Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act: July 26, 2026
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush in 1990, is the nation’s strongest measure protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. It bars discrimination based on disability and guarantees equal access to public buildings and businesses, employment opportunities, transportation, telecommunications, commercial facilities, and state and local government services.
The following facts are possible thanks to the invaluable responses to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we measure America’s people and economy.
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45.8 million or 13.7%
The total U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population with a disability in 2024.
Source:
19.6%
The percentage of West Virginia’s civilian noninstitutionalized population with a disability in 2024, the highest share of any state in the nation. New Jersey and Utah, both at 11.0%, had two of the nation’s lowest disability rates.
Source:
10.5 million
The total U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population ages 18 to 64 with a disability employed in 2024.
Source:
$34,114
Median earnings (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars) of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and over with a disability and with earnings during the previous 12 months in 2024.
Source:
More on Disability
More Stats
The 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates provided a detailed profile of the U.S. population with a disability, including:
- Sex.
- Race and Hispanic or Latino origin.
- Age.
- Hearing difficulty by age.
- Vision difficulty by age.
- Cognitive difficulty by age.
- Ambulatory difficulty by age.
- Self-care difficulty by age.
- Independent living difficulty by age.
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Past Facts for Features
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2025
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2024
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2023
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2022
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2021
- Facts for Features: Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26, 2020
America Counts Stories
Blogs
Graphics
- Disability Status by Age Group
- Types of Disabilities
- The Relationship Between Health Conditions and the Core Disability Question Set
- Working With a Disability
- How Common Are Specific Disabilities by Age?
- Aging-Accessible Homes
- Prevalence of Disabilities for Ages 18+
- Business Owners With a Disability by Minority Status: 2021
Related Information
- Trends in Veteran Disability Status and Service-Connected Disability: 2008-2022
- Aging Veterans: America’s Veterans in Later Life
- A Profile of Supplemental Security Income Recipients: 2017
- Childhood Disability in the United States: 2019
- Americans With Disabilities: 2014
- Older Americans With a Disability: 2008-2012
Observances in our Facts for Features series:
- National Black History Month (February)
- Women's History Month (March)
- Irish-American Heritage Month (March)
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)
- The Fourth of July
- Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15)
- Halloween (Oct. 31)
- National Native American Heritage Month (November)
- Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
- Holiday Season (November — December)
Editor’s note: These data come from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. We generally release Facts for Features about two months before observances to accommodate magazine production timelines. For more information, contact the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office at (301)763-3030 or <[email protected]>.
Profile America's Facts for Features provides statistics related to observances and holidays not covered by Stats for Stories. For observances not listed above, visit our Stats for Stories webpage.
Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting newsworthy Census Bureau statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their audiences. Dates with presidential proclamations are marked with (P).