National Disability Statistics

• People with disabilities, nationwide: 54,000,000
• People with severe disabilities, nationwide: 26,000,000
• Percent of Americans under age 22 with a severe disability: 1.7
• Percent of Americans over age 80 with a severe disability: 53.5
  Percent of children between the ages of 6 and 14 with a learning disability: 4.5
• Percent of children 2 years or younger with a developmental disability: 2.6
  (Source: Census Bureau)
  
  
• Percentage by which the population of people with disabilities under age 18 increased between 1983 and 1994: 47.9
• Percentage by which the population of people with disabilities over age 65 increased between 1983 and 1994: 13.9
  (Source: National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research)
  
  
• Percentage of parents with no disabilities whose spouse has a disability: 8
• Percentage of parents with disabilities whose spouse has a disability: 27
  (Source: Chartbook on Women and Disability in the United States)
  
  
• Percentage of people between ages 65 and 69 with a disability: 43.4
• Between ages 70-74: 46.0
• Between ages 75-84: 63.7
• Percentage of people over age 85 with a disability: 84.2
  (Source: Chartbook on Disability in the United States)
  
  
• Percent of all disabling conditions caused by injury: 13.4
• Percent of people with disabilities with musculoskeletal impairments: 17.2
• Percent of people with disabilities with circulatory disorders: 16.7
• Percent of people with disabilities with orthopedic impairments: 14.1
• Percent of people with disabilities with mental impairments: 3.3
  Percent of people with disabilities with visual impairments: 2.1
• Percent of people with disabilities with hearing impairments: 1.9
  (Source: Disability Statistics Center, University of California-San Francisco)
  
  
• Percent of children and adults with disabilities who have learning disabilities, respectively: 29.5, 0.6
• Percent with speech problems: 13.1, 0.4
• Percent with mental retardation: 6.8, 1.2
• Percent with mental illness: 6.3, 1.9
• Percent with back injuries: 2.5, 13.5
• Percent with heart disease: 0.9, 11.1
• Percent with asthma: 6.8, 6.4
• Percent with addiction to drugs or alcohol: 1.0, 0.7
• Percent with arthritis: less than 1%, 17.1
  (Source: Centers for Disease Control)
  
  
• Mean age of all Americans: 35.4
• Mean age of all Americans with disabilities: 43
• Mean age of all Americans with severe disabilities: 45.5
  (Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics)