For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, February 25, 2025 USDL-25-0247
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 -- 2024
In 2024, the employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population that is employed--
was 22.7 percent among those with a disability, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 65.5
percent. The employment-population ratio for people with a disability changed little from
2023 to 2024, following a 1.2 percentage-point increase from 2022 to 2023. The employment-
population ratio for those without a disability decreased by 0.3 percentage point in 2024.
The unemployment rate for people with a disability (7.5 percent) changed little in 2024,
while the rate for those without a disability increased by 0.3 percentage point over the
year to 3.8 percent.
The data on people 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 people with a
disability is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment
Policy. For more information, see the Technical Note in this news release.
Highlights from the 2024 data:
--Half of all people with a disability were age 65 and over, nearly three times larger than
the share for those with no disability. (See table 1.)
--For all ages, the employment-population ratio was much lower for people with a disability
than for those with no disability. (See table 1.)
--Unemployment rates were much higher for people with a disability than for those with no
disability across all educational attainment groups. (See table 1.)
--Workers with a disability were nearly twice as likely to work part time as workers with
no disability. (See table 2.)
--Workers with a disability were more likely to be self-employed than were workers with no
disability. (See table 4.)
Demographic characteristics
People with a disability accounted for about 13 percent of the population in 2024. Those
with a disability tend to be older than people with no disability, reflecting the increased
incidence of disability with age. In 2024, half of those with a disability were age 65 and
over, compared with about 18 percent of those with no disability. Overall, women were more
likely to have a disability than were men, partly reflecting the greater life expectancy of
women. Among the major race and ethnicity groups, people who are White (13.0 percent) and
Black or African American (13.1 percent) had a higher prevalence of disability than those
who are Asian (6.8 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (8.7 percent). (See table 1.)
Employment
In 2024, the employment-population ratio for people with a disability changed little at
22.7 percent. The ratio for those with no disability decreased by 0.3 percentage point to
65.5 percent. The lower ratio among people with a disability reflects, in part, the older
age profile of people with a disability; people age 65 and over are less likely to be
employed regardless of disability status. However, across all age groups, people with a
disability were much less likely to be employed than those with no disability.
(See tables A and 1.)
Among people with a disability ages 16 to 64, the employment-population ratio, at 37.4
percent in 2024, changed little over the year. Similarly, the ratio for people with a
disability age 65 and over was little changed at 8.1 percent. (See table A.)
People with a disability were less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree or higher
than were those with no disability. In 2024, about 23 percent of all people with a
disability had completed a bachelor's degree or higher compared with about 42 percent of
those with no disability. Among both groups, those who had attained higher levels of
education were more likely to be employed than were those with less education. For all
levels of education, people with a disability were much less likely to be employed than
their counterparts with no disability. (Educational attainment data are presented for
those age 25 and over.) (See table 1.)
Workers with a disability were more likely to be employed part time than were those with
no disability. About 31 percent of those with a disability usually worked part time compared
with about 17 percent of workers without a disability. About 4 percent of workers with a
disability worked part time for economic reasons. These individuals would have preferred
full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or
they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table 2.)
In 2024, people with a disability were more likely to work in sales and office occupations
than were those with no disability (20.8 percent compared with 18.4 percent, respectively).
Workers with a disability were also more likely than those with no disability to work in
service occupations (19.0 percent compared with 16.3 percent) and in production,
transportation, and material moving occupations (14.2 percent compared with 12.2 percent).
People with a disability were much less likely to work in management, professional, and
related occupations than were their counterparts with no disability (37.9 percent compared
with 44.1 percent). Workers with a disability were also somewhat less likely to work in
natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (8.1 percent compared with
9.0 percent). (See table 3.)
A larger share of people with a disability were self-employed than were those with no
disability in 2024 (9.2 percent versus 6.0 percent). Those with a disability were slightly
more likely to be employed by the federal government than were their counterparts with no
disability (3.3 percent and 2.6 percent), while the proportions of people employed by state
and local governments were about the same regardless of disability status. In contrast,
people with a disability were less likely to be employed as private wage and salary workers
(76.6 percent) than were those with no disability (80.5 percent). (See table 4.)
Unemployment
The unemployment rate for people with a disability was about twice that of those with no
disability in 2024. (Unemployed people 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 people with a disability changed little in 2024 at 7.5 percent, while
the rate for people without a disability increased by 0.3 percentage point to 3.8 percent.
(See tables A and 1.)
Among people with a disability, the unemployment rates were the same for men and women in
2024 (7.5 percent). These rates were little different from a year earlier. Among the major
race and ethnicity groups, the jobless rates for people who are White, Black or African
American, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino showed little change over the year. As is the case
among people without a disability, the jobless rates for those with a disability were higher
among people who are Black or African American (10.7 percent) and Hispanic or Latino
(9.4 percent) than among people who are White (6.9 percent) and Asian (6.3 percent).
(See table 1.)
Not in the labor force
People who are neither employed nor unemployed are considered not in the labor force. A
large proportion of people with a disability--about 75 percent--were not in the labor force
in 2024, compared with about 32 percent of those with no disability. In part, this too
reflects the older age profile of people with a disability; people age 65 and over were
much less likely to participate in the labor force than were those in younger age groups.
Across all age groups, however, people with a disability were less likely to participate
in the labor force than were those with no disability. (See table 1.)
For both people with and without a disability, the vast majority of those who were not in
the labor force did not want a job. In 2024, about 3 percent of those with a disability
wanted a job, lower than about 6 percent of those without a disability. Among people who
wanted a job, a subset is classified as marginally attached to the labor force. These
individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in
the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.
(People marginally attached to the labor force include discouraged workers.) About 1
percent of people with a disability were marginally attached to the labor force in 2024.
(See table 5.)
United States Department of Labor
