Disability statistics by state show how unevenly disability is spread across the country, and how unevenly the specialists who help people with disabilities are spread. Using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and the NPI Registry, we mapped six types of disability by county and age, and counted the matching specialists per person with each difficulty.
Map: walking or climbing stairs (the most common difficulty)
Use the picker above the map to switch to hearing, vision, thinking and memory, self-care or independent living, to any age group (children, adults, 65 and over), or to people on Medicare because of a disability.
Specialists per person with a disability
Each type of disability has a page showing how many matching specialists practice in each state for every 10,000 people with that difficulty: rehabilitation physicians and physical therapists for walking difficulties, audiologists and ENT doctors for hearing, ophthalmologists and optometrists for vision, neurologists and geriatricians for thinking and memory.
- Walking disability
- Hearing disability
- Vision disability
- Thinking and memory disability
- Self-care disability
- Independent living disability
The national picture, with disability by age and type side by side, is on our disability page.
How the Census measures disability statistics by state
The American Community Survey asks six questions about serious difficulty hearing, seeing, concentrating or remembering, walking or climbing stairs, dressing or bathing, and doing errands alone. Anyone answering yes to at least one counts as having a disability. It covers people living in the community, not in nursing homes or other institutions.
Disability statistics by state: frequently asked questions
What percentage of Americans have a disability?
About 13% of Americans living in the community have at least one of the six disabilities the Census Bureau measures, rising to about one in three people aged 65 and over. See the disability page for current figures by type and age.
What is the most common type of disability?
Serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs is the most common, followed by difficulty living independently and difficulty with thinking, memory or decisions.
Which state has the highest disability rate?
Puerto Rico and West Virginia have the highest shares among the areas we map, with much of Appalachia and the South also high. The state map on the disability page ranks every state.
Does Medicare cover people with disabilities under 65?
Yes. People who receive Social Security disability benefits for 24 months, and people with kidney failure or ALS, qualify for Medicare before 65. Millions are enrolled this way; the disability page shows how many by county.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (opens in a new tab) 5-year estimates 2020–2024 (tables B18101–B18107); CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment (opens in a new tab); NPPES NPI Registry. Related: doctor shortage areas.