For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, September 30, 2025 USDL-25-1485
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
PEOPLE WITH HEALTH CONDITIONS OR DIFFICULTIES THAT LIMIT WORK -- JULY 2024
In July 2024, 30.7 million people ages 16 to 75 had a work-limiting health condition or difficulty,
accounting for 12.4 percent of the total civilian noninstitutional population in this age group,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The most common health condition or difficulty
was a mobility impairment. Workers with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty were
significantly more likely to face challenges that made it difficult to do their current job compared
with workers who had no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. Nearly one-third of
employed individuals with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty requested or made changes
to help do their job better.
This information was obtained from the July 2024 Disability Supplement to the Current Population
Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on employment
and unemployment in the United States. The July 2024 supplement, sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Labor's (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Chief Evaluation Office (CEO),
collected information about people ages 16 to 75 with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty, changes workers requested or made to do their job better, and challenges in finding
and maintaining employment.
This news release focuses on people ages 16 to 75 who have a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty. This new CPS concept was collected as a part of the July 2024 Disability Supplement.
Results also are presented for people who have a disability, which is an independently measured
CPS concept that focuses on functional limitations. For more information, see the Technical Note.
Demographic Characteristics of People with a Work-Limiting Health Condition or Difficulty
In July 2024, 30.7 million people in the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 75 had a
work-limiting health condition or difficulty, representing 12.4 percent of the population in this
age group. Of those with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, about one-half had a
disability (15.8 million). (See table 1.)
The likelihood of having a work-limiting health condition or difficulty increased with age. For
example, 5.8 percent of people ages 16 to 24 had a work-limiting health condition or difficulty,
compared with 19.2 percent of those ages 55 to 64 and 24.9 percent of those ages 65 to 75. (See
table 3.) As a result, people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty tend to be older
than those with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. Thirty-one percent of people
with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty were ages 65 to 75, whereas 13 percent of
people with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties were ages 65 to 75. (See table 1.)
Women (12.8 percent) were slightly more likely than men (12.1 percent) to have a work-limiting
health condition or difficulty. This difference may reflect the older age profile of women.
The likelihood of having a work-limiting health condition or difficulty was highest for those with
lower levels of educational attainment in July 2024. For example, among people ages 25 to 75, about
1 in 4 people (24.9 percent) with less than a high school diploma had a work-limiting health
condition or difficulty compared with about 1 in 15 (6.7 percent) of those with a bachelor's
degree and higher. Overall, people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty had lower
levels of educational attainment, on average, when compared to people with no work-limiting health
conditions or difficulties. Among people ages 25 to 75, 14 percent of those who had a work-limiting
health condition or difficulty had less than a high school diploma, compared with 7 percent of
those with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. Additionally, 20 percent of people
ages 25 to 75 with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty held a bachelor's degree and
higher, compared with 43 percent of those with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties.
(Educational attainment data pertain to people age 25 and over because most people have completed
their schooling by age 25.)
Duration of Work-Limiting Health Conditions or Difficulties
In July 2024, 10.5 percent (25.9 million people) of the civilian noninstitutional population ages
16 to 75 had a work-limiting health condition or difficulty that was expected to last more than 3
months. (See table 3.)
The likelihood of having a long-term work-limiting health condition or difficulty increases with
age. In July 2024, 4.8 percent of those ages 16 to 24 had a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty that was expected to last more than 3 months, compared with 21.2 percent of those ages
65 to 75.
People who had higher levels of educational attainment were less likely to have a work-limiting
health condition or difficulty that was expected to last more than 3 months. Among people ages 25
to 75, 5.7 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher had a long-term work-limiting
health condition or difficulty, compared with 21.0 percent of those with less than a high school
diploma.
People whose work-limiting health condition or difficulty was expected to last more than 3 months
represented 84.5 percent of all individuals ages 16 to 75 with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty. Among people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, those with a
disability were more likely to have a health condition or difficulty expected to last longer than
3 months than were people with no disability (87.0 percent versus 82.0 percent).
Labor Force Characteristics of People with a Work-Limiting Health Condition or Difficulty
Among those ages 16 to 75, the labor force participation rate--the percentage of the population that
is either working or actively looking for work--for people with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty was much lower than for those with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties.
Among people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, 27.1 percent participated in the
labor force in July 2024, compared with 74.7 percent of people with no work-limiting health
conditions or difficulties. This difference occurred among men and women and persisted across all
age groups and by educational attainment. Among those with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty, people who had a disability were less likely to participate in the labor force, at 17.8
percent, compared with 37.1 percent for those who did not have a disability. (See table 1.)
The employment-population ratio--the percentage of the population that is employed--was much lower
among people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty compared with those who had no
work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. Similarly, the difference occurred among men and
women and persisted across all age groups and by educational attainment. In July 2024, the
employment-population ratio for people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty was 24.3
percent, approximately one-third of the ratio for those with no such conditions (71.4 percent).
This disparity is partly due to the older age profile of people with a work-limiting health
condition or difficulty.
For people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, those with a disability were about
half as likely to be employed (16.1 percent) as were those with no disability (33.0 percent).
For all groups, the unemployment rates were much higher among people with a work-limiting health
condition or difficulty compared with those who had no work-limiting health conditions or
difficulties. In July 2024, the jobless rate for those with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty was 10.5 percent, compared with 4.3 percent for people with no work-limiting health
conditions or difficulties.
Types of Work-Limiting Health Conditions or Difficulties
Among the population ages 16 to 75, 12.4 percent had at least one health condition or difficulty
that limited their work in July 2024. The most common work-limiting health condition or difficulty
was a mobility impairment (5.3 percent). Other types include a mental health condition (1.4
percent); cognitive, intellectual, or learning disability (1.0 percent); visual or hearing
impairment (0.6 percent); and some other health condition or difficulty (3.6 percent). Examples
of other health conditions or difficulties include heart problems, asthma, diabetes, or autoimmune
diseases. (See table 2.)
Among the employed ages 16 to 75, 4.6 percent had at least one health condition or difficulty that
limited their work. In July 2024, the most common work-limiting health conditions or difficulties
among workers were mobility impairments (1.8 percent) and other health conditions or difficulties
(1.7 percent). By contrast, visual or hearing impairments (0.2 percent) and cognitive, intellectual,
or learning disabilities (0.3 percent) were the least prevalent health conditions or difficulties
that most limited work.
For people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, the likelihood of being employed
varied by the type of condition or difficulty. In July 2024, about 22 percent of those with a
mobility impairment were employed; along with 23 percent of those with a cognitive, intellectual,
or learning disability; 23 percent of those with a mental health condition; 27 percent of those
with a visual or hearing impairment; and 30 percent of those with some other health condition or
difficulty.
Changes Workers Requested or Made to Do Their Job Better
In July 2024, 7.6 million employed people ages 16 to 75 had ever requested or made a change in
their current job to help them do it better, regardless of the presence of a work-limiting health
condition or difficulty, representing 4.7 percent of the employed in that age group. The likelihood
of requesting or making changes varied by class of worker, with self-employed workers more likely
to make a change to do their job better (10.4 percent) compared with wage and salary workers
requesting a change (4.1 percent). (See table 4.)
In July 2024, 31.8 percent of workers with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty had ever
requested or made a change to help do their current job better, compared with 3.4 percent of
employed individuals with no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. The share of workers
with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty who requested or made a change to help do their
job better was higher for those with a disability (35.5 percent) than for those with no disability
(29.8 percent).
Among those with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty, the most common changes requested
or made were related to their work schedule (47.8 percent), work tasks (36.0 percent), telework
(17.8 percent), and getting new or modified equipment (16.7 percent). The changes that were least
requested or made included increased accessibility to workplace or building facilities (2.0
percent) and arranging special transportation (2.2 percent). (See table 5.)
There were notable differences in the types of changes requested or made by men and women with a
work-limiting health condition or difficulty. Men were more likely to request training to learn new
job skills compared with women (8.1 percent of men compared with 3.7 percent of women), whereas
women were more likely to request or make a change to work from home compared with men (24.8
percent of women compared with 10.5 percent of men).
Among all wage and salary workers regardless of the presence of a work-limiting health condition
or difficulty, the most frequently requested changes were to their work schedule, getting new or
modified equipment, and changes to their work tasks. The majority of these requests were granted by
their employers. Among workers who requested a change in their schedule, 70.1 percent of these
requests were fully granted, 21.9 percent were partially granted, and 7.5 percent were not granted.
Among those who requested new or modified equipment, 67.8 percent of these requests were fully
granted, 17.3 percent were partially granted, and 14.0 percent were not granted. About two-thirds
(66.0 percent) of those who requested changes to their work tasks had their request fully granted,
23.3 percent were partially granted, and 10.3 percent were not granted. (See table 6.)
Challenges Workers Face Doing their Job
In July 2024, employed people with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty were more likely
to face challenges that made it difficult to do their current job (39.4 percent) than were those
who had no work-limiting health conditions or difficulties (1.6 percent). Among those with a work-
limiting health condition or difficulty, people with a disability were more likely to face
challenges (45.5 percent) than were those with no disability (36.2 percent). (See table 7.)
United States Department of Labor
