Summary An Opportunity for the Census Bureau to More Accurately Estimate the Disabled Population in the US
Amanda Hermans, Sarah Morriss, Susan J. Popkin
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The Census Bureau is considering changing how it collects information about disability, which could significantly affect the estimated prevalence of disability in the US. The change would affect the American Community Survey (ACS), one of the most comprehensive sources of demographic and socioeconomic information on the US population. Policymakers, advocates, researchers, and others use ACS data to inform public funding decisions, plan resource and program provision, enforce regulations, and understand the lived experiences of different groups.

The Census Bureau announced a proposal to change the questions about disability in the ACS in October 2023, which was expected to reduce the Census Bureau’s official estimate of disabled people from about 14 percent of the US population to about 8 percent. The current set of disability questions in the ACS is already considered limited in the types of disabilities it captures—the proposed change would have exacerbated that underestimate. However, after significant feedback from researchers and the disability community, the Census Bureau announced in February 2024 that it would put that proposal on hold to deliberate further.

Now, the Census Bureau has the opportunity to explore how to more accurately measure disability in the ACS. This summary provides an overview of how disability estimates affect disabled people across the US, what groups are currently underestimated, and our recommendations for moving forward. To ensure the ACS provides an accurate estimate of the disabled population and that the disabled community can access the critical supports they need, the Census Bureau should meaningfully engage with the disability community, explore more comprehensive measures of disability, and evaluate the potential impacts of any proposed change.

Research Areas Race and equity Disability equity policy
Policy Centers Office of Race and Equity Research
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