In 2023, around 10% of residents of the region reported a disability on the American Community Survey. Having a disability can impede not only day-to-day activities, but also your employment status. For this month's Puget Sounds Trends, PSRC staff examined the employment trends of people with disabilities in the central Puget Sound region.
Employment and earnings for people with disabilities are disproportionately lower than for people without disabilities. Last year, out of those who reported a disability and were interested in participating in the workforce, 9.9% were unemployed. That is a lot higher than those without disabilities (3.8%). When comparing median annual earnings, people with disabilities make almost $20,00 less than people without disabilities, with the median annual income of people with disabilities at $51,000 compared to $70,300 for people without disabilities.
With higher unemployment rates and a lower median annual income, people with disabilities are more likely to live below the poverty line. Those with disabilities are twice as likely as the rest of the population to live in poverty.
How can we close the employment disparity gap between people with disabilities and the rest of the population? PSRC has a commitment to closing inequity gaps within the region. Recent work with our Equity Pilot Program asked project sponsors to identify marginalized communities (such as people with disabilities) that their transportation projects are serving, articulate the disparities the community was facing, how they’re addressing these disparities, and more. To find out more about the trends in employment for people with disabilities, check out this month’s Puget Sound Trends.