How many people have a disability in ?

Refreshed annually
An average of 59,000 people living in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT between 2020 and 2024 reported having a disability. This means that around 2 in 21 people in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT have a disability. In census data, a person with a disability is someone who reports difficulty with walking or climbing stairs, hearing, vision, self-care, cognition, or independent living.

59K

people with a disability (2020–2024)

9.5%

population with a disability (2020–2024)

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.

The share of people with disabilities in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT is likely shaped by a range of factors, age and geographic differences. From 2020–2024, 9.5% of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT population had a disability, 2.7 percentage points below the Connecticut average and 3.8 percentage points below the national average.
An important breakdown in disabilities is age and how they 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 are at a higher risks for chronic conditions more than any other age group. These trends are reflected in disability rates across different age groups.

The share of people with disabilities in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT was 3.8 percentage points below the national average from 2020–2024.

Share of people with a disability in Connecticut (2020–2024)

Which age group is likeliest to have a disability in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT?

From 2020–2024, adults aged 65 to 74 years in Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT show the largest difference from Connecticut age groups, with a rate 4.1 percentage points lower than the rest of the state.
An important breakdown in disabilities is age and how they 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 are at a higher risks for chronic conditions more than any other age group. These trends are reflected in disability rates across different age groups.

From 2020–2024, 39.9% of adults aged 75 and older had a disability.

Share of people with a disability, by age group (2020–2024)

How does Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT’s disability rate rank with the rest of the state?

From 2020–2024, Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT ranks 9 out of 9, in comparison to other Connecticut counties with available data, for the highest share of people with disabilities. Reflecting a similar rate are Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT with 11.7% of the population.

From 2020–2024, Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT ranked 9th for the highest share of people with disabilities.

Share of people with a disability in Connecticut, by county (2020–2024)

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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.