In 2022, the U.S. states with the highest share of the population that had a disability were West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky. At that time, around 19.5 percent of the population of West Virginia had some form of disability. The states with the lowest rates of disability were Utah, New Jersey, and Colorado.
Disability in the United States
A disability is any condition, either physical or mental, that impairs one’s ability to do certain activities. Some examples of disabilities are those that affect one’s vision, hearing, movement, or learning. It is estimated that around 14 percent of the population in the United States suffers from some form of disability. The prevalence of disability increases with age, with 46 percent of those aged 75 years and older with a disability, compared to just 5.8 percent of those aged 5 to 15 years.
Vision impairment
One common form of disability comes from vision impairment. In 2022, around four percent of the population of West Virginia had a vision disability, meaning they were blind or had serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses. The leading causes of visual disability are age-related and include diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. This is clear when viewing the prevalence of vision disability by age. It is estimated that 8.7 percent of those aged 75 years and older in the United States have a vision disability, compared to 4.3 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and only 0.9 percent of those aged 5 to 15 years.
Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Institute on Disability. (March 22, 2024). Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/
Institute on Disability. "Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state." Chart. March 22, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/
Institute on Disability. (2024). Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/
Institute on Disability. "Percentage of People in The U.S. with a Disability as of 2022, by State." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/
Institute on Disability, Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/ (last visited October 31, 2024)
Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2022, by state [Graph], Institute on Disability, March 22, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/794278/disabled-population-us-by-state/