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19.1 percent of people with a disability were employed in 2021
March 01, 2022
The employment–population ratio—the percentage of the population that is employed—for people with a disability was 19.1 percent in 2021. That was an increase of 1.2 percentage points from 2020. The ratio for those without a disability, at 63.7 percent in 2021, increased by 1.9 percentage points over the year. Data for both groups reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market.
Employment–population ratios by disability status, 2009–21
Year
People with a disability
People with no disability
2009
19.2%
64.5%
2010
18.6
63.5
2011
17.8
63.6
2012
17.8
63.9
2013
17.6
64.0
2014
17.1
64.6
2015
17.5
65.0
2016
17.9
65.3
2017
18.7
65.7
2018
19.1
65.9
2019
19.3
66.3
2020
17.9
61.8
2021
19.1
63.7
The lower ratio among people with a disability reflects, in part, the older age profile of people with a disability; older people are less likely to be employed regardless of disability status.
Percent distribution of employed by disability status and class of worker, 2021
Disability status
Private industries
Government
Self-employed, unincorporated
People with a disability
76.5%
13.9%
9.6%
People with no disability
80.0
13.6
6.4
A larger share of workers with a disability were self-employed in 2021 than were those with no disability (9.6 percent versus 6.4 percent). In contrast, a smaller share of workers with a disability were private wage and salary workers (76.5 percent) than were those without a disability (80.0 percent). The proportion employed in government was about the same for people with a disability (13.9 percent) and people without a disability (13.6 percent).
United States Department of Labor
