Government and public statistics
Prevalence of Disabilities and Health Care Access by Disability Status and Type Among Adults
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2025
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A CDC Disability and Health page summarizing an MMWR report on how many US adults have each of six disability types (mobility, cognition, independent living, hearing, vision, self-care) and how health care access differs by disability type and age. The page was last updated in April 2025.
- How much weight it carries
- Official US government public health source based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a large national telephone survey. Disability is self-reported, and the detailed breakdowns on the page come from 2016 survey data, while the headline count cites 2022 data.
Facts taken from this source
- Over 61 million US adults, or 1 in 4, report having a disability, according to CDC data.
“Over 61 million U.S. adults, or 1 in 4, report having a disability according to 2022 CDC data.” (At a glance)
- Disability is more common with age: approximately 2 in 5 US adults aged 65 and older have a disability, according to the CDC report.
“this report found disabilities more common among adults 65 years of age and older; approximately 2 in 5 adults in this age group have a disability.” (People with disabilities and access to health care)
- Mobility disability (serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs) was the most common disability type in the CDC report, affecting about 1 in 7 US adults, ahead of cognition (1 in 10), hearing (1 in 17) and vision (1 in 21).
“Mobility disability was the most common disability, reported by approximately 1 in 7 adults, followed by cognition (1 in 10), independent living (1 in 15), hearing (1 in 17), vision (1 in 21), and self-care (1 in 27).” (Main findings, Disability findings)