2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium

Earnings

Section 5: Earnings

This section presents statistics on earnings in the United States by disability status. The statistics describe the earnings of full-time, full-year workers with and without disabilities in the past 12 months, as well as the difference (earnings gap) between these two populations.  A person is considered a full-time, full-year worker if they worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in the past 12 months. Individuals who did not work in the last 12 months or who worked less than full-time, full-year are not included in these statistics. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. Statistics for people with disabilities (disability status) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details). In addition, in the American Community Survey people are asked about their total income for the past 12 months. This information is used to calculate earnings. When presenting earnings data, the median earnings (or middlemost) value is used rather than the average earnings because people’s incomes are heavily skewed—the higher the salary, the fewer people who earn that respective salary—the average does not represent the population as well as the median.

Tables

Table 5.1: In 2018, for full-time, full-year workers with disabilities ages 16 years and over living in the community, median earnings were $40,457. In contrast, among full-time, full-year workers without disabilities ages 16 years and over living in the community, median earnings were $46,502—an earnings gap of $6,045. This earnings gap is smallest (meaning the earnings of people with disabilities are closest to the earnings of people without disabilities) in Louisiana ($2,209) and largest (meaning the earnings of people with disabilities are furthest from the earnings of people without disabilities) in the District of Columbia ($20,219).

Table 5.1 Earnings — Annual Median Earnings of Full-time, Full-year Civilian Workers Ages 16 Years and Over for the United States and States, by Disability Status (in 2018 inflation-adjusted dollars): 2018
State Total ($) [1] No Disability ($) Disability ($) Gap ($) [2]   State Total ($) [1] No Disability ($) Disability ($) Gap ($) [2]
U.S. 45,579 46,502 40,457  6,045 MO 41,512 42,492 34,963  7,529
AL 40,471 40,484 36,393  4,091 MT 40,426 40,439 34,667  5,772
AK 54,379 54,550 50,308  4,242 NE 42,488 42,536 39,959  2,577
AZ 42,475 42,512 38,163  4,349 NV 40,502 40,512 37,411  3,101
AR 38,334 38,379 34,458  3,921 NH 50,625 50,645 42,481  8,164
CA 50,580 50,586 45,373  5,213 NJ 57,792 58,384 49,833  8,551
CO 50,576 50,586 41,349  9,237 NM 37,448 37,690 34,666  3,024
CT 58,331 58,497 53,221  5,276 NY 51,671 52,000 45,393  6,607
DE 45,557 46,324 40,398  5,926 NC 40,523 41,469 38,303  3,166
DC 72,537 74,739 54,520 20,219 ND 45,583 46,485 40,209  6,276
FL 40,447 40,452 36,403  4,049 OH 45,542 45,567 38,299  7,268
GA 42,665 43,492 40,243  3,249 OK 39,506 40,428 35,423  5,005
HI 47,117 47,457 42,417  5,040 OR 45,574 46,533 39,836  6,697
ID 40,423 40,454 34,090  6,364 PA 48,561 48,604 40,424  8,180
IL 50,580 50,588 42,487  8,101 RI 50,615 50,626 40,396 10,230
IN 42,710 43,527 37,346  6,181 SC 40,449 40,460 35,154  5,306
IA 44,290 44,955 36,318  8,637 SD 39,430 39,507 36,443  3,064
KS 43,530 44,476 40,131  4,345 TN 40,444 40,456 36,050  4,406
KY 40,502 40,514 35,904  4,610 TX 42,548 43,483 40,244  3,239
LA 40,512 40,520 38,311  2,209 UT 45,586 46,506 40,503  6,003
ME 43,484 44,513 35,767  8,746 VT 45,434 45,464 39,796  5,668
MD 57,614 58,070 50,650  7,420 VA 50,629 50,639 45,448  5,191
MA 60,150 60,278 49,835 10,443 WA 54,060 54,867 45,400  9,467
MI 45,575 46,499 40,454  6,045 WV 38,463 39,199 32,636  6,563
MN 50,589 50,604 40,425 10,179 WI 45,569 45,580 40,206  5,374
MS 37,422 37,963 34,341  3,622 WY 44,640 45,395 36,798  8,597

Citation: Calculations based on U.S. Census Bureau. (2018). American community survey, public use microdata sample. In Lauer, E.A., Boege, S.L., & Houtenville, A.J. (Eds.), Annual disability statistics compendium: 2019 (Table 5.1). Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability. Data represents the civilian, noninstitutional population. Based on a sample and subject to sampling variability.
[1] A person is considered a full-time, full-year worker if they worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in the past 12 months.
[2] The difference in median earnings between no disability and disability.