Skip to main content

Disability

Walking disability

21.1 million people in the U.S. (6.7% of those age 5 and over) have a walking difficulty. It affects 20.8% of people 65 and over and 0.6% of children.

What the Census asks: Serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

At a glance

People with this difficulty
21.1 million
Share of people age 5 and over
6.7%
Age 65 and over
20.8%
Children (under 18)
0.6%

Map by county

Loading map…

By age

Share with a walking difficulty, by age group (number of people)
  • 5–170.6% 334,261
  • 18–341.3% 949,102
  • 35–646.3% 8,023,751
  • 65–7414.6% 4,958,188
  • 75 and over30.0% 6,872,447

Who treats it

Together: 144.0 of these clinicians for every 10,000 people with a walking difficulty.

Clinicians registered with this primary specialty and a practice address, as on our maps. Many other clinicians, such as family doctors, also care for people with this difficulty.

By state

Loading map…

Specialists per person with this difficulty

Number of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Physical Therapists per 10,000 people with a walking difficulty. Lower means each specialist has more people to serve.

The 10 states with the fewest specialists per person with this difficulty
StatePer 10,000SpecialistsPeople with the difficulty
Puerto Rico20.3809397,810
Mississippi67.41,813268,921
Alabama76.43,245424,483
West Virginia77.71,349173,727
Oklahoma80.92,602321,778
Louisiana81.92,930357,971
Kentucky91.43,617395,535
New Mexico93.51,595170,519
Arkansas95.02,585272,045
Nevada103.12,194212,749
All states
States from fewest to most specialists per person with this difficulty
StatePer 10,000SpecialistsPeople with the difficulty
Puerto Rico20.3809397,810
Mississippi67.41,813268,921
Alabama76.43,245424,483
West Virginia77.71,349173,727
Oklahoma80.92,602321,778
Louisiana81.92,930357,971
Kentucky91.43,617395,535
New Mexico93.51,595170,519
Arkansas95.02,585272,045
Nevada103.12,194212,749
Texas108.318,2261,682,802
Florida111.516,8231,509,130
Ohio111.68,841791,899
Georgia111.77,557676,576
Tennessee116.96,004513,747
South Carolina118.94,451374,368
Missouri121.65,235430,521
Indiana124.35,522444,416
California125.227,1642,169,614
Arizona132.06,114463,053
North Carolina142.49,925697,192
Hawaii158.31,37887,045
Virginia160.17,934495,450
Michigan164.310,959667,204
Oregon168.04,714280,523
Iowa169.32,930173,034
Pennsylvania171.014,698859,669
Kansas174.72,999171,619
Idaho176.11,966111,611
Delaware176.81,24370,311
Illinois184.113,580737,474
Washington189.88,602453,190
New York200.325,4101,268,819
Rhode Island205.71,34665,450
Maine207.11,88190,815
Wyoming207.371234,342
Maryland211.27,038333,300
Connecticut211.74,150196,065
Massachusetts213.38,143381,691
Nebraska225.52,327103,172
South Dakota226.21,09748,505
New Jersey230.311,202486,443
Wisconsin230.97,286315,558
Utah233.73,073131,518
Minnesota234.96,298268,170
Montana236.41,57766,697
New Hampshire237.71,84277,498
District of Columbia242.387436,071
Alaska245.294038,335
Vermont251.493237,071
Colorado281.47,458264,989
North Dakota305.51,13837,254

Counties with the highest share

  1. Buchanan County, Virginia 20.9%
  2. Magoffin County, Kentucky 20.6%
  3. Lee County, Virginia 20.3%
  4. Dickenson County, Virginia 20.3%
  5. Cidra Municipio, Puerto Rico 20.3%
  6. Mingo County, West Virginia 20.1%
  7. St. Helena Parish, Louisiana 19.8%
  8. Aguada Municipio, Puerto Rico 19.7%
  9. Logan County, West Virginia 18.8%
  10. Wyoming County, West Virginia 18.5%

Counties where at least 10,000 people were counted; survey estimates for smaller counties have wide margins of error.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 (tables B18101–B18107), civilian population living in the community (not in nursing homes or other institutions). People report their own difficulties, or a household member reports for them. Totals are the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, as on the map. Specialists: NPPES NPI Registry, the same counts as our specialty pages.