For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, June 8, 2012 USDL-12-1125 

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 — 2011 

In 2011, 17.8 percent of persons with a disability were employed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for persons without a disability was 63.6 

percent. The employment-population ratio for persons with a disability declined from 18.6 percent in 

2010 to 17.8 percent in 2011. The ratio for persons without a disability was about unchanged. The 

unemployment rate of persons with a disability was 15.0 percent in 2011, higher than the rate for those 

with no disability, at 8.7 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. 

Highlights from the 2011 data are: 

 Persons with a disability were over 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.) 

 The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was about the same in 2011 as in 2010. The 

rate for persons without a disability fell over the year. (See table A.) 

 One-third of workers with a disability were employed part time, compared with about one-fifth 

of those with no disability. (See table 2.) 

 Employed persons 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 2011, 45 percent of persons with a disability were age 65 and over, 

compared with 13 percent of those with no disability. Women were somewhat more likely to have a 
‐ 2 ‐ 

disability than men, partly reflecting the greater life expectancy of women. Among the major race and 

ethnicity groups, the prevalence of a disability was higher for blacks and whites than for Asians and 

Hispanics. (See table 1.) 

Employment 

In 2011, the employment-population ratio was 17.8 percent for persons with a disability. Among those 

with no disability, the ratio was much higher (63.6 percent). The lower ratio among persons with a 

disability is due, in part, to the fact that a large share of the population of persons with a disability was 

age 65 and older, and older workers in general are less likely to be employed. However, across all age 

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

(See table 1.) 

From 2010 to 2011, the employment-population ratio for persons with a disability fell from 18.6 percent 

to 17.8 percent, while the ratio for persons without a disability was little changed. Among persons with a 

disability, the employment-population ratio for those age 16 to 64 declined, while the ratio for those age 

65 and over rose. (See table A.) 

Persons with a disability who had completed higher levels of education were more likely to be employed 

in 2011 than those with less education. However, at all levels of education, persons with a disability 

were much less likely to be employed than were their counterparts with no disability. (See table 1.) 

Workers with a disability were more likely than those with no disability to work part time. Among 

workers with a disability, 33 percent usually worked part time in 2011, compared with 19 percent of 

workers without a disability. A slightly larger proportion of workers with a disability worked part time 

for economic reasons than those with no disability (8 and 6 percent, respectively). These individuals 

were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a fulltime job. (See table 2.) 

Workers with a disability were slightly more likely than those with no disability to work in production, 

transportation, and material moving occupations (14 percent compared with 12 percent). Those with a 

disability were less likely to work in management, professional, and related occupations (32 percent 

compared with 38 percent). (See table 3.) 

In 2011, 16 percent of workers with a disability were employed in federal, state, and local government, 

about the same percentage as those with no disability. Seventy-three percent of workers with a disability 

were employed as private wage and salary workers, compared with 79 percent of those with no 

disability. A larger proportion of workers with a disability were self-employed than were those with no 

disability (12 and 7 percent, respectively). (See table 4.) 

Unemployment 

The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 15.0 percent in 2011, well above the figure of 

8.7 percent for those with no disability. (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 rate for persons with a disability was about the same in 2011 as in 2010, while the rate 

for persons without a disability fell. (See tables A and 1.) 
‐ 3 ‐ 

Among persons with a disability, the jobless rate for men (15.3 percent) was slightly higher in 2011 than 

the rate for women (14.7 percent). As is the case among those without a disability, the unemployment 

rates in 2011 for those with a disability were higher among blacks (23.5 percent) and Hispanics (20.3 

percent) than among whites (13.7 percent) and Asians (11.0 percent). (See table 1.) 

Not in the labor force 

Persons who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force. As was the case in 2010, a 

large proportion of persons with a disability—about 8 in 10—were not in the labor force in 2011, 

compared with about 3 in 10 of those with no disability. In part, this reflects the fact that many of those 

with a disability are age 65 and over. However, for all age groups, persons with a disability were more 

likely than those with no disability to be out of the labor force. (See table 1.) 

Among persons not in the labor force, 1 percent of those with a disability were marginally attached to 

the labor force in 2011, compared with 4 percent of those with no disability. These individuals were not 

in the labor force, wanted and were available for 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. For persons with and without a disability, the vast majority of those not in 

the labor force reported that they do not want a job. (See table 5.)
Table A. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by disability status and age, 2010 and

2011 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2010 2011

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.................................... 26,592 14,730 11,862 27,382 15,047 12,335

Civilian labor force................................................... 5,795 4,995 800 5,722 4,854 868

Participation rate................................................... 21.8 33.9 6.7 20.9 32.3 7.0

Employed........................................................... 4,939 4,210 729 4,861 4,067 794

Employment-population ratio.................................. 18.6 28.6 6.1 17.8 27.0 6.4

Unemployed........................................................ 857 786 71 861 787 74

Unemployment rate............................................. 14.8 15.7 8.9 15.0 16.2 8.5

Not in labor force..................................................... 20,797 9,735 11,062 21,659 10,192 11,467

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Civilian noninstitutional population.................................... 211,238 184,394 26,844 212,236 184,842 27,394

Civilian labor force................................................... 148,094 142,176 5,918 147,894 141,650 6,244

Participation rate................................................... 70.1 77.1 22.0 69.7 76.6 22.8

Employed........................................................... 134,125 128,586 5,539 135,008 129,155 5,853

Employment-population ratio.................................. 63.5 69.7 20.6 63.6 69.9 21.4

Unemployed........................................................ 13,968 13,590 378 12,886 12,495 391

Unemployment rate............................................. 9.4 9.6 6.4 8.7 8.8 6.3

Not in labor force..................................................... 63,144 42,218 20,926 64,342 43,192 21,150

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

The estimates in this release are based on annual 

average data obtained from the Current Population Survey 

(CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 eligible 

households that is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for 

the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

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 exact difference, or sampling 

error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, 

and this 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. 

A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS 

and information on estimating standard errors is available 

online 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 

estimated effect of the new controls on CPS data for 2011 

(based on a comparison of December 2010 data on the old 

and new controls) was to decrease the total employment 

level by 472,000. The number of employed persons with a 

disability was lower by 11,000 and the number with no 

disability was lower by 461,000; these effects reflect an 

indirect adjustment related to changes in population size 

and composition by age, sex, race, and Hispanic ethnicity. 

The updated controls had 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 currently available. Without 

independent population totals, sample-based estimates are 

more apt to vary from one time period to the next.) 

Additional information is available on the BLS Web site 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 Web site 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 persons are all those who, during the survey 

reference week (which is generally the week including the 

12th day of the month), (a) did any work at all as paid 

employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or 

on their own farm; (c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid 

workers in a family-operated enterprise; or (d) were 

temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, 

vacation, labor dispute, or another reason. 

Unemployed persons are all persons who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific 

efforts to find employment sometime during the 4 weeks 

preceding the survey. 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. 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 prior 

to the survey 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. 

At work part time for economic reasons, a measure 

sometimes referred to as involuntary part time, refers to 

individuals 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.

Occupation, industry, and class of worker 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 2007 

Census industry classification systems. The class-of-worker 

breakdown assigns workers to the following categories: 

Private and government wage and salary workers, selfemployed 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 selfemployed category. Self-employed persons who respond that 

their businesses are incorporated are included among wage 

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

characteristics, 2011 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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239,618 153,617 64.1 139,869 58.4 13,747 8.9 86,001

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116,317 81,975 70.5 74,290 63.9 7,684 9.4 34,343

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123,300 71,642 58.1 65,579 53.2 6,063 8.5 51,658

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,382 5,722 20.9 4,861 17.8 861 15.0 21,659

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,633 3,152 24.9 2,670 21.1 482 15.3 9,481

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,749 2,571 17.4 2,192 14.9 379 14.7 12,178

Age

16 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,047 4,854 32.3 4,067 27.0 787 16.2 10,192

16 to 19 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 124 21.0 71 12.1 53 42.4 465

20 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726 302 41.6 220 30.3 82 27.1 424

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,697 740 43.6 579 34.1 161 21.7 958

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,167 793 36.6 661 30.5 133 16.7 1,374

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,212 1,359 32.3 1,167 27.7 193 14.2 2,853

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,656 1,536 27.2 1,370 24.2 167 10.8 4,119

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,335 868 7.0 794 6.4 74 8.5 11,467

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,386 4,779 21.3 4,122 18.4 657 13.7 17,607

Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,494 604 17.3 462 13.2 142 23.5 2,889

Asian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657 134 20.5 120 18.2 15 11.0 523

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,527 517 20.5 412 16.3 105 20.3 2,010

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,067 5,297 20.3 4,570 17.5 727 13.7 20,770

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,081 623 10.2 493 8.1 130 20.8 5,458

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,603 1,695 17.6 1,465 15.3 229 13.5 7,909

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,312 1,656 26.2 1,408 22.3 248 15.0 4,656

Bachelor’s degree and higher2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,070 1,323 32.5 1,203 29.6 120 9.1 2,747

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212,236 147,894 69.7 135,008 63.6 12,886 8.7 64,342

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103,684 78,823 76.0 71,621 69.1 7,202 9.1 24,861

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108,552 69,071 63.6 63,387 58.4 5,684 8.2 39,480

Age

16 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184,842 141,650 76.6 129,155 69.9 12,495 8.8 43,192

16 to 19 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,186 5,603 34.6 4,255 26.3 1,347 24.0 10,583

20 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,697 14,968 72.3 12,816 61.9 2,153 14.4 5,729

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,666 32,985 83.2 29,958 75.5 3,027 9.2 6,681

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,332 31,866 85.4 29,610 79.3 2,256 7.1 5,465

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,630 34,000 85.8 31,700 80.0 2,300 6.8 5,630

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,332 22,228 70.9 20,816 66.4 1,412 6.4 9,103

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,394 6,244 22.8 5,853 21.4 391 6.3 21,150

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170,691 119,800 70.2 110,569 64.8 9,232 7.7 50,891

Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,620 17,277 67.4 14,589 56.9 2,688 15.6 8,343

Asian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,782 7,251 67.3 6,748 62.6 504 6.9 3,531

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,910 22,380 70.1 19,856 62.2 2,524 11.3 9,530

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175,353 127,323 72.6 117,937 67.3 9,386 7.4 48,030

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,041 10,976 57.6 9,474 49.8 1,502 13.7 8,065

High school graduates, no college1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,329 35,649 68.1 32,358 61.8 3,292 9.2 16,679

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,777 35,175 75.2 32,486 69.4 2,689 7.6 11,602

Bachelor’s degree and higher2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,207 45,523 79.6 43,619 76.2 1,904 4.2 11,684

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, 2011 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......................................................................... 139,869 112,556 27,313 8,560

16 to 64 years........................................................................... 133,222 108,671 24,551 8,302

65 years and over....................................................................... 6,647 3,885 2,762 258

Persons with a disability

16 years and over......................................................................... 4,861 3,259 1,602 370

16 to 64 years........................................................................... 4,067 2,887 1,180 335

65 years and over....................................................................... 794 372 422 35

Persons with no disability

16 years and over......................................................................... 135,008 109,297 25,711 8,191

16 to 64 years........................................................................... 129,155 105,784 23,371 7,967

65 years and over....................................................................... 5,853 3,513 2,340 224

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, 2011 annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Occupation

Persons with a disability Persons with no disability

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)........................................ 4,861 2,670 2,192 135,008 71,621 63,387

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............ 31.7 30.2 33.4 37.8 34.5 41.4

Management, business, and financial operations

occupations...................................................... 13.8 16.1 10.9 15.5 16.5 14.3

Management occupations...................................... 9.9 12.5 6.8 10.9 12.7 8.9

Business and financial operations occupations............. 3.9 3.7 4.1 4.6 3.8 5.4

Professional and related occupations........................... 17.9 14.1 22.4 22.3 18.0 27.1

Computer and mathematical occupations................... 1.7 2.4 0.8 2.6 3.7 1.4

Architecture and engineering occupations................... 1.5 2.3 0.4 2.0 3.3 0.6

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

Community and social service occupations................. 1.8 1.2 2.5 1.7 1.1 2.3

Legal occupations............................................... 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3

Education, training, and library occupations................. 5.3 2.8 8.3 6.2 3.1 9.7

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

occupations................................................... 2.0 1.8 2.3 2.0 2.0 1.9

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations.......... 3.5 1.6 5.9 5.6 2.7 8.9

Service occupations.................................................. 19.2 15.8 23.4 17.7 14.7 21.1

Healthcare support occupations................................. 2.2 0.6 4.3 2.4 0.6 4.5

Protective service occupations................................... 2.0 2.9 0.8 2.3 3.4 1.0

Food preparation and serving related occupations............ 4.8 3.6 6.2 5.6 4.8 6.4

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations...................................................... 5.9 6.8 4.7 3.9 4.4 3.2

Personal care and service occupations......................... 4.4 1.9 7.4 3.5 1.4 5.9

Sales and office occupations....................................... 24.6 16.3 34.7 23.6 16.8 31.3

Sales and related occupations................................... 10.8 9.6 12.2 11.0 10.4 11.6

Office and administrative support occupations................. 13.8 6.7 22.5 12.6 6.3 19.8

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations......................................................... 10.2 17.7 1.1 9.3 16.7 0.8

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations..................... 0.8 1.2 0.4 0.7 1.1 0.3

Construction and extraction occupations....................... 5.2 9.3 0.3 5.1 9.4 0.2

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations............. 4.2 7.3 0.5 3.5 6.3 0.3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations... 14.3 20.0 7.4 11.7 17.3 5.4

Production occupations........................................... 7.1 9.1 4.6 5.8 7.8 3.5

Transportation and material moving occupations.............. 7.2 10.9 2.8 5.9 9.5 1.9
Table 4. Employed persons by disability status, industry, class of worker, and sex, 2011 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)........................................ 4,861 2,670 2,192 135,008 71,621 63,387

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.................................. 3.3 4.8 1.5 1.6 2.2 0.8

Nonagricultural industries........................................... 96.7 95.2 98.5 98.4 97.8 99.2

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.................. 0.7 1.2 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.2

Construction........................................................ 6.0 10.0 1.3 6.5 11.1 1.3

Manufacturing...................................................... 10.2 13.0 6.8 10.3 13.8 6.2

Wholesale trade.................................................... 2.4 3.3 1.3 2.7 3.7 1.7

Retail trade......................................................... 12.8 12.1 13.7 11.3 11.0 11.7

Transportation and utilities....................................... 5.3 7.2 2.9 5.1 7.5 2.5

Information.......................................................... 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.5 1.9

Financial activities................................................. 6.1 5.6 6.7 6.7 5.7 7.9

Professional and business services............................. 10.6 11.4 9.6 11.3 12.6 9.9

Education and health services................................... 21.9 11.5 34.6 22.8 11.0 36.2

Leisure and hospitality............................................ 8.0 7.3 8.9 9.1 8.5 9.8

Other services...................................................... 5.6 5.5 5.7 4.8 4.3 5.3

Public administration.............................................. 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1 4.7

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

......................................... 88.1 85.8 90.9 93.4 92.2 94.6

Private industries.................................................. 72.5 72.9 72.0 78.7 80.2 76.9

Government........................................................ 15.6 13.0 18.9 14.7 12.0 17.7

Federal........................................................... 2.9 3.2 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.3

State.............................................................. 5.3 3.7 7.3 4.5 3.5 5.6

Local.............................................................. 7.3 6.0 8.9 7.7 5.8 9.7

Self-employed workers, unincorporated........................... 11.8 14.1 9.0 6.6 7.7 5.3

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, 2011 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..................................................... 21,659 10,192 4,887 5,305 11,467

Persons who currently want a job.......................................... 662 477 238 240 184

Marginally attached to the labor force1

................................. 235 198 106 92 37

Discouraged workers2

.................................................. 74 58 34 24 16

Other persons marginally attached to the labor force3

............ 161 140 72 68 21

PERSONS WITH NO DISABILITY

Total not in the labor force..................................................... 64,342 43,192 15,972 27,220 21,150

Persons who currently want a job.......................................... 5,775 5,224 2,447 2,776 552

Marginally attached to the labor force1

................................. 2,338 2,178 1,135 1,043 160

Discouraged workers2

.................................................. 915 840 494 346 75

Other persons marginally attached to the labor force3

............ 1,423 1,338 641 697 85

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.