015, 

essentially returning to the 2013 level. The ratio for those with no disability increased to 65.0 percent. 

The lower ratio among persons with a disability reflects, in part, the older age profile of persons with a 

disability; older workers are less likely to be employed regardless of disability status. However, across 

all age groups, persons with a disability were much less likely to be employed than those with no 

disability. (See tables A and 1.) 

Among persons with a disability age 65 and over, the employment-population ratio, at 6.7 percent in 

2015, was about unchanged from the prior year, while the ratio for persons age 16 to 64 rose to 26.9 

percent in 2015. For persons without a disability, the employment-population ratio increased to 23.1 

percent for persons age 65 and over, and to 72.2 percent for persons age 16 to 64. (See table A.) 

Persons with a disability are less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher than those with 

no disability. Among both groups, those who had attained higher levels of education were more likely to 

be employed than those with less education. In 2015, across all levels of education, persons with a 

disability were much less likely to be employed than were their counterparts with no disability. 

(Educational attainment data are presented for those age 25 and over.) (See table 1.) 

Workers with a disability were more likely to be employed part time than those with no disability. 

Among those with a disability, 32 percent usually worked part time in 2015, compared with 18 percent 

of workers without a disability. The proportion of workers who were employed part time for economic 

reasons was slightly higher among those with a disability than among those without a disability (6 

percent versus 4 percent). These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut 

back or because they were not able to find a full-time job. (See table 2.) 

In 2015, persons with a disability were more heavily concentrated in service occupations than those with 

no disability (21.7 percent compared with 17.2 percent). Workers with a disability were somewhat more 

likely than those with no disability to work in production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations (14.4 percent compared with 11.8 percent). Persons with a disability were less likely to 

work in management, professional, and related occupations than those without a disability (31.3 percent 

compared with 39.2 percent). (See table 3.) 

The proportion of persons employed in federal, state, and local government was about the same in 2015 

for both persons with a disability and persons without a disability (14.2 percent and 13.9 percent, 

respectively). However, a smaller share of workers with a disability (75.8 percent) were employed as 

private wage and salary workers, compared with those with no disability (79.8 percent), and a larger 

share were self-employed than were those with no disability (10.0 percent versus 6.3 percent). (See table 

4.) 

Unemployment 

The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 10.7 percent in 2015, about twice that of those 

with no disability (5.1 percent). (Unemployed persons are those who did not have a job, were available 

for work, and were actively looking for a job in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.) The unemployment 

 -2-
rate for persons with a disability decreased by 1.8 percentage points in 2015. The rate for persons 

without a disability declined by 0.8 percentage point to 5.1 percent. (See tables A and 1.)

Among persons with a disability, the unemployment rates were similar for men and women in 2015 

(10.6 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively). The rates for both men and women declined in 2015. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, the jobless rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics were 

down over the year, while the rate for Asians showed little change. As is the case among persons 

without a disability, the jobless rate for those with a disability was higher among Blacks (17.4 percent) 

and Hispanics (13.3 percent) than among Whites (9.6 percent) and Asians (7.4 percent). (See table 1.) 

Not in the labor force 

Persons who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force. A large proportion of 

persons with a disability—about 8 in 10—were not in the labor force in 2015, compared with about 3 in 

10 of those with no disability. In part, this too reflects the older age profile of persons with a disability; 

persons age 65 and over are much less likely to participate in the labor force than younger age groups. 

Across all age groups, however, persons with a disability were more likely to be out of the labor force 

than those with no disability. (See table 1.) 

For both persons with and without a disability, the vast majority of those not in the labor force report 

that they do not want a job. Among those who were not in the labor force, 1 percent of persons with a 

disability and 2 percent of those without a disability were marginally attached to the labor force. These 

individuals wanted and were available to work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 

months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks 

preceding the survey. (Persons marginally attached to the labor force include discouraged workers.) (See 

table 5.) 

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Table A. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by disability status and age, 2014 and

2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2014 2015

Total, 16

years

and over

16 to 64

years

65 years

and over

Total, 16

years

and over

16 to 64

years

65 years

and over

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 29,219 15,612 13,606 29,752 15,771 13,981

Civilian labor force.................................................. 5,699 4,717 981 5,813 4,812 1,001

Participation rate.................................................. 19.5 30.2 7.2 19.5 30.5 7.2

Employed.......................................................... 4,985 4,062 923 5,193 4,250 942

Employment-population ratio................................. 17.1 26.0 6.8 17.5 26.9 6.7

Unemployed....................................................... 714 656 58 621 562 59

Unemployment rate............................................ 12.5 13.9 5.9 10.7 11.7 5.9

Not in labor force.................................................... 23,520 10,895 12,625 23,939 10,959 12,980

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 218,728 187,375 31,353 221,049 188,521 32,528

Civilian labor force.................................................. 150,223 142,847 7,376 151,317 143,517 7,800

Participation rate.................................................. 68.7 76.2 23.5 68.5 76.1 24.0

Employed.......................................................... 141,320 134,273 7,048 143,641 136,119 7,522

Employment-population ratio................................. 64.6 71.7 22.5 65.0 72.2 23.1

Unemployed....................................................... 8,903 8,574 329 7,676 7,398 278

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.9 6.0 4.5 5.1 5.2 3.6

Not in labor force.................................................... 68,505 44,528 23,977 69,732 45,004 24,728

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

 -4-
Technical Note

 The estimates in this release are based on annual 

average data obtained from the 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. 

 Questions were added to the CPS in June 2008 to 

identify persons with a disability in the civilian 

noninstitutional population age 16 and older. The

addition of these questions allowed the BLS to begin 

releasing monthly labor force data from the CPS for 

persons with a disability. The collection of these data 

is sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of 

Disability Employment Policy.

 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.

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 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.

 Additional information about the reliability of data 

from the CPS and estimating standard errors is 

available at

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

 CPS estimates are controlled to population totals 

that are available by age, sex, race, and Hispanic 

ethnicity. These controls are developed by the Census 

Bureau and are based on complete population counts 

obtained in the decennial census. In the years between 

decennial censuses, they incorporate the latest 

information about population change (births, deaths, 

and net international migration). As part of its annual 

update of population estimates, the Census Bureau 

introduces adjustments to the total population 

controls. The updated controls typically have a 

negligible impact on unemployment rates and other 

ratios. The estimates of the population of persons with 

a disability are not controlled to independent 

population totals of persons with a disability because 

such data are not available. Without independent 

population totals, sample-based estimates are more 

apt to vary from one time period to the next. 

Information about population controls is available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.

Disability questions and concepts

 The 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. The disability

questions appear in the CPS in the following format: 

 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 household members who are 15 years and 

older.

• 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 ask 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 limitations of the CPS disability

data is available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability_faq.htm.

Other definitions

 Other definitions used in this release are described 

briefly below. Additional information on the concepts 

and methodology of the CPS is available at

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

 Employed. 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, 

bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or another 

reason also are counted as employed. 

 Unemployed. 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. The civilian labor force

comprises all persons classified as employed or 

unemployed.

 Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate

represents the number of unemployed persons as a 

percent of the civilian labor force.

 Not in the labor force. Persons not in the labor force

include all those who are not classified as employed 

or unemployed. Information is collected on their 

desire for and availability to take a job at the time of 

the CPS interview, job search activity in the prior 

year, and reason for not looking in the 4-week period 

ending with the reference week. This group includes 

individuals marginally attached to the labor force, 

defined as persons not in the labor force who want and 

are available for a job and who have looked for work 

sometime in the past 12 months (or since the end of 

their last job if they held one within the past 12 

months). They are not counted as unemployed 

because they had not actively searched for work in the 

prior 4 weeks. Within the marginally attached group 

are discouraged workers—persons who are not 

currently looking for work because they believe there 

are no jobs available or there are none for which they 

would qualify. The other persons marginally attached 

to the labor force group includes persons who want a 

job but had not looked for work in the past 4 weeks 

for reasons such as family responsibilities or 

transportation problems.

 Part time for economic reasons. Persons classified 

as at work part time for economic reasons, a measure 

sometimes referred to as involuntary part time, are 

those who gave an economic reason for working 1 to 

34 hours during the reference week. Economic 

reasons include slack work or unfavorable business

conditions, inability to find full-time work, and 

seasonal declines in demand. Those who usually work 

part time must also indicate that they want and are 

available for full-time work to be classified as part 

time for economic reasons. 

 Occupation, industry, and class of worker. The 

occupation, industry, and class of worker 

classifications for the employed relate to the job held 

in the survey reference week. Persons with two or 

more jobs are classified in the job at which they 

worked the greatest number of hours. Persons are 

classified using the 2010 Census occupational and 

2012 Census industry classification systems. The 

class-of-worker breakdown assigns workers to the 

following categories: Private and government wage 

and salary workers, self-employed workers, and 

unpaid family workers. Wage and salary workers

receive wages, salary, commissions, tips, or pay in 

kind from a private employer or from a government 

unit. Self-employed persons are those who work for 

profit or fees in their own business, profession, trade, 

or farm. Only the unincorporated self-employed are

included in the self-employed category. Selfemployed persons who respond that their businesses 

are incorporated are included among wage and salary 

workers. Unpaid family workers are persons working 

without pay for 15 hours a week or more on a farm or 

in a business operated by a family member in their

household. 
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by disability status and selected

characteristics, 2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force

Participation

rate

Employed Unemployed

Total Percent of

population Total Rate

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250,801 157,130 62.7 148,834 59.3 8,296 5.3 93,671

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121,101 83,620 69.1 79,131 65.3 4,490 5.4 37,481

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129,700 73,510 56.7 69,703 53.7 3,807 5.2 56,190

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,752 5,813 19.5 5,193 17.5 621 10.7 23,939

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,739 3,134 22.8 2,803 20.4 331 10.6 10,605

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,014 2,679 16.7 2,389 14.9 290 10.8 13,334

Age

16 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,771 4,812 30.5 4,250 26.9 562 11.7 10,959

16 to 19 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620 137 22.2 95 15.4 42 30.7 482

20 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902 397 44.0 316 35.0 81 20.3 505

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,805 762 42.2 639 35.4 123 16.1 1,043

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,198 809 36.8 713 32.4 96 11.8 1,389

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,023 1,199 29.8 1,094 27.2 105 8.8 2,824

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,224 1,508 24.2 1,393 22.4 115 7.7 4,715

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,981 1,001 7.2 942 6.7 59 5.9 12,980

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,812 4,693 19.7 4,242 17.8 451 9.6 19,119

Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,057 704 17.4 582 14.3 122 17.4 3,353

Asian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828 136 16.4 126 15.2 10 7.4 691

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,140 709 22.6 614 19.6 94 13.3 2,432

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,230 5,279 18.7 4,781 16.9 498 9.4 22,951

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,909 578 9.8 505 8.5 73 12.6 5,331

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,323 1,651 16.0 1,488 14.4 163 9.9 8,672

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,234 1,757 24.3 1,583 21.9 175 9.9 5,476

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,765 1,293 27.1 1,206 25.3 87 6.8 3,472

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221,049 151,317 68.5 143,641 65.0 7,676 5.1 69,732

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,362 80,486 75.0 76,327 71.1 4,159 5.2 26,876

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113,686 70,830 62.3 67,314 59.2 3,517 5.0 42,856

Age

16 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188,521 143,517 76.1 136,119 72.2 7,398 5.2 45,004

16 to 19 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,999 5,562 34.8 4,639 29.0 924 16.6 10,436

20 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,069 15,126 71.8 13,706 65.1 1,420 9.4 5,943

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,966 33,885 82.7 32,103 78.4 1,782 5.3 7,082

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,503 31,795 84.8 30,539 81.4 1,255 3.9 5,709

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,614 32,703 84.7 31,549 81.7 1,154 3.5 5,910

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,370 24,445 71.1 23,583 68.6 863 3.5 9,924

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,528 7,800 24.0 7,522 23.1 278 3.6 24,728

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173,056 118,914 68.7 113,703 65.7 5,211 4.4 54,142

Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,329 18,613 68.1 16,890 61.8 1,723 9.3 8,715

Asian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,592 8,917 65.6 8,580 63.1 337 3.8 4,675

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,477 25,418 69.7 23,786 65.2 1,632 6.4 11,060

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183,981 130,628 71.0 125,296 68.1 5,332 4.1 53,353

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,266 10,394 56.9 9,593 52.5 800 7.7 7,873

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,390 33,671 65.5 31,914 62.1 1,757 5.2 17,719

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,029 35,724 72.9 34,203 69.8 1,521 4.3 13,306

Bachelor’s degree and higher2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65,296 50,840 77.9 49,586 75.9 1,253 2.5 14,456

1

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons

whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Table 2. Employed full- and part-time workers by disability status and age, 2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Disability status and age

Employed At work

part time for

economic

reasons1

Total

Usually

work

full time

Usually

work

part time

TOTAL

16 years and over........................................................................ 148,834 121,492 27,341 6,371

16 to 64 years.......................................................................... 140,369 116,240 24,129 6,141

65 years and over...................................................................... 8,465 5,252 3,213 231

Persons with a disability

16 years and over........................................................................ 5,193 3,508 1,684 311

16 to 64 years.......................................................................... 4,250 3,025 1,225 290

65 years and over...................................................................... 942 483 459 21

Persons with no disability

16 years and over........................................................................ 143,641 117,984 25,657 6,060

16 to 64 years.......................................................................... 136,119 113,215 22,903 5,850

65 years and over...................................................................... 7,522 4,769 2,754 210

1 Refers to persons who, whether they usually work full or part time, worked 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for an economic reason such as

slack work or unfavorable business conditions, inability to find full-time work, or seasonal declines in demand. Persons who usually work part time

for an economic reason, but worked 35 hours or more during the reference week are excluded. Also excludes employed persons who were absent

from their jobs for the entire reference week.

NOTE: Full time refers to persons who usually work 35 hours or more per week; part time refers to persons who usually work less than 35 hours per

week.
Table 3. Employed persons by disability status, occupation, and sex, 2015 annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Occupation

Persons with a disability Persons with no disability

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)....................................... 5,193 2,803 2,389 143,641 76,327 67,314

Occupation as a percent of total employed

Total employed......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations........... 31.3 28.7 34.3 39.2 35.7 43.2

Management, business, and financial operations

occupations..................................................... 14.1 15.4 12.7 16.3 17.2 15.2

Management occupations.................................... 10.7 12.6 8.4 11.4 13.1 9.6

Business and financial operations occupations............ 3.5 2.7 4.3 4.8 4.2 5.6

Professional and related occupations.......................... 17.2 13.4 21.6 22.9 18.5 28.0

Computer and mathematical occupations.................. 1.9 2.3 1.6 3.0 4.2 1.5

Architecture and engineering occupations.................. 1.5 2.4 0.4 2.0 3.2 0.6

Life, physical, and social science occupations............. 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.9

Community and social service occupations................ 1.7 1.2 2.4 1.7 1.1 2.4

Legal occupations............................................. 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.1 1.3

Education, training, and library occupations................ 4.6 2.6 7.0 6.0 3.0 9.5

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

occupations.................................................. 1.9 1.6 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.1

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations. . . . . . .. 4.0 1.9 6.4 6.0 2.8 9.5

Service occupations................................................ 21.7 17.5 26.7 17.2 14.0 20.9

Healthcare support occupations................................ 2.3 0.4 4.6 2.4 0.6 4.4

Protective service occupations................................. 2.1 2.8 1.2 2.1 3.1 0.9

Food preparation and serving related occupations.......... 6.1 5.0 7.4 5.4 4.7 6.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations..................................................... 6.3 7.1 5.4 3.8 4.2 3.3

Personal care and service occupations....................... 4.9 2.3 8.0 3.6 1.6 5.9

Sales and office occupations...................................... 22.9 16.3 30.6 22.6 16.4 29.6

Sales and related occupations.................................. 10.0 9.2 10.8 10.6 10.1 11.1

Office and administrative support occupations............... 12.9 7.1 19.7 12.0 6.3 18.5

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations........................................................ 9.7 16.6 1.6 9.2 16.5 0.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.................... 1.0 1.4 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.4

Construction and extraction occupations...................... 5.0 8.8 0.4 5.1 9.4 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........... 3.7 6.3 0.5 3.4 6.1 0.2

Production, transportation, and material moving

occupations........................................................ 14.4 20.8 6.9 11.8 17.3 5.5

Production occupations.......................................... 6.9 9.2 4.3 5.7 7.6 3.5

Transportation and material moving occupations............ 7.5 11.7 2.6 6.1 9.7 2.0
Table 4. Employed persons by disability status, industry, class of worker, and sex, 2015 annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Industry and class of worker

Persons with a disability Persons with no disability

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)....................................... 5,193 2,803 2,389 143,641 76,327 67,314

Industry as a percent of total employed

Total employed......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Agriculture and related industries................................. 3.0 4.2 1.7 1.6 2.2 0.8

Nonagricultural industries.......................................... 97.0 95.8 98.3 98.4 97.8 99.2

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction................. 0.6 1.0 0.1 0.6 1.0 0.2

Construction....................................................... 6.1 10.3 1.2 6.7 11.4 1.3

Manufacturing..................................................... 10.6 13.7 7.0 10.3 13.8 6.4

Wholesale trade.................................................. 2.1 3.0 1.1 2.5 3.2 1.6

Retail trade........................................................ 13.1 12.8 13.4 11.1 10.9 11.4

Transportation and utilities...................................... 5.3 7.0 3.4 5.2 7.6 2.5

Information........................................................ 1.7 1.9 1.6 2.0 2.3 1.7

Financial activities................................................ 6.0 5.3 6.9 6.8 6.0 7.7

Professional and business services............................ 10.6 11.3 9.7 11.7 13.0 10.3

Education and health services.................................. 20.6 10.5 32.4 22.7 10.8 36.2

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 9.5 8.7 10.4 9.3 8.5 10.1

Other services.................................................... 6.2 5.9 6.4 4.8 4.4 5.4

Public administration............................................. 4.5 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.5

Class of worker as a percent of total employed

Total employed1

........................................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Wage and salary workers2

......................................... 89.9 88.0 92.2 93.7 92.7 94.8

Private industries................................................. 75.8 76.0 75.5 79.8 81.5 77.9

Government....................................................... 14.2 11.9 16.8 13.9 11.2 16.9

Federal.......................................................... 3.1 3.2 2.9 2.4 2.5 2.3

State............................................................. 4.9 3.5 6.7 4.7 3.5 6.0

Local............................................................. 6.2 5.2 7.2 6.8 5.2 8.5

Self-employed workers, unincorporated.......................... 10.0 12.0 7.6 6.3 7.3 5.1

1

Includes a small number of unpaid family workers, not shown separately.

2

Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated.
Table 5. Persons not in the labor force by disability status, age, and sex, 2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Category

Total,

16 years and

over

16 to 64 years Total,

65 years and

Total Men Women over

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Total not in the labor force.................................................... 23,939 10,959 5,151 5,808 12,980

Persons who currently want a job......................................... 744 523 252 271 221

Marginally attached to the labor force1

................................. 219 176 86 90 43

Discouraged workers2................................................. 62 45 26 18 17

Other persons marginally attached to the labor force3............ 157 131 59 72 26

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Total not in the labor force.................................................... 69,732 45,004 16,457 28,547 24,728

Persons who currently want a job......................................... 5,338 4,755 2,152 2,603 583

Marginally attached to the labor force1

................................. 1,737 1,598 830 768 139

Discouraged workers2................................................. 603 546 333 213 56

Other persons marginally attached to the labor force3............ 1,134 1,051 497 555 83

1 Data refer to persons who want a job, have searched for work during the prior 12 months, and were available to take a job during the reference

week, but had not looked for work in the past 4 weeks.

2

Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for reasons such as thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks

schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of discrimination.

3

Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as school or family responsibilities, ill health, and

transportation problems, as well as a number for whom reason for nonparticipation was not determined.