Disability Data

CDC Disability and Health Data System

Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) is an online source of state-level data on adults with disabilities. Users can access information on five functional disability types: cognitive, mobility, vision, self-care, and independent living.

• Arthritis Page

CDC Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS)

CDC’s BRFSS is one of the foundational data resources for determining state-level prevalence and characteristics among persons with disabilities.

• BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data
  The BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data allows users to produce different state-level data sets and customize charts and graphs by health category. Additionally, relevant facts and trends of interest to the research community are selected by the BRFSS team and are available for use.

• Behavioral Risk Factors Data Portal
  The Behavioral Risk Factors Data portal contains a listing of studies related to health behavioral risk factors.

CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

NCHS provides statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people. As the Nation's principal health statistics agency, NCHS leads the way with accurate, relevant, and timely data.

• FastStats
  The FastStats site provides quick access to statistics on topics of public health importance and is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to publications that include the statistics presented, to sources of more data, and to related web pages. Examples include: The FastStats Disability page which provides summary statistics and tables for selected sensory problems, activity limitations, and difficulties with physical functioning.

• Health, United States
  This annual report compiles and summarizes data from many health related surveys conducted by HHS.

• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
  The NHIS is the flagship survey for determining characteristics of Americans’ health status on an annual basis.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics (SAMHSA), Data, Outcomes, and Quality (DOQ)

The SAMHSA Data, Outcomes, and Quality (DOQ) provides data from different surveys and data collection systems.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics (SAMHSA), National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

The data provide estimates of substance use and mental illness at the national, state, and substate levels. NSDUH data also help to identify the extent of substance use and mental illness among different subgroups, estimate trends over time, and determine the need for treatment services.

State Data Info

State Data Info is a project of the DHHS Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) and the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) that provides customized and accessible charts of employment outcomes and trends.

Census Disability Portal

The Census Disability Portal compiles recent census data on disability, developed through the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

• American Community Survey (ACS)
  The Census Bureau collects data about disability through the ACS. The following link explains the ACS methodology, definitions of disability, and how Census developed the functional definitions of disability.
  • Methodology
  • Evaluation Report Covering Disability

• Census American Fact Finder
  This tool provides the user with information by state, county, city, town, or zip code. Select “Topics,” “People,” and then construct tables related to disability status, mobility, self-care limitations, and work disability status.

• Census Data Ferret
  Data Ferret is a data analysis and extraction tool to customize federal, state, and local data.  Users can make customized spreadsheets and graphs with onboard software.

Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

ODEP promotes the availability and use of disability data and statistics to further education, research, and policy initiatives to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.

nTIDE (National Trends in Disability Employment)

nTIDE is the product of The Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability, working to provide a monthly summary of the characteristics of employment among Americans with and without disabilities.

• History

Research, Statistics, & Policy Analysis

The Research, Statistics, and Policy Analysis section of the Social Security Administration website is a collaborative effort among the Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support, the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, and the Office of Retirement Policy. All three offices work together to conduct research and policy analysis surrounding disability, employment, and social security benefits.

• Selected Data from Social Security's Disability Program
• “Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Administration Disability Insurance Program”

Council for Disability Awareness Disability Statistics Page

The Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the American public about the risk and consequences of experiencing an income-interrupting illness or injury. The CDA engages in research, communications and educational activities that provide information and helpful resources to wage earners, employers, financial advisors, consultants, and others who are concerned about the personal and financial impact a disability can have on wage earners and their families.

• Statistics Page
• “What’s My Personal Disability Quotient?”

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

PCORI, an independent nonprofit, nongovernmental organization located in Washington, DC, was authorized by Congress in 2010. Their mandate is to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers, and policy makers make informed health decisions. Specifically, they fund comparative clinical effectiveness research, or CER, as well as support work that will improve the methods used to conduct such studies.