45.8M
13.7%
Across the United States, the share of people with disabilities has tended to grow over time. This shift can be due to a range of factors, like the nation’s aging population. In 2024, 13.7% of the US population had a disability, the highest recorded to date. In 2010, the share of those with disabilities was 11.9%.
How does the federal government determine who has a disability?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as someone who:
- has a physical or mental condition that significantly limits one or more major life activities,
- has a past history or documented record of such a condition (for example, cancer in remission), or
- is regarded by others as having such a condition, even if it does not currently limit major life activities (for example, someone with visible burn scars).
There is no standard government approach to measuring disability, but in its American Community Survey (ACS), the Census Bureau considers a person with a disability as an individual who self-reports difficulty with walking or climbing stairs, hearing, independent living, vision, self-care, and/or cognition.
Around 45.8 million people, or 13.7% of the population, had a disability in 2024.
Share of people with a disability
Disabilities affect age groups differently. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, older adults are more likely to go to the hospital for infectious diseases and have a higher risk for chronic conditions than all other age groups. These trends are reflected in disability rates across different age groups.
In 2024, adults aged 75 and older had the highest rate of disability, with 45% experiencing a disability, while the youngest group, children aged 5 years and under, had the lowest rate, at 0.7%.
In 2024, 45% of adults aged 75 years and above had a disability.
Share of people with a disability, by age group (2024)
The share of people with disabilities also differs from state to state, shaped by a combination of age, race and ethnicity, and regional factors.
In 2024, the states with the highest disability rates were West Virginia at 19.6%, followed by Mississippi (18.3%) and Kentucky (18.2%).
In 2024, West Virginia has the highest share of people with disabilities with 19.6%.
Share of people with a disability, by state (2024)
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
