Georgia Summary

These statistics indicate the social and economic status of non-institutionalized people with disabilities in Georgia, using data from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) as conducted by the United States Census Bureau.

Age:

In 2016, the prevalence of disability in GA was:

  • 12.9 % for persons of all ages
    #1 Disability Type – Ambulatory at 7.3 %

  • 0.8 % for persons ages 4 and under
    #1 Disability Type – Hearing at 0.6 %

  • 6.0 % for persons 5 to 15
    #1 Disability Type – Cognitive at 4.7 %

  • 5.7 % for persons 16 to 20
    #1 Disability Type – Cognitive at 3.8 %

  • 11.5 % for persons 21 to 64 (USA @ 10.9 %)
    #1 Disability Type – Ambulatory at 6.1 %

  • 27.8 % for persons 65 to 74
    #1 Disability Type – Ambulatory at 18.2 %

  • 51.9 % for persons 75+
    #1 Disability Type – Ambulatory at 34.9 %
    #2 Disability Type – Independent Living at 26.7%
    #3 Disability Type – Hearing at 22.7 %
    #4 Disability Type – Cognitive at 16.3 %

Disabled in Georgia

Disabled in Georgia

Disability Type:

In 2016, 1,307,500 Georgians were disabled.

The prevalence of the six disability types among persons of all ages in GA was:

  • 2.6 % reported a Visual Disability

  • 3.3 % reported a Hearing Disability

  • 7.3 % reported an Ambulatory Disability

  • 5.3 % reported a Cognitive Disability

  • 2.6 % reported a Self-Care Disability

  • 5.6 % reported an Independent Living Disability

  • 12.9 % reported at least one type of Disability *

*Some individuals can have multiple types of disabilities.

Gender:

In 2016, 12.9 % (679,300) of females of all ages and 12.8 % (628,200) of males of all ages in GA reported a disability.

Disabled in Georgia

Females 12.9%
Males 12.8%

Disabled in Georgia

HIspanic/Latino 6.5%

Hispanic / Latino:

In 2016, the prevalence of disability among persons of all ages of Hispanic or Latino origin in GA was 6.5 % (~62,300 of 952,800).

Race:

In 2016, the prevalence of the six disability types among persons of all ages in GA was:

  • 11.6 % among Whites

  • 12.6 % among Black / African Americans

  • 3.6 % among Asians

  • 13.9 % among Native Americans

  • 10.2 % among persons of some other race(s)

Disabled in Georgia

Disabled in Georgia

Employment:

In 2016, the prevalence of disability among persons of all working-ages (21 to 64):

  • 34.7 % Employed * (GA w/o Disabilities 77.9 %)
    Largest Employed Disability Type – Hearing at 49.8 %
    Smallest – Independent Living at 15.4 %

  • 22.9% Employed Full-Time/Full-Year

  • 7.6 % Looking for Work

  • 18.5% receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

*USA 36.2 % w/disabilities, 78.9 % w/o disabilities

Income:

In 2016, of disability among persons of all working-ages (21 to 64):

  • $40,300 was the median individual annual earnings
    Highest disabled earners – Hearing at $45,300 median
    Lowest – Independent Living at $32,200 median

  • $41,400 was the median household annual income
    Median Georgia household income without a disabled resident – $61,500

  • 25.3 % of disabled individuals were at or below the poverty rate

Education:

In 2016, of disabled  persons of all working-ages (21 to 64):

  • 34.2 % had a maximum of high school diploma or equivalent

  • 29.6 % had some college or an associates degree

  • 14.2 % has a bachelor’s degree or more

Health Insurance Coverage

In 2016, in Georgia, 83.6 % of working-age people with disabilities had health insurance.

This is custom heading element

There is no single accepted definition of disability. Different definitions and disability questions may identify different populations with disabilities and result in larger or smaller estimates.

Below are the six questions used in the ACS to identify persons with disabilities. Note that the Census Bureau refers to each of the individual types as “difficulty” while in this report the term “disability” is used.

Hearing Disability (asked of all ages):
Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?

Visual Disability (asked of all ages):
Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?

Cognitive Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older):
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

Ambulatory Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older):
Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

Self-Care Disability (asked of persons ages 5 or older):
Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?

Independent Living Disability (asked of persons ages 15 or older):
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

Georgia Disability Statistics

Information from www.disabilitystatistics.org, the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at the Cornell University ILR School