2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium

Section 1: Population and Prevalence
This section presents statistics on the United States resident population, projected population, and people with disabilities. The prevalence statistics describe disability frequency by disability type. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status or disability type) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details).
Tables
Table 1.1: In 2020, the resident population in the United States was estimated to be 329,504,815 individuals, up from 328,239,523 individuals in 2019. The state with the largest population in 2020 was California, with 39,273,649 individuals. The state with the smallest population in 2020 was Wyoming, with 574,367 individuals.
Table 1.2: The projected 2030 resident population in the United States is 363,584,435 individuals, up from 349,439,199 individuals in 2025 and 335,804,546 individuals in 2020. The state with the largest projected population in 2030 is California, with 46,444,861 individuals. The geography with the smallest projected population in 2030 is the District of Columbia, with 433,414 individuals.
Table 1.3: Based on data from the American Community Survey, in 2020 there were 328,293,917 individuals living in the community, 44,061,818 of which were individuals with disabilities—13.4 percent. The state with the largest number of individuals with disabilities was California, with 4,409,276 individuals, while the state with the smallest number of individuals with disabilities was the District of Columbia, with 74,492 individuals.
Table 1.4: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 11,926,360 of which were individuals with a hearing disability—27.1 percent. For this disability type, Alaska had the highest percentage, 38.0 percent, while the District of Columbia had the lowest percentage, 14.7 percent.
Table 1.5: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 8,032,555 of which were individuals with a vision disability—18.2 percent. For this disability type, Louisiana had the highest percentage, 23.2 percent, while Minnesota had the lowest percentage, 13.3 percent.
Table 1.6: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 17,472,328 of which were individuals with a cognitive disability—39.7 percent. For this disability type, the District of Columbia had the highest percentage, 50.4 percent, while Wyoming had the lowest percentage, 31.5 percent.
Table 1.7: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 21,779,183 of which were individuals with an ambulatory disability—49.4 percent. For this disability type, Arkansas had the highest percentage, 54.6 percent, while Utah had the lowest percentage, 38.2 percent.
Table 1.8: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 8,916,136 of which were individuals with a self-care disability—20.2 percent. For this disability type, California had the highest percentage, 23.5 percent, while Wyoming had the lowest percentage, 15.0 percent.
Table 1.9: In 2020, there were 44,061,818 individuals living in the community with disabilities, 16,356,212 of which were individuals with an independent living disability—37.1 percent. For this disability type, Hawaii had the highest percentage, 44.9 percent, while Wyoming had the lowest percentage, 28.0 percent.