County Report for Disability Prevalence

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Adam Lavoie, Rachel Coleman, Kate Filanoski, and Karen Volle. 

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RT5022-02-01; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037-01-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

 

 

 
 
 
 

Institute on Disability / UCED
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03284
603.862.4320 | relay: 711 | contact.iod@unh.edu
www.iod.unh.edu

2015 Illinois Report for County-level Data: Prevalence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on
Disability Statistics and Demographics
A NIDILRR-Funded Center

   NIDILIRR.jpg

 

Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Prevalence are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the number of people with disabilities for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online compliment to Section 1: Population and Prevalence of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Prevalence can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Illinois.

The proportions of people with disabilities, sometimes called prevalence, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for people with disabilities. In this report, the prevalence of people with disabilities is presented as the number of people with disabilities in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report comes from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from 2015, the year of the report, and data from the four previous years.

In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living. These questions are:

  • Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses?

  • Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing?

  • Do you have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

 

  • Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

  • Do you have difficulty dressing or bathing?

  • Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?

A response of ‘yes’ to any one of these six questions identifies an individual as having a disability in the ACS. Specific to Illinois, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for prevalence statistics are included below. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2015 county-level statistics from Illinois that are presented:

  • For people with and without disabilities: 

    • The range of total people across Illinois counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people across Illinois counties, was 5,188,471.

      • The county with the greatest number of total people was Cook (5,192,597 people).

      • The county with the least number of total people was Pope (4,126 people).

    • The average number of total people across all counties was 124,453.

    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of total people across Illinois counties was 23,940.

 

  • For people with disabilities: 

    • The range of people with disabilities across Illinois counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people with disabilities across Illinois counties, was 539,369.

      • The county with the greatest number of people with disabilities was Cook (539,900 people).

      • The county with the least number of people with disabilities was Brown (531 people).

    • The average number of people with disabilities across all counties was 13,356.

    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of people with disabilities across Illinois counties was 3,420.

  • For people without disabilities: 

    • The range of people without disabilities across Illinois counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people without disabilities across Illinois counties, was 4,649,616.

      • The county with the greatest number of people without disabilities was Cook (4,652,697 people).

      • The county with the leastnumber of people without disabilities was Hardin (3,081 people).

    • The average number of people without disabilities across all counties was 111,097.

    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of people without disabilities across Illinois counties was 20,036.

 

Prevalence of People with and without Disabilities for Illinois, by County: 2015

County Total Disability No Disability   County Total Disability No Disability
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Illinois    12,694,224 1,362,286 10.7 11,331,938 89.3 Fayette         20,497     3,503 17.1     16,994 82.9
Adams           65,791     9,085 13.8     56,706 86.2 Ford            13,424     2,183 16.3     11,241 83.7
Alexander        7,124     1,583 22.2      5,541 77.8 Franklin        39,216     7,670 19.6     31,546 80.4
Bond            16,229     2,471 15.2     13,758 84.8 Fulton          34,089     4,798 14.1     29,291 85.9
Boone           53,533     5,202  9.7     48,331 90.3 Gallatin         5,385     1,239 23.0      4,146 77.0
Brown            5,191       531 10.2      4,660 89.8 Greene          13,244     2,148 16.2     11,096 83.8
Bureau          33,724     4,442 13.2     29,282 86.8 Grundy          50,053     5,454 10.9     44,599 89.1
Calhoun          4,919       793 16.1      4,126 83.9 Hamilton         8,241     1,315 16.0      6,926 84.0
Carroll         14,749     2,230 15.1     12,519 84.9 Hancock         18,572     2,560 13.8     16,012 86.2
Cass            13,094     1,711 13.1     11,383 86.9 Hardin           4,193     1,112 26.5      3,081 73.5
Champaign      203,872    17,625  8.6    186,247 91.4 Henderson        6,977     1,218 17.5      5,759 82.5
Christian       32,419     4,521 13.9     27,898 86.1 Henry           49,117     5,793 11.8     43,324 88.2
Clark           15,928     2,398 15.1     13,530 84.9 Iroquois        28,596     3,787 13.2     24,809 86.8
Clay            13,406     2,318 17.3     11,088 82.7 Jackson         58,832     7,038 12.0     51,794 88.0
Clinton         36,001     4,248 11.8     31,753 88.2 Jasper           9,572     1,528 16.0      8,044 84.0
Coles           52,349     6,785 13.0     45,564 87.0 Jefferson       36,536     6,493 17.8     30,043 82.2
Cook         5,192,597   539,900 10.4  4,652,697 89.6 Jersey          22,281     2,697 12.1     19,584 87.9
Crawford        18,161     2,983 16.4     15,178 83.6 Jo Daviess      22,245     2,640 11.9     19,605 88.1
Cumberland      10,817     1,981 18.3      8,836 81.7 Johnson         10,939     1,983 18.1      8,956 81.9
De Witt         16,149     2,004 12.4     14,145 87.6 Kane           521,685    42,002  8.1    479,683 91.9
DeKalb         103,520     9,584  9.3     93,936 90.7 Kankakee       109,894    18,443 16.8     91,451 83.2
Douglas         19,670     2,069 10.5     17,601 89.5 Kendall        119,786     8,459  7.1    111,327 92.9
DuPage         924,581    73,695  8.0    850,886 92.0 Knox            49,374     7,824 15.8     41,550 84.2
Edgar           17,722     2,599 14.7     15,123 85.3 LaSalle        109,748    14,068 12.8     95,680 87.2
Edwards          6,615     1,032 15.6      5,583 84.4 Lake           687,664    56,416  8.2    631,248 91.8
Effingham       33,927     4,097 12.1     29,830 87.9 Lawrence        11,161     2,290 20.5      8,871 79.5

Source: Calculations based on U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample. Data represents the civilian, noninstitutional population. Based on a sample and subject to sampling variability.
County Total Disability No Disability   County Total Disability No Disability
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Lee             32,262     3,960 12.3     28,302 87.7 Putnam           5,816       715 12.3      5,101 87.7
Livingston      33,693     4,665 13.8     29,028 86.2 Randolph        29,941     4,662 15.6     25,279 84.4
Logan           23,997     3,530 14.7     20,467 85.3 Richland        15,917     2,668 16.8     13,249 83.2
Macon          106,773    15,345 14.4     91,428 85.6 Rock Island    144,775    18,776 13.0    125,999 87.0
Macoupin        46,284     7,046 15.2     39,238 84.8 Saline          24,235     5,130 21.2     19,105 78.8
Madison        264,937    31,469 11.9    233,468 88.1 Sangamon       196,845    27,151 13.8    169,694 86.2
Marion          37,954     6,846 18.0     31,108 82.0 Schuyler         7,232     1,186 16.4      6,046 83.6
Marshall        11,908     1,478 12.4     10,430 87.6 Scott            5,150       600 11.7      4,550 88.3
Mason           13,933     2,197 15.8     11,736 84.2 Shelby          21,923     2,829 12.9     19,094 87.1
Massac          14,794     3,129 21.2     11,665 78.8 St. Clair      261,228    32,934 12.6    228,294 87.4
McDonough       31,636     3,790 12.0     27,846 88.0 Stark            5,758       950 16.5      4,808 83.5
McHenry        306,094    25,542  8.3    280,552 91.7 Stephenson      45,878     6,541 14.3     39,337 85.7
McLean         171,960    15,617  9.1    156,343 90.9 Tazewell       133,362    14,667 11.0    118,695 89.0
Menard          12,450     1,565 12.6     10,885 87.4 Union           17,398     3,053 17.5     14,345 82.5
Mercer          15,851     2,003 12.6     13,848 87.4 Vermilion       78,088    12,041 15.4     66,047 84.6
Monroe          33,249     3,337 10.0     29,912 90.0 Wabash          11,569     2,057 17.8      9,512 82.2
Montgomery      23,882     3,306 13.8     20,576 86.2 Warren          17,508     2,245 12.8     15,263 87.2
Morgan          33,363     4,648 13.9     28,715 86.1 Washington      14,248     1,766 12.4     12,482 87.6
Moultrie        14,605     1,657 11.3     12,948 88.7 Wayne           16,506     2,759 16.7     13,747 83.3
Ogle            51,896     6,194 11.9     45,702 88.1 White           14,130     2,701 19.1     11,429 80.9
Peoria         184,842    20,664 11.2    164,178 88.8 Whiteside       56,651     8,545 15.1     48,106 84.9
Perry           19,713     3,098 15.7     16,615 84.3 Will           677,429    58,251  8.6    619,178 91.4
Piatt           16,445     1,695 10.3     14,750 89.7 Williamson      65,283    10,325 15.8     54,958 84.2
Pike            15,611     2,454 15.7     13,157 84.3 Winnebago      287,276    37,954 13.2    249,322 86.8
Pope             4,126       882 21.4      3,244 78.6 Woodford        38,548     3,692  9.6     34,856 90.4
Pulaski          5,863     1,423 24.3      4,440 75.7                                                      

Source: Calculations based on U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample. Data represents the civilian, noninstitutional population. Based on a sample and subject to sampling variability.

Count of People with Disabilities for Illinois, by County: 2015

Percentage of People with Disabilities for Illinois, by County: 2015

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided (www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/).

  • Statistics are based on a sample and subject to sample variation (a discussion of this topic can be found here).

  • Statistics based on a sample may not fully represent the total U.S. population (a discussion of this topic can be found here).

  • People responding to the ACS may be different than people not responding (a discussion of this topic can be found here).

  • When people do not respond to all ACS questions their responses are created based on assignment or allocation (a discussion of this topic can be found here).

Additional resources for the ACS:

  • Information on the disability questions can be found here.

  • The ACS design and methodology can be found here.

  • The ACS questionnaire and instructions can be found here.

Definitions

Average—The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.
Median—The middlemost value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values.
Prevalence—The proportion of the population with a particular status or condition. Prevalence is usually expressed as a percentage or a number of people per unit of the population.
Population—The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.
Range—The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics

Policymakers, program administrators, service providers, researchers, advocates for people with disabilities, and people with disabilities and their families need accessible, valid data/statistics to support their decisions related to policy improvements, program administration, service delivery, protection of civil rights, and major life activities. The StatsRRTC supports decision making through a variety of integrated research and outreach activities by (a) improving knowledge about and access to existing data, (b) generating the knowledge needed to improve future disability data collection, and (c) strengthening connections between the data from and regarding respondents, researchers, and decision makers. In this way, the Stats RRTC supports the improvement of service systems that advance the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute. The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT502201, from 2013–2018.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

The EPM-RRTC generates and translates new information about disability employment policy and ways to measure the labor market experiences of people with disabilities. By improving the quality of available information about program interactions, policy options, and employment outcomes, the EPM-RRTC increases evidence-based advocacy and policymaking.

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago. The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.