Introduction
Up-to-date statistics are essential to policymaking, planning, research, and advocacy. While federal agencies collect data and generate a variety of statistics about the population with disabilities in the United States (U.S.), it is often difficult for local government agencies, individuals with disabilities, and even seasoned researchers to find these statistics.
Facts & Figures is a regularly-occurring publication of the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire. This report focuses on characteristics of the population with disabilities in New Hampshire (NH), with comparisons to neighboring states and the nation. Facts & Figures and its companion piece the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium are intended to provide a comprehensive picture of important issues related to disability in NH and the U.S. as a whole.
The statistics presented here focus on four primary topics: population size (all ages), education (ages 25 and older), employment (ages 18-64), private health care coverage (ages 18-64), and public health care coverage (under age 64). Each page of this report highlights a different topic, and includes NH’s ranking among all U.S. states in terms of prevalence of or equality for people with disabilities. In addition, the arrow indicates whether that placement has improved or decreased since the last annual estimate.
The statistics in Facts & Figures are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year data that allow us to present county-level statistics. Counts (i.e., the number of people) and percentages are reported and are to be interpreted as annual averages over the five years. For example, there was an annual average of 1,314,875 persons living in NH over the period 2013- 2017. The rankings presented in the headings of each page are based on the 2016 ACS and 2017 ACS, and the underlying statistics may be found in the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium (opens new tab).
Key Takeaways:
Population
About 1 out of every 8 NH residents report having a disability, which includes serious difficulties with vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, self-care, and/or independent living. In other words, 12.6% of people living in NH report a disability. This percentage is the same as the U.S. rate of 12.6%.
Employment
People with disabilities are less likely to be employed. The “employment gap” – that is, the difference between the percentage of those with no disability who are employed and those with a disability who are employed – was 40.2 percentage points in NH.
Education
Related to employment, those with disabilities are less likely to have attended college. The college education gap in NH is 19 percentage points. NH residents are more highly educated than the national average, a trend that extends to both the population with a disability and the population without. Almost half (49.1%) of NH residents with a disability have some college education compared to 43.8% of people with a disability nationwide.
Health Insurance
As might be expected with lower labor force participation, NH residents with disabilities are less likely to have private health insurance (52.2%) compared to those with no disability (83.3%). Half of NH residents with a disability are covered by a public health insurance program. This rate is just 12.8% for NH residents with no disability.
These findings demonstrate the need for data on additional geographic areas and a variety of other topics, including poverty, earnings, vocational rehabilitation, and veterans’ issues. Readers may wish to download an electronic copy of the 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium at www.DisabilityCompendium.org
Population
Population statistics demonstrate that many people in NH have a disability. Understanding the size and composition of the population with disabilities is important for advocacy, policymaking, and group identity. Advocates use population statistics to highlight the breadth of disability across all communities in NH. Policymakers use population statistics to assess the adequacy of current funding and services for persons with disabilities. Statistics about the population with disabilities also show individuals with disabilities that they are not alone and are part of a large group. In sum, population statistics provide an important foundation for any work that strives to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
Population Size
People with disabilities are 12.6% of the NH population or about 1 in 8 people in NH have a disability over the average of the five years 2013- 2017. (It is important to note that these estimates did not include people living in institutions or individuals in the Armed Forces.) This is the same as the national average of 12.6%. In 2017, NH ranked 22nd in prevalence of people with disabilities (with 1st place being the state with the lowest disability prevalence rate), one rank lower than in 2016.
| Location | Population with disability | Population without disability | Percent of total population with disability | Percent of total without disability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 39,792,082 | 316,027,641 | 12.6% | 87.4% |
| New Hampshire | 165,149 | 1,314,875 | 12.6% | 87.4% |
Recommendations
Continue to collect and disseminate data that will highlight the diversity of disability in NH and its counties, while also exploring ways to better capture and disseminate disability prevalence data within local communities.
| County | Total Population | Total Population of Persons with Disabilities | Total Percent of Persons with Disabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap | 59,629 | 8,858 | 14.9% |
| Carroll | 47,059 | 7,775 | 16.5% |
| Cheshire | 75,355 | 10,379 | 13.8% |
| Coos | 30,072 | 6,282 | 20.9% |
| Grafton | 88,326 | 12,355 | 14.0% |
| Hillsborough | 402,033 | 46,080 | 11.5% |
| Merrimack | 144,508 | 19,891 | 13.8% |
| Rockingham | 300,188 | 31,913 | 10.6% |
| Strafford | 125,124 | 15,705 | 12.6% |
| Sullivan | 42,581 | 5,911 | 13.9% |
| Population | New Hampshire | Vermont | Maine | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population (civilian noninstitutionalized) | 1,314,875 | 618,703 | 1,315,654 | 6,713,702 | 316,027,641 |
| Population with a Disability | 165,149 | 88,112 | 208,646 | 781,740 | 39,792,082 |
| Percent with a Disability | 12.6% | 14.2% | 15.9% | 11.6% | 12.6% |
Education
Education is an important indicator of the inclusion of youth and young adults with disabilities into an essential part of American life. Education statistics show that NH residents with disabilities have lower levels of educational attainment than people without disabilities. Such disparities are tied to lower rates of earnings and employment for people with disabilities.
Educational Attainment
In NH, of the 144,181 people with disabilities ages 25 and older in NH, 49.1% have at least some college education. In contrast, of the 780,301 people without disabilities ages 25 and older in NH, 68.3% have some college education – a difference of 19.2 percentage points. As shown in the infographic to the right, the level of educational attainment of people with disabilities in NH is higher than the level of educational attainment in the U.S. as a whole. In addition, NH ranks better than average with respect to the education gap, at 21st place among all U.S. states. This is a decrease in 3 places in the rankings compared to 2016.
Recommendations
NH policymakers and school officials should consider why some counties have a larger education gap than others. In counties and states where people with no disability have above average levels of college education, residents with a disability tend to be less likely to pursue secondary education. Consider why educational attainment is higher and how these areas can better support people with disabilities who have aspirations for a college education.
| Location | Population with disability | Population without disability | Percent of population with some college with a disability | Percent of population with some college without a disability | Education Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 34,915,916 | 177,302,353 | 43.8% | 63.6% | 19.8 Points |
| New Hampshire | 144,181 | 780,301 | 49.1% | 68.3% | 19.2 Points |
| County | Percent with disability | Percent without disability | College gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap | 49.9% | 66.1% | 16.2 |
| Carroll | 52.4% | 66.8% | 14.4 |
| Cheshire | 46.1% | 65.0% | 18.9 |
| Coos | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Grafton | 47.9% | 69.0% | 21.1 |
| Hillsborough | 47.8% | 68.4% | 20.6 |
| Merrimack | 51.8% | 69.1% | 17.3 |
| Rockingham | 54.5% | 72.0% | 17.5 |
| Strafford | 47.8% | 68.6% | 20.8 |
| Sullivan | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Some College Education, Ages 25+ | New Hampshire | Vermont | Maine | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent Some College Education with Disability | 49.1% | 46.4% | 42.2% | 44.3% | 43.8% |
| Percent Some College Education without Disability | 68.3% | 66.5% | 64.4% | 69.7% | 63.6% |
| Percent Point College Gap | 19.2 | 20.1 | 22.2 | 25.4 | 19.8 |
