Technical Note
The data in this news release were collected through a supplement to the July 2024 Current Population
Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 eligible households that provides information on the labor
force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional population
age 16 and over. The supplement was designed to gather data in several specific areas related to the
employment situation of people ages 16 to 75 with and without disabilities and with and without
work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. The collection and publication of these data were
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office and the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Office of Disability Employment Policy.
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Definitions and concepts from the CPS
Disability status. The CPS uses a set of six questions to identify people with disabilities. In the
CPS, people are classified as having a disability if there is a response of "yes" to any of these
questions. People who respond "no" to all of these questions are classified as having no disability.
The disability questions are as follows.
This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that
cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for all household members who
are 15 years old or over.
--Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing?
--Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses?
--Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty
concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
--Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
--Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?
--Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing errands
alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?
The CPS questions for identifying individuals with disabilities are only asked of household members
who are age 15 and older. Each of the questions asks the respondent whether anyone in the household has
the condition described, and if the respondent replies "yes," they are then asked to identify everyone in
the household who has the condition. More information on the disability questions and the merits and
limitations of the CPS disability data is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability_faq.htm.
Labor force status. Employed people are all those who, during the survey reference week, (a) did any work
at all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or (c) worked
15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family member’s business. People who were temporarily absent from
their jobs because of illness, vacation, labor dispute, or another reason also are counted as employed.
Unemployed people are those who had no employment during the reference week, were available for work at that
time, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the
reference week. People who were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need
not have been looking for work to be classified as unemployed.
Civilian labor force comprises all people classified as employed or unemployed.
Unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed people as a percent of the civilian labor force.
Not in the labor force includes all people who are not classified as employed or unemployed.
Not employed includes people who were unemployed or not in the labor force.
Additional information on the concepts and methodology of the CPS is available on the BLS website
at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.
Selected questions and concepts from the supplement
The supplement questions were asked of people ages 16 to 75.
Work-limiting health condition or difficulty. This information was obtained from responses to one
of two questions. One question was asked of employed people and the other of people who were not
employed (that is, either unemployed or not in the labor force). Both of these questions were
introduced with the statement: This month we would like to learn more about how people in different
circumstances deal with work-related challenges.
People who were employed were asked:
Do you have a health condition or difficulty that limits the kind or amount of paid work you could do?
1. Yes
2. No
People who were not employed were asked:
Although you are not currently working, do you have a health condition or difficulty that limits the
kind or amount of paid work you could do?
1. Yes
2. No
Type of condition or difficulty. People with a work-limiting health condition or difficulty were
asked for more detail about their condition.
Which of the following most limits the kind or amount of paid work you could do? (Select all that apply.)
1. A visual or hearing impairment
2. A mobility impairment
3. A mental health condition
4. A cognitive, intellectual, or learning disability
5. Other health condition or difficulty
People who indicated they did not have a work-limiting health condition or difficulty but who had been
identified as having a disability by the CPS questions were asked a similar question.
You indicated that you have difficulty in [followed by their specific disabilities: hearing; seeing;
concentrating, remembering, or making decisions; walking or climbing stairs; dressing or bathing;
and doing errands alone]. Which of the following causes you the most difficulty? (Select all that apply.)
1. A visual or hearing impairment
2. A mobility impairment
3. A mental health condition
4. A cognitive, intellectual, or learning disability
5. Other health condition or difficulty
When people reported more than one health condition or difficulty, they were asked a follow-up question
to identify the most-limiting health condition or difficulty. If respondents were unable to
decide on only one health condition or difficulty or said they were all equally limiting, the interviewer
selected option 6, “Cannot decide, all equal.” This option was not read aloud to respondents.
Of the categories you just selected, which one most limits the kind or amount of paid work you could do?
1. A visual or hearing impairment
2. A mobility impairment
3. A mental health condition
4. A cognitive, intellectual, or learning disability
5. Other health condition or difficulty
6. Cannot decide, all equal
As needed, interviewers provided clarifying information or examples for each type of condition,
such as: a visual or hearing impairment (deaf or serious difficulty hearing, blind or serious
difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses); a mobility impairment (missing limbs, paralysis,
osteoarthritis, spina bifida, or scoliosis); a mental health condition (depression, anxiety,
post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use disorder); a cognitive, intellectual, or learning
disability (down syndrome, a speech impairment, cerebral palsy, attention deficit disorder,
autism or autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease); and other
health conditions or difficulties (heart problems, asthma, diabetes, or autoimmune diseases).
An important caveat to any data collected using these questions is that they refer to people’s
subjective perception of the condition that limits their work or causes difficulty. Their
responses may not necessarily align with a medical professional’s diagnosis of the same condition.
Duration of health condition or difficulty. People with a work-limiting health condition or
difficulty and/or a disability were asked whether the health condition or difficulty was
expected to last more than 3 months. This information was obtained from one of two questions.
If the person selected only one condition or difficulty:
Is this health condition or difficulty a temporary one that is expected to last for less
than three months?
1. Yes
2. No
If the person selected more than one condition or difficulty:
Are any of these health conditions or difficulties expected to last for more than three months?
1. Yes
2. No
Requested or made a change to help do their job better. All employed people were asked about
changes they have ever requested or made to help do their current or main job better. For
single jobholders, the question referenced their current job; for multiple jobholders, the
question referenced their main job. The wording of these questions varied slightly depending
on their class of worker status.
Wage and salary workers, unpaid workers in a family business, and those whose class of worker
status was unknown were asked the following questions:
Have you ever requested any change in your current/main job to help do your job better?
For example, changes in work tasks, equipment, or schedule.
1. Yes
2. No
What changes did you request?
1. Changes in schedule
2. Changes in work tasks
3. Training to learn new job skills
4. Working from home (also known as telework)
5. Increased access to workplace or building facilities
6. Getting new or modified equipment
7. Arranging special transportation
8. Other changes
The following question was asked about each change that was requested:
Was the request for [followed by their specific job-related change request: changes in schedule,
changes in work tasks, training to learn new job skills, working from home, increased access to
workplace or building facilities, getting new or modified equipment, arranging special
transportation, or other changes] granted fully, partially, or not at all?
1. Yes, fully
2. Yes, partially
3. Not at all
Self-employed workers were asked similar questions:
Have you ever made any change in your current/main job to help do your job better? For example,
changes in work tasks, equipment, or schedule?
1. Yes
2. No
What changes did you make?
1. Changes in schedule
2. Changes in work tasks
3. Training to learn new job skills
4. Working from home (also known as telework)
5. Increased access to workplace or building facilities
6. Getting new or modified equipment
7. Arranging special transportation
8. Other changes
Job-related challenges. Employed people were asked about job-related challenges.
Are you facing challenges that make it difficult for you to do your job?
1. Yes
2. No
Other questions. Some questions that were asked in the July 2024 Disability Supplement
were collected at the request of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability
Employment Policy and are not included in BLS analysis presented in this news release. They
include topics such as autism spectrum disorder, long-term COVID-19, difficulties finding a job,
and specific job-related challenges.
Comparability of the estimates
Estimates presented in this news release are not strictly comparable with those from earlier
Disability Supplements because they are derived from a redesigned questionnaire. The July 2024
Disability Supplement was asked only of people ages 16 to 75, whereas prior supplements were
asked of those ages 15 and over. Additionally, there were changes to the questions included in
the July 2024 Disability Supplement.
New questions were added to the July 2024 supplement. They included questions to identify
individuals with work-limiting health conditions or difficulties. People with work-limiting
health conditions or difficulties and/or disabilities were asked about the type of condition
or difficulty. Questions also were asked to determine if work-limiting health conditions or
difficulties were expected to last longer than 3 months. These concepts were not included in
previous supplements.
The July 2024 Disability Supplement continued to include questions about requested changes
in the workplace; however, these estimates are not comparable to estimates from prior
Disability Supplements because the question wording and response options differed. Questions
about participation in specific assistance programs, the receipt of financial assistance,
working from home, and others that were last collected in the July 2021 supplement were not
included in the July 2024 supplement.
Additional issues exist that could affect the comparability of the estimates from previous
years. For example, changes in the demographic characteristics of people with disabilities
can complicate comparisons of data over time. In addition, the 2012 supplement was collected
in May, and the more recent supplements were collected in July.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample,
rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the true population values they represent. The component of this difference
that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, and its variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or
level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the true population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally
conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
The monthly CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for
many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to
provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
General information on the reliability of data from the CPS is available at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
United States Department of Labor
