Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Unemployed, Age 18 to 64, 2016
Individuals who are unemployed include those people age 18 to 64 who are in the labor force, and are not currently employed. This figure does not include, for example, people who are retired, students who are not seeking employment, and any individual who has not actively looked for paid work within the past 4 weeks. The unemployment rate is often used to describe the economy, and can suggest how hard it might be to find a job (this is also referred to as how tight the labor market is). We identified and compared the percentage of people age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities living in the community who are unemployed. This measure allows us to see that the percentage of people without disabilities who are unemployed (US average is 5.5% with a range of 2.1% in North Dakota to 7.1% in Nevada) is not dramatically different from the percentage of people with disabilities who are unemployed (US average is 6.4% with a range of 3.7% in North Dakota to 9.7% in the District of Columbia). The reason this percentage is not so different between the two groups is because many people with disabilities are not in the labor force, either because of their participation in government training or benefit programs or because they are discouraged workers experiencing long-term unemployment.
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Data source. 2016, American Community Survey (ACS), 5 year Estimates. Table C18120, employment by disability status
Calculation. Number in each group (people with disabilities or people without disabilities) who are currently unemployed but are actively looking for work divided by the total number of persons in the labor force for each group
Note. Number in each group (people with disabilities or people without disabilities) who are currently unemployed but are actively looking for work divided by the total number of persons in the labor force for each group
Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Unemployed, Age 18 to 64 by region
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| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 6.4% | 5.5% |
| Alaska | 7.5% | 6.0% |
| Alabama | 5.6% | 5.9% |
| Arkansas | 4.7% | 4.9% |
| Arizona | 6.6% | 5.7% |
| California | 6.9% | 6.5% |
| Colorado | 6.6% | 4.5% |
| Connecticut | 8.1% | 6.1% |
| District of Columbia | 9.7% | 6.7% |
| Delaware | 6.8% | 5.3% |
| Florida | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Georgia | 6.7% | 6.3% |
| Hawaii | 5.8% | 4.2% |
| Iowa | 5.5% | 3.5% |
| Idaho | 5.9% | 4.4% |
| Illinois | 7.5% | 6.2% |
| Indiana | 6.2% | 5.1% |
| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 5.6% | 4.0% |
| Kentucky | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Louisiana | 6.2% | 5.5% |
| Massachusetts | 7.0% | 5.2% |
| Maryland | 7.2% | 5.2% |
| Maine | 5.8% | 4.4% |
| Michigan | 6.6% | 6.2% |
| Minnesota | 5.7% | 3.8% |
| Missouri | 6.1% | 4.9% |
| Mississippi | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Montana | 5.8% | 4.2% |
| North Carolina | 6.7% | 6.1% |
| North Dakota | 3.7% | 2.1% |
| Nebraska | 5.1% | 3.2% |
| New Hampshire | 5.6% | 3.8% |
| New Jersey | 7.3% | 6.0% |
| New Mexico | 6.0% | 6.1% |
| Region | With a disability | Without a disability |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| New York | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| Ohio | 6.4% | 5.4% |
| Oklahoma | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| Oregon | 7.5% | 5.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| Rhode Island | 6.7% | 5.8% |
| South Carolina | 6.0% | 6.2% |
| South Dakota | 4.6% | 3.2% |
| Tennessee | 5.3% | 5.5% |
| Texas | 5.8% | 4.7% |
| Utah | 5.8% | 3.6% |
| Virginia | 5.8% | 4.5% |
| Vermont | 6.4% | 3.6% |
| Washington | 6.4% | 5.0% |
| Wisconsin | 6.2% | 4.2% |
| West Virginia | 4.4% | 5.3% |
| Wyoming | 6.1% | 3.7% |