Community & Work Disparities
A Program of the ADA Participatory Action Research Consortium (ADA-PARC)

Click to skip over table of contents

Percentage of People with and without Disabilities Age 25 and Above with a High School Diploma or GED, 2016

Education is an indicator that represents participation of people with disabilities. These maps show educational attainment of people with and without disabilities who are aged 25 and over. The data show that the percentage of people with disabilities with a high school diploma or GED is higher than the percentage of people without disabilities. The U.S. average percentage of people with disabilities with a high school diploma or GED is 34.1% with a range of 25.1% in California to 44.1% in Pennsylvania, while, for people without disabilities, the U.S. average is 26.0% with a range of 15.6% in the District of Columbia to 39.5% in West Virginia.

Click to skip over US state map to equivalent table

With Disabilities with a High School Diploma or GED This is the first of two color coded maps of the United States.  States have been grouped into four quartile ranges. The first quartile ranges from 9.0% to 24.0%. There are no states in this quartile because the quartiles are shared between two maps.  The second quartile ranges from 24.1% to 28.1% and includes the states California.  The third quartile ranges from 28.2% to 33.0% and includes the states Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Washington DC, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia & Washington.  The fourth quartile ranges from 33.1% to 44.1% and includes the states Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming & United States. With Disabilities with a High School Diploma or GED Albuquerque 28.2Anchorage 28.6Asheville 26.4Austin 24Baltimore 34.9Baton Rouge 32.6Birmingham 33.1Boise 26.5Chicago 28.7Columbia 30.6Columbus 35.3Denver 26.4Detroit 33.8Fresno 23.8Gastonia 31.2Greensboro 28.7Houston 28.2Indianapolis 34.5Lansing 32.2Las Vegas 31Little Rock 31.8Memphis 34Milwaukee 33.6Milwaukee 33.6Minneapolis 26.9Missoula 30.7Montgomery 27.8Nashville 31.6New Orleans 28Oakland 19.7Phoenix 28.6Pittsburgh 38.8Portland 25.8Raleigh 25.8Richmond 30.5Riverside 27Sacramento 25.7Salt Lake City 26.6San Francisco 19.2Santa Barbara 20.7Seattle 21.1Spokane 30.4St. Petersburg 33Tacoma 32.3Tampa 31.7Tucson 28.3Tulsa 34Urban Honolulu CDP 34.1Washington 31.2 Without Disabilities with a High School Diploma or GED This is the second of two color coded maps of the United States.  States have been grouped into four quartile ranges. The first quartile ranges from 9.0% to 24.0% and includes the states Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia & Washington.  The second quartile ranges from 24.1% to 28.1% and includes the states Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wyoming & United States.  The third quartile ranges from 28.2% to 33.0% and includes the states Alabama, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont & Wisconsin.  The fourth quartile ranges from 33.1% to 44.1% and includes the states Arkansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania & West Virginia. Without Disabilities with a High School Diploma or GED Albuquerque 28.2Anchorage 28.6Asheville 26.4Austin 24Baltimore 34.9Baton Rouge 32.6Birmingham 33.1Boise 26.5Chicago 28.7Columbia 30.6Columbus 35.3Denver 26.4Detroit 33.8Fresno 23.8Gastonia 31.2Greensboro 28.7Houston 28.2Indianapolis 34.5Lansing 32.2Las Vegas 31Little Rock 31.8Memphis 34Milwaukee 33.6Milwaukee 33.6Minneapolis 26.9Missoula 30.7Montgomery 27.8Nashville 31.6New Orleans 28Oakland 19.7Phoenix 28.6Pittsburgh 38.8Portland 25.8Raleigh 25.8Richmond 30.5Riverside 27Sacramento 25.7Salt Lake City 26.6San Francisco 19.2Santa Barbara 20.7Seattle 21.1Spokane 30.4St. Petersburg 33Tacoma 32.3Tampa 31.7Tucson 28.3Tulsa 34Urban Honolulu CDP 34.1Washington 31.2
  •  

Data source. 2016, American Community Survey (ACS), 5 year Estimates. Table S1811, selected economic characteristics for the civilian noninstitutionalized population by disability status.
Calculation. Number of people aged 25 and over with a high school diploma or GED with/without a disability divided by the total number of people aged 25 and over with/without a disability. ACS Table S1811 provides these percentages.

Percentage of People with and without Disabilities Age 25 and Above with a High School Diploma or GED by region

Click on a state to view city data.

Percentage of People with and without Disabilities Age 25 and Above with a High School Diploma or GED by Region. Click on a state to view city data, where available.
RegionWith a disabilityWithout a disability
United States34.1%26.0%
Alabama34.7%29.8%
Alaska31.1%27.2%
Arizona29.2%23.2%
Arkansas38.8%33.1%
California25.1%19.7%
Colorado29.3%20.1%
Connecticut35.9%25.6%
Delaware37.5%29.8%
District of Columbia31.2%15.6%
Florida34.1%28.0%
Georgia34.4%26.6%
Hawaii35.6%26.5%
Idaho33.0%26.1%
Illinois34.5%25.0%
Indiana40.9%32.6%
Iowa41.1%29.8%
Percentage of People with and without Disabilities Age 25 and Above with a High School Diploma or GED by Region. Click on a state to view city data, where available.
RegionWith a disabilityWithout a disability
Kansas35.5%24.5%
Kentucky37.3%32.1%
Louisiana36.6%33.1%
Maine41.8%31.0%
Maryland33.3%24.0%
Massachusetts34.2%23.2%
Michigan37.0%27.7%
Minnesota36.5%23.7%
Mississippi33.2%29.5%
Missouri37.8%29.3%
Montana37.3%27.9%
Nebraska37.1%25.0%
Nevada31.5%27.7%
New Hampshire35.3%26.9%
New Jersey37.4%26.5%
New Mexico30.3%25.4%
New York33.2%25.0%
Percentage of People with and without Disabilities Age 25 and Above with a High School Diploma or GED by Region. Click on a state to view city data, where available.
RegionWith a disabilityWithout a disability
North Carolina32.4%25.0%
North Dakota34.1%26.1%
Ohio41.3%32.0%
Oklahoma36.4%30.1%
Oregon30.7%22.1%
Pennsylvania44.1%33.9%
Rhode Island34.7%26.2%
South Carolina33.5%28.4%
South Dakota37.6%29.4%
Tennessee37.4%31.5%
Texas29.8%24.0%
Utah30.1%21.8%
Vermont37.3%28.2%
Virginia31.8%23.1%
Washington30.7%21.3%
West Virginia43.3%39.5%
Wisconsin39.4%30.1%
Wyoming35.5%27.9%