How is poverty status related to disability? Official data breakdown
In 2014, the overall poverty rate was 15%. Poverty rates by
disability status* in the United States ranged from 12% to 29%.
Poverty rates by disability status for those ages 18 to 64 were
12% for those without a disability
29% for those with a disability
Another way to think about the relationship between poverty and
disability is to look at how the distribution of people in
poverty by disability status compares to that of the population
as a whole.
By that measure, in 2014 the disabled comprise a greater share of
the population in poverty than their share of the general
population; while those without a disability are
underrepresented.
* These rates are for those ages 18-64 and they do not include
members of the Armed Forces because disability status is not
defined for them.
The official poverty statistics, which have been in use since the
1960s, calculate poverty status by comparing a family’s or
an individual’s cash income to their poverty threshold.
