2020 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 middle value) is used rather than mean (average) earnings because income tends to be heavily skewed. Because outlier cases with extremely high incomes do not impact the median the way that they impact the mean, the median is generally the preferred statistic for summarizing income.

Tables

Table 5.1: In 2019, for full-time, full-year workers with disabilities ages 18-64 years living in the community, median earnings were $39,297. In contrast, among full-time, full-year workers without disabilities ages 18-64 years and over living in the community, median earnings were $46,318—an earnings gap of $7,021. This earnings gap is smallest (meaning the difference in earnings of people with disabilities and the earnings of people without disabilities is the lowest) in Wyoming ($-1,457) and largest (meaning the difference in earnings of people with disabilities and the earnings of people without disabilities is the highest) in the District of Columbia ($20,810).

Table 5.1 Earnings — Annual Median Earnings of Full-time, Full-year Civilian Workers Ages 18-64 Years for the United States and States, by Disability Status (in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars): 2019
State Total ($) [1] No Disability ($) Disability ($) Gap ($) [2]   State Total ($) [1] No Disability ($) Disability ($) Gap ($) [2]
U.S. 45,444 46,318 39,297  7,021 MO 43,361 44,434 35,327  9,107
AL 40,382 40,402 37,920  2,482 MT 41,374 41,984 36,133  5,851
AK 53,501 54,215 46,264  7,951 NE 45,368 45,368 44,868    500
AZ 43,383 44,246 37,323  6,923 NV 41,104 41,273 39,137  2,136
AR 38,332 38,809 34,093  4,716 NH 53,617 53,950 49,771  4,179
CA 50,468 50,474 45,433  5,041 NJ 59,414 59,682 50,133  9,549
CO 51,284 51,755 45,092  6,663 NM 40,366 40,373 36,371  4,002
CT 59,782 59,901 49,232 10,669 NY 54,746 54,944 46,894  8,050
DE 50,475 50,479 49,240  1,239 NC 42,351 42,389 35,338  7,051
DC 78,331 79,823 59,013 20,810 ND 46,163 46,318 43,141  3,177
FL 40,327 40,333 35,354  4,979 OH 45,444 46,396 38,280  8,116
GA 42,418 43,362 38,492  4,870 OK 40,357 40,392 35,314  5,078
HI 50,208 50,211 48,235  1,976 OR 48,465 49,460 39,792  9,668
ID 40,406 41,980 38,035  3,945 PA 49,409 50,412 39,253 11,159
IL 50,463 50,474 40,304 10,170 RI 50,470 50,473 49,967    506
IN 43,423 44,365 38,278  6,087 SC 40,396 40,402 38,152  2,250
IA 45,395 45,415 38,164  7,251 SD 40,396 41,327 32,611  8,716
KS 45,368 45,384 38,046  7,338 TN 40,377 40,387 35,310  5,077
KY 42,337 42,351 36,331  6,020 TX 44,368 44,909 39,297  5,612
LA 41,871 42,333 38,323  4,010 UT 48,404 48,440 40,042  8,398
ME 42,367 43,342 38,286  5,056 VT 48,437 48,486 40,477  8,009
MD 59,108 59,622 50,317  9,305 VA 50,972 51,670 45,379  6,291
MA 60,372 60,488 50,480 10,008 WA 56,191 57,214 48,442  8,772
MI 47,071 47,471 40,272  7,199 WV 40,232 40,261 36,936  3,325
MN 52,095 52,431 47,472  4,959 WI 47,465 48,394 40,198  8,196
MS 37,251 37,970 29,917  8,053 WY 47,809 47,402 48,859 -1,457

Citation: Paul, S., Rafal, M., & Houtenville, A. (2020). Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2020 (Table 5.1). Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability. Note: Authors’ calculations using the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample, 2019, which is subject to sampling variation.
[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.