What is the most common type of disability?
Refreshed annually
In 2024 the most common type of disability in the US was ambulatory difficulty — e.g., difficulty walking or climbing stairs. About 21M people in the US reported an ambulatory difficulty.
66
out of 1,000 people had an ambulatory difficulty (2024)
21M
people had an ambulatory difficulty (2024)
What are the different categories of disabilities?
In its American Community Survey (ACS), the Census Bureau defines a person with a disability as someone reporting difficulty in at least one of these areas:
- Ambulatory: Difficulty walking or climbing stairs. 6.6% of the US population has an ambulatory difficulty.
- Cognitive: Difficulty with memory, concentration, or decision making, whether the origins are physical or emotional (5.8%).
- Hearing: Deaf, or serious difficulty hearing (3.7%).
- Independent living: Difficulty doing everyday errands alone, like shopping or going to appointments (6%).
- Self-care: Difficulty bathing or dressing (2.6%).
- Vision: Blind, or serious difficulty seeing, even with glasses (2.6%).
The most common disability and the prevalence of each kind of disability varies based on factors like age, race and ethnicity, and geographic differences. Ambulatory difficulty was the most common disability type in the US in 2024, impacting 66 out of every 1,000 people.
In 2024, ambulatory was the most common disability, experienced by 66 out of every 1,000 people.
Disability rate per 1,000 people, by type (2024)
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How does the prevalence of disabilities differ by age group?
The share of people with disabilities tends to increase as people age. In 2024, 5.2% of children under 18 were living with a disability, compared to 45% of adults aged 75 and older.
In addition, the share of people experiencing cognitive disabilities decreases with age, while the share experiencing ambulatory difficulties increases. Among children with disabilities, 75.3% lived with cognitive difficulties and 9.2% with ambulatory difficulties. On the other hand, 25.6% of people over 75 with disabilities had cognitive difficulties, and 64% of them had an ambulatory difficulty.
In 2024, ambulatory difficulty affected 28.8% of people older than 75. It affected 0.6% of children.
Share of disability type, by age group (2024)
What are the most common disabilities by state?
In 2024, ambulatory difficulty was the most common type of disability in the US in 37 states; rates ranged from 4.2% of people in Utah to 10.4% in West Virginia. Cognitive disability was the most common type in 11 states.
In 2024, ambulatory was the most common type of disability in 37 states.
Most common disability type, by state (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.
