Statistics for People with Disabilities

Data from the 2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows that while Americans with disabilities are entering the workforce in greater numbers, serious gaps in employment exist between different states. If you want to know how your state is doing on jobs for people with disabilities, the tables on this page are an easy way to find out. For more information on the data, you can read our press release.

To review the Compendium itself, please visit their outstanding website here: https://www.disabilitycompendium.org.

For Frequently Asked Questions about the Disability Statistics Compendium, please visit: https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via UNH’s toll-free number, 866.538.9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu

Citation: Lauer, E.A. & Houtenville, A.J., 2020. Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2019. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Best and Worst States

Demographic-Specific Statistics

More Press Releases

States Ranked by the Gap in Employment Rates between People with and without Disabilities

State Ranking	States	Total Working Age People with Disabilities	# of Working-Age People with Disabilities with Jobs	People with Disabilities Employment Rate	People without Disabilities Employment Rate	Gap in Employment Rates	Job Gains and Losses in 2018
	U.S.	20,212,750	7,602,698	38	77.8	40.2	29,893
1st	ND	38,215	21,598	57	83.4	26.9	579
2nd	SD	53,828	29,037	53.9	83.2	29.3	3,618
3rd	WY	35,797	17,274	48	80.5	32.2	-1,789
4th	MT	67,140	31,719	47	80	32.8	-216
5th	NE	106,943	53,637	50.2	83.6	33.4	-1,754
6th	UT	155,329	72,186	47	79.9	33.4	-2,568
7th	AK	51,416	21,966	43	76.5	33.8	-1,849
8th	CO	310,982	147,035	47	81.3	34	5,344
9th	NV	184,884	78,230	42.3	77.2	34.9	4,262
10th	MN	296,481	145,820	49.2	84.3	35.1	123
11th	ID	117,561	49,464	42.1	78.1	36	-5,484
12th	TX	1,639,624	659,558	40.2	76.4	36.2	11,581
13th	IA	174,957	81,251	46.4	82.9	36.5	3,505
14th	KS	194,225	87,802	45.2	82.1	36.9	-1,267
15th	AZ	449,009	173,613	38.7	75.7	37	17,419
16th	MD	341,159	149,359	43.8	80.8	37	7,489
17th	OR	295,114	122,184	41.4	78.4	37	13,157
18th	HI	66,355	28,503	43	80.1	37.1	2,957
19th	OK	327,111	129,170	39.5	77	37.5	1,562
20th	WA	478,622	195,251	40.8	78.8	38	303
21st	NM	159,258	53,008	33.3	71.6	38.3	-3,997
22nd	CA	1,896,634	700,456	36.9	75.6	38.7	-21,080
23rd	NH	90,754	39,742	43.8	82.6	38.8	3,673
24th	VT	44,257	18,761	42.4	81.4	39	-3,473
25th	VA	485,460	194,796	40.1	79.2	39.1	-9,307
26th	CT	180,465	70,229	38.9	79.4	40.5	-5,867
27th	GA	658,811	238,875	36.3	76.8	40.5	10,980
28th	DE	61,531	22,508	36.6	77.2	40.6	2,932
29th	IL	675,092	257,496	38.1	78.8	40.7	-5,968
30th	WI	322,172	135,105	41.9	82.8	40.9	-7,180
31st	LA	374,421	121,952	32.6	73.7	41.1	-731
32nd	FL	1,247,620	438,440	35.1	76.3	41.2	9,802
33rd	OH	844,409	323,356	38.3	79.5	41.2	13,691
34th	RI	80,903	30,478	37.7	79	41.3	-309
35th	NJ	417,347	156,502	37.5	79.3	41.8	-5,227
36th	PA	885,157	333,140	37.6	79.4	41.8	3,380
37th	MA	384,133	146,757	38.2	80.1	41.9	-2,876
38th	NC	680,863	239,666	35.2	77.2	42	6,791
39th	IN	472,444	178,093	37.7	79.8	42.1	-6,250
40th	MI	730,791	259,363	35.5	77.6	42.1	13,167
41st	NY	1,061,050	360,749	34	76.8	42.8	-18,202
42nd	WV	175,002	49,839	28.5	71.3	42.8	640
43rd	SC	366,373	122,332	33.4	76.5	43.1	-457
44th	MO	446,516	161,852	36.2	79.6	43.4	-10,431
45th	MS	262,760	74,874	28.5	72.1	43.6	1,671
46th	AL	417,381	121,576	29.1	73.2	44.1	9,546
47th	TN	552,942	184,851	33.4	77.2	43.8	5,802
48th	AR	275,710	86,243	31.3	76.1	44.8	-1,677
49th	ME	114,014	42,411	37.2	82.8	45.6	2,987
50th	KY	417,808	127,820	30.6	76.5	45.9	-2,134

States Ranked by Disability Employment Rate

State Ranking	State	Total working-age People with Disabilities	Working-age People with Disabilities employed	% Employed	Job Gains and Losses
1st	ND	38,215	21,598	56.5%	579
2nd	SD	53,828	29,037	53.9%	3,618
3rd	NE	106,943	53,637	50.2%	-1,754
4th	MN	296,481	145,820	49.2%	123
5th	WY	35,797	17,274	48.3%	-1,789
6th	CO	310,982	147,035	47.3%	5,344
7th	MT	67,140	31,719	47.2%	-216
8th	UT	155,329	72,186	46.5%	-2,568
9th	IA	174,957	81,251	46.4%	3,505
10th	KS	194,225	87,802	45.2%	-1,267
11th	NH	90,754	39,742	43.8%	7,489
12th	MD	341,159	149,359	43.8%	3,673
13th	HI	66,355	28,503	43.0%	2,957
14th	AK	51,416	21,966	42.7%	-1,849
15th	VT	44,257	18,761	42.4%	-3,473
16th	NV	184,884	78,230	42.3%	4,262
17th	ID	117,561	49,464	42.1%	-5,484
18th	WI	322,172	135,105	41.9%	-7,180
19th	OR	295,114	122,184	41.4%	13,157
20th	WA	478,622	195,251	40.8%	303
21st	TX	1,639,624	659,558	40.2%	11,581
22nd	VA	485,460	194,796	40.1%	-9,307
23rd	OK	327,111	129,170	39.5%	1,562
24th	CT	180,465	70,229	38.9%	-5,867
25th	AZ	449,009	173,613	38.7%	17,419
26th	OH	844,409	323,356	38.3%	13,691
27th	MA	384,133	146,757	38.2%	-2,876
28th	IL	675,092	257,496	38.1%	-5,968
29th	IN	472,444	178,093	37.7%	-6,250
30th	RI	80,903	30,478	37.7%	-309
31st	PA	885,157	333,140	37.6%	3,380
32nd	NJ	417,347	156,502	37.5%	-5,227
33rd	ME	114,014	42,411	37.2%	2,987
34th	CA	1,896,634	700,456	36.9%	-21,080
35th	DE	61,531	22,508	36.6%	2,932
36th	GA	658,811	238,875	36.3%	10,980
37th	MO	446,516	161,852	36.2%	-10,431
38th	MI	730,791	259,363	35.5%	13,167
39th	NC	680,863	239,666	35.2%	6,791
40th	FL	1,247,620	438,440	35.1%	9,802
41st	NY	1,061,050	360,749	34.0%	-18,202
42nd	TN	552,942	184,851	33.4%	-457
43rd	SC	366,373	122,332	33.4%	5,802
44th	NM	159,258	53,008	33.3%	-3,997
45th	LA	374,421	121,952	32.6%	-731
46th	AR	275,710	86,243	31.3%	-1,677
47th	KY	417,808	127,820	30.6%	-2,134
48th	AL	417,381	121,576	29.1%	9,546
49th	MS	262,760	74,874	28.5%	1,671
50th	WV	175,002	49,839	28.5%	640

States Ranked by Job Gains/Losses for People with Disabilities

State Ranking	State Name	# of People with Disabilities Employed – 2018	# of People with Disabilities Employed – 2017	Difference Between 2018 and 2017 aka Job Gains or Losses
	US	7,602,698	7,572,805	29,893
1st	AZ	173,613	156,194	17,419
2nd	OH	323,356	309,665	13,691
3rd	MI	259,363	246,196	13,167
4th	OR	122,184	109,027	13,157
5th	TX	659,558	647,977	11,581
6th	GA	238,875	227,895	10,980
7th	FL	438,440	428,638	9,802
8th	AL	121,576	112,030	9,546
9th	MD	149,359	141,870	7,489
10th	NC	239,666	232,875	6,791
11th	TN	184,851	179,049	5,802
12th	CO	147,035	141,691	5,344
13th	NV	78,230	73,968	4,262
14th	NH	39,742	36,069	3,673
15th	SD	29,037	25,419	3,618
16th	IA	81,251	77,746	3,505
17th	PA	333,140	329,760	3,380
18th	ME	42,411	39,424	2,987
19th	HI	28,503	25,546	2,957
20th	DE	22,508	19,576	2,932
21st	MS	74,874	73,203	1,671
22nd	OK	129,170	127,608	1,562
23rd	WV	49,839	49,199	640
24th	ND	21,598	21,019	579
25th	WA	195,251	194,948	303
26th	MN	145,820	145,697	123
27th	MT	31,719	31,935	-216
28th	RI	30,478	30,787	-309
29th	SC	122,332	122,789	-457
30th	LA	121,952	122,683	-731
31st	KS	87,802	89,069	-1,267
32nd	AR	86,243	87,920	-1,677
33rd	NE	53,637	55,391	-1,754
34th	WY	17,274	19,063	-1,789
35th	AK	21,966	23,815	-1,849
36th	KY	127,820	129,954	-2,134
37th	UT	72,186	74,754	-2,568
38th	MA	146,757	149,633	-2,876
39th	VT	18,761	22,234	-3,473
40th	NM	53,008	57,005	-3,997
41st	NJ	156,502	161,729	-5,227
42nd	ID	49,464	54,948	-5,484
43rd	CT	70,229	76,096	-5,867
44th	IL	257,496	263,464	-5,968
45th	IN	178,093	184,343	-6,250
46th	WI	135,105	142,285	-7,180
47th	VA	194,796	204,103	-9,307
48th	MO	161,852	172,283	-10,431
49th	NY	360,749	378,951	-18,202
50th	CA	700,456	721,536	-21,080

Change in Employment Gap Between People with and without Disabilities

State	Gap between People with and without Disabilities in 2017	Gap between People with and without Disabilities in 2018	Gap Change
U.S.	40.2	40.2	0
AL	45.9	44.1	1.8
AK	30.8	33.8	-3
AZ	38.8	37	1.8
AR	45	44.8	0.2
CA	38.6	38.7	-0.1
CO	35.1	34	1.1
CT	37.9	40.5	-2.6
DE	36.5	40.6	-4.1
FL	41.6	41.2	0.4
GA	41.6	40.6	1
HI	35.8	37.2	-1.4
ID	33.7	36	-2.3
IL	39.5	40.6	-1.1
IN	40.1	42.1	-2
IA	37	36.4	0.6
KS	34.5	36.9	-2.4
KY	46.1	45.9	0.2
LA	38.5	41.1	-2.6
ME	46.5	45.6	0.9
MD	38.1	37	1.1
MA	42.5	41.9	0.6
MI	43.2	42.2	1
MN	36.5	35.1	1.4
MS	44.2	43.6	0.6
MO	42.6	43.3	-0.7
MT	34.2	32.7	1.5
NE	35.7	33.4	2.3
NV	36.8	34.9	1.9
NH	40.6	38.8	1.8
NJ	40.6	41.8	-1.2
NM	37.8	38.3	-0.5
NY	41.7	42.8	-1.1
NC	43.1	42	1.1
ND	28	26.8	1.2
OH	42	41.2	0.8
OK	38.8	37.5	1.3
OR	40.2	37	3.2
PA	40.7	41.8	-1.1
RI	38	41.3	-3.3
SC	43.7	43.1	0.6
SD	31.2	29.2	2
TN	44.2	43.7	0.5
TX	36	36.1	-0.1
UT	30.1	33.4	-3.3
VT	32.9	39	-6.1
VA	38.2	39	-0.8
WA	37.7	38	-0.3
WV	44.2	42.8	1.4
WI	40.7	40.9	-0.2
WY	34.7	32.2	2.5