US Census Data on People with Disabilities

Percent of People with Disabilities in the US Population
56.7 million people with a disability were living in the United States in 2010.

56.7 million - Number of people with a disability living in the United States in 2010. They represented 19 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Disabilities include, for instance, having difficulty seeing, hearing, having speech understood, walking, bathing, dressing, eating, preparing meals, going outside the home, or doing housework, having Alzheimer's, dementia, autism, cerebral palsy, or dyslexia, and being frequently depressed or anxious.

How Common are Specific Disabilities?
30.6 million people (15 and older) have difficulty walking or climbing stairs. 12 million people (15 and older) require the assistance of others in order to perform one or more activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, doing housework, and preparing meals. 8.1 million people (15 and older) have a vision difficulty.
7.6 million people (15 and older) have a hearing difficulty. Among people 65 and older, 4 million have difficulty hearing. 3.6 million people (15 and older) use a wheelchair to assist with mobility. This compares with 11.6 million people who use a cane, crutches or walker. 2.4 million people (15 and older) have Alzheimer's disease, senility or dementia.
Percentage of People with Disabilities by Age
8 percent of children under 15 had disabilities. 21 percent of people 15 and older had disabilities. 50 percent of adults 65 and older had disabilities.

Source: United States Census Bureau