New Hampshire Disability Statistics

New Hampshire Disability Statistics
Arial view of downtown Concord and the State House

 

Introduction

New Hampshire Disability Statistics is an annual publication of the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire. This publication describes the characteristics of people with disabilities (PWD) in New Hampshire (NH). New Hampshire Disability Statistics and its companion publications in the Annual Disability Statistics Collection are intended to provide a comprehensive picture of important issues related to disability in NH and the United States.

The statistics here focus on seven topics: prevalence (all ages), disability type at state and national levels (ages 18-64), poverty (ages 18-64), education (ages 25 and older), employment (ages 18-64), private health care coverage (ages 19-64), and public health care coverage (under age 64). Each section of this report highlights a different topic.

State and national level statistics are estimated using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2022 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables. Statistics at the county level for NH are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS 2018-2022 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables. Counts (i.e., the number of people) and percentages from the five-year data are reported and are to be interpreted as an annual average over the past five years. For example, there was an annual average of 11,000 people with disabilities living in Belknap County over the 2018-2022 period. This annual average is reported as the prevalence of people with disabilities in Belknap County in 2022.

Key Findings

 

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1 in 8 NH residents has a disability

About 1 out of every 8 New Hampshire (NH) residents reports having a disability, which includes difficulties with vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, self-care, and/or independent living. In other words, 13.2% of people living in NH report having a disability. Nationally, the disability prevalence rate is 13.4%. Below are key findings on characteristics of NH’s population with disabilities.

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NH residents have lower rates of poverty

The poverty rate in New Hampshire is lower for both people with and without disabilities nationally. In NH, nearly one in five people with disabilities (21.5%) experience poverty while nationally, nearly one in four people with disabilities (24.9%) experience poverty.

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NH residents have a higher rate of college education

NH residents have higher rates of college education compared to national rates, including people with disabilities. Across the board, 57% of New Hampshire’s population with disabilities has at least some college education, compared with 50% nationally.

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State employment rates are higher in NH than the U.S.

Working-age adults with disabilities in NH have slightly higher rates of employment (46.1%) than the U.S. on average (44.5%). The gap between PWD who are employed and people without disabilities who are employed in NH is 36.9 percentage points, nationally that gap is 34.5 percentage points.

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People with Disabilities less likely to have private health insurance

As might be expected with lower rates of employment, NH residents with disabilities ages 19-64 are less likely to have private health insurance (52.2%) compared to those with no disability (84.5%). About half (50.5%) of NH residents with a disability between ages 0-64 are covered by a public health insurance program while only 14.9% for NH residents with no disability are covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or veteran’s health insurance programs.

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Executive Summary

Importance of Prevalence

Knowing the number of people with a disability can demonstrate the extent to which changes to programs, accessibility of public spaces, and budgets for education and disability insurance impacts people. Secondly, knowing the population size demonstrates the voting impact of people with disabilities, and encourages those running for office to consider issues important to the disability community. Thirdly, this knowledge allows for comparisons in social, economic, and health characteristics so we can evaluate whether there are inequalities between people with and without disabilities.

Connection between poverty, education, employment, and health

Nationally, people without disabilities are almost twice as likely to have a college degree than people with disabilities. There are two primary reasons for this. One is that higher education programs may not be accessible. A second reason is that those with less education tend to be at greater risk for developing a disability later in life (Montez, Zajacova, and Hayward, 2017).

While it is generally good news that the percentage of people with a disability who have a college degree is relatively high in NH, the disparity in education between those with and without a disability is higher than the education gap at the national level. This disparity may be due to barriers such as expense, location, transportation, accessibility of buildings, availability of transition supports in high school and of independent living supports throughout the life course, and the accommodations available for PWD (Brucker, et al., 2016; Lindsay, et al., 2018). Early experiences in elementary and high school can shape an individual and family’s attitude towards higher education, which may also result in a barrier.  

Disparities in employment among people with different types of disabilities overlap with barriers to education. However decreased access to educational and skill building opportunities for jobs in their community can be a barrier to employment, as is the availability of independent living and job supports, and stereotyping of PWD by potential employers (Sevak, et al., 2018; Brucker, et al., 2016; Erickson, et al., 2013). Finding ways to dismantle these barriers to boost employment is critical to both general and mental health of PWD (Reichard, et al., 2018).

Understanding the education gap in relation to types of employment of PWD can lead us to understanding potential health outcomes. Interestingly, while employment is a positive input in the lives of PWD that boosts general and mental health, those with disabilities who work frequently forgo necessary healthcare (Reichard, et al., 2018).  While PWD generally have health insurance, whether public or private, addressing the nuances of utilizing the insurance may increase healthcare accessibility.

Understanding the interconnectedness of this information can help leaders and lawmakers develop policies to expand access to education, employment, and healthcare.

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Population

Over 182,000 New Hampshire residents, or nearly 1 out of 8, have a disability. This is just under the national average. This information shows how many people may be affected by changes in state laws or services related to disability. It helps to make the needs of people with disabilities more visible to lawmakers.

percent of population with disability, NH: 13.2%, 182,000 people; U.S.: 13.4%, 44,147,000 people

Prevalence of disability in US and New England states

Prevalence US NH ME MA VT
Total Population (Civilian Non-Institutionalized) 328,310,000 1,379,000 1,368,000 6,919,000 640,000
Population with Disability 44,147,000 182,000 216,000 869,000 96,000
Population without Disability 284,163,000 1,197,000 1,152,000 6,050,000 544,000
Percent with Disability 13.4% 13.2% 15.8% 12.6% 15.0%

Prevalence of disability in NH by county

County Total Population (Civilian Non-Institutionalized) Total with Disability Total with No Disability Percent
Belknap 63,000 11,000 53,000 17.5%
Carroll 50,000 8,000 42,000 16.0%
Cheshire 76,000 11,000 65,000 14.5%
Coos 30,000 6,000 23,000 20.0%
Grafton 90,000 12,000 78,000 13.3%
Hillsborough 419,000 49,000 370,000 11.7%
Merrimack 150,000 22,000 129,000 14.7%
Rockingham 313,000 34,000 279,000 10.9%
Strafford 129,000 17,000 112,000 13.2%
Sullivan 43,000 6,000 67,000 14.0%

Why is there geographic variation? Some age groups have substantially higher rates of disability than others. For instance, children have low rates of disability, while seniors have higher rates. In geographic areas with a higher concentration of older residents, we tend to see higher prevalence of disability (Paul, et al., 2023). We also see geographic differences in disability program participation. In addition to differences in age, this may be due to differences in the availability of employment opportunities for people with disabilities (Gettens, et al., 2018).

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Poverty

NH Adults with and without disabilities ages 18 to 64 experience lower rates of poverty than those in surrounding states and nationally. Of those without disabilities, 4.9% experience poverty in NH and 21.5% of PWD in NH experience poverty compared to 10.1% and 24.9% respectively at the national level. While NH poverty rates are lower than the national level, the gap between those with and without disabilities who live below the poverty line is two percentage points higher than that of the national level.

percent of population with disability experiencing poverty, NH: 21.5%, 19,000 people; U.S.: 24.9%, 5,469,000 people

Percent of populations in US and New England states who experience poverty (Age 18-64)

Poverty US NH ME MA VT
Percent of Pop. with Disability 24.9% 21.5% 26.5% 26.9% 22.6%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 10.1% 4.9% 7.9% 7.7% 8.3%
Poverty Gap 14.8 16.6 18.6 19.2 14.3
Total Population with Disability 5,469,000 19,000 29,000 117,000 12,000

Percent of populations of persons with and without disabilities who experience poverty (Age 18-64) in NH by county

County Percent of People with Disability Percent of People without Disability Percentage Gap
Belknap 24.01% 5.8% 18.22
Carroll 30.67% 6.1% 24.55
Cheshire 20.6% 7.9% 12.7
Coos 28.7% 7.8% 20.9
Grafton 25.7% 7.0% 18.69
Hillsborough 18.8% 5.0% 13.88
Merrimack 22.5% 5.3% 17.21
Rockingham 14.4% 3.6% 10.83
Strafford 25.2% 7.5% 17.75
Sullivan 31.7% 9.5% 22.2

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Education

Overall, NH residents are more educated than the national average. Rates of PWD with less than a high school diploma are higher at the national level (17.0%) than in NH (10.7%). In the US overall, 33.0% of PWD have only a high school diploma (including high school equivalency), while in NH, 32.5% have only a high school education. In NH, 31.3% of adults ages 25 and older with disabilities have some college or an associate degree. Likewise, 25.6% of adults ages 25 and older with disabilities have a bachelor’s degree or more in NH. Nationally, 29.0% of PWD have some college or an associate degree, while 21% have a bachelor’s degree or more. The stats presented here include only adults ages 25 and over.

percent of population with disability with college degree (Age 25+), NH: 25.6%, 41,000 people; U.S.: 21.0%, 7,987,000 people

Prevalence by level of education

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Population with and without Disability with Bachelor's Degree or higher (25+) by State

Population (Age 25+) with Bachelor's Degree or Higher US NH ME MA VT
Percent of Pop. with Disability 21.0% 25.6% 22.10% 25.00% 26.30%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 39.1% 44.6% 39.70% 50.90% 48.30%
Education Gap 18.1 19.0 17.6 25.9 22.0
Total Pop. with Disability AND Bachelor's Degree 7,981,000 41,000 42,000 187,000 21,000
Total Pop. of People Ages 25+ with a Disability 38,005,000 160,000 190,000 747,000 81,000

Population with and without Disability with Bachelor's Degree (25+) in NH by county

Please note that (*) indicates that the sample size of the data available was too small to make an estimate.

County Percent of People with Disability (Age 25+) Percent of People without Disability (Age 25+) Education Gap
Belknap 22.3% 34.8% 12.5
Carroll 27.5% 40.1% 12.6
Cheshire 24.60% 36.70% 12.1
Coos *sample too small *sample too small n/a
Grafton 25.10% 47.50% 22.4
Hillsborough 24.30% 43.10% 18.8
Merrimack 20.40% 41.00% 20.6
Rockingham 25.40% 46.40% 21.0
Strafford 20.40% 42.90% 22.5
Sullivan *sample too small *sample too small n/a

Population with and without Disability with Associates Degree or Some College (Ages 25+) by State

Associates Degree or Some College US NH Maine Mass Vermont
Percent of Pop. with Disability 29.0% 31.3% 29.0% 24.7% 27.4%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 27.7% 25.2% 28.3% 21.2% 24.3%
Education Gap -1.3 6.1 -0.7 3.5 3.1

Population with and without Disability with Associates Degree or Some College (Ages 25+) in NH by County

Please note that (*) indicates that the sample size of the data available was too small to make an estimate.

County Percent of People with Disability Percent of People with No Disability Education Gap
Belknap 29.0% 32.5% 3.5
Carroll 33.9% 29.8% 4.1
Cheshire 27.5% 27.8% 0.3
Coos *sample too small *sample too small n/a
Grafton 25.7% 23.5% 2.2
Hillsborough 28.6% 27.0% 1.6
Merrimack 26.9% 27.8% 0.9
Rockingham 31.1% 26.6% 4.5
Strafford 33.8% 29.0% 4.8
Sullivan *sample too small *sample too small n/a

Population with and without Disability with High School Diploma (including equivalency), Ages 25+ by State

High School Diploma
(including equivalency)		 US NH Maine Mass Vermont
Percent of Pop. with Disability 33.0% 32.5% 38.5% 31.2% 35.7%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 24.4% 26.0% 28.0% 21.2% 23.8%
Education Gap 8.6 6.5 10.5 10.0 11.9

Population with and without Disability with High School Diploma (including equivalency), Ages 25+ in NH by County

Please note that (*) indicates that the sample size of the data available was too small to make an estimate.

County Percent of People with Disability Percent of People with No Disability Education Gap
Belknap 34.1% 28.1% 6.0
Carroll 27.4% 26.6% 0.8
Cheshire 35.5% 30.7% 4.8
Coos *sample too small *sample too small n/a
Grafton 35.2% 24.0% 11.2
Hillsborough 34.2% 24.1% 10.1
Merrimack 39.8% 26.4% 13.4
Rockingham 34.0% 23.6% 10.4
Strafford 32.1% 24.3% 7.8
Sullivan *sample too small *sample too small n/a

Population with and without Disability with Less than High School Diploma (Ages 25+) by State

Less than Highschool Diploma US NH Maine Mass Vermont
Percent of Pop. with Disability 17.0% 10.7% 10.4% 19.1% 10.6%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 8.8% 4.2% 3.9% 6.6% 3.6%
Education Gap 8.2 6.5 6.5 12.5

7.0

Population with and without Disability with Less than High School Diploma (Ages 25+) in NH by County

Please note that (*) indicates that the sample size of the data available was too small to make an estimate.

County Percent of People with Disability Percent of People with No Disability Education Gap
Belknap 22.3% 34.8% 12.5
Carroll 27.5% 40.1% 12.6
Cheshire 24.6% 36.7% 12.1
Coos *sample too small *sample too small n/a
Grafton 25.1% 47.5% 22.4
Hillsborough 24.3% 43.1% 18.8
Merrimack 20.4% 41.0% 20.6
Rockingham 25.4% 46.4% 21.0
Strafford 20.4% 42.9% 22.5
Sullivan *sample too small *sample too small n/a

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Employment

NH residents with a disability are more likely to be working compared to the national average and to our neighboring states. In New Hampshire, 46.1% of adults with a disability have a job - this is a little higher than the national average. Meanwhile, 83.0% of people without a disability have a job, resulting in an employment gap of 36.9 percentage points. The numbers presented here are only for those ages 18 to 64, the “working-age population”.

percent of population employed with disability, NH: 46.1%, 41,000 people; U.S.: 44.5%, 9,789,000 people

Population with and without Disability Employed (Age 18-64)

Population (Age 18-64) US NH ME MA VT
Percent of Pop. with Disability 44.5% 46.1% 40.7% 42.7% 55.1%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 79.0% 83.0% 81.9% 81.4% 82.1%
Employment Gap 34.5 36.9 41.2 38.7 27
Total Pop. With Disability Ages 18-64 9,789,000 41,000 45,001 187,000 29,000

Population with and without Disability Employed (Age 18-64) in NH by county

County Percent of People with Disability (Age 18-64) Percent of People without Disability (Age 18-64) Employment Gap
Belknap 39.3% 83.7% 44.4
Carroll 49.8% 80.9% 31.1
Cheshire 44.3% 80.7% 36.4
Coos 38.2% 81.0% 42.8
Grafton 41.8% 77.4% 35.6
Hillsborough 47.2% 84.2% 37
Merrimack 42.3% 81.7% 39.4
Rockingham 45.9% 84.3% 38.4
Strafford 48.4% 81.1% 32.7
Sullivan 27.3% 76.1% 48.8

Interested in national employment trends for people with disabilities? For further research and resources on the national trends for people with disabilities
visit researchondisability.org.

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Health Insurance: Private (Ages 19 to 64)

This section identifies the number of people aged 19 to 64 who have private health insurance. Private health insurance is often tied to having a job. 52.2% of New Hampshire adults with a disability have private health insurance, a little higher than the national average of 49.7%. Of adults in New Hampshire without disabilities, 84.5% have private health insurance, nationally that rate 76.3%. This shows people without disabilities have less access to private health insurance.

population with disability with private health insurance, NH: 52.2%, 90,000 people; U.S.: 49.7%, 21,651,000 people

Population with and without Disability with Private Health Insurance (Age 19-64)

Population (Age 19-64) US NH ME MA VT
Percent of Pop. with Disability 49.7% 52.2% 48.1% 48.1% 49.0%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 76.3% 84.5% 78.1% 81.4% 79.4%
Private Insurance Gap 26.6 32.3 30.0 33.2 30.4

Population with and without Disability with Private Health Insurance (Age 19-64) in NH by county

County Percent of People with Disability (Age 19-64) Percent of People without Disability (Age 19-64) Private Insurance Gap
Belknap 46.5% 79.4% 32.9
Carroll 57.1% 74.7% 17.6
Cheshire 50.0% 81.8% 31.8
Coos 33.8% 68.3% 34.5
Grafton 47.3% 81.3% 34.0
Hillsborough 52.9% 84.7% 31.8
Merrimack 50.3% 83.8% 33.5
Rockingham 63.8% 88.6% 24.8
Strafford 54.9% 84.3% 29.4
Sullivan 31.8% 76.9% 45.1

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Health Insurance: Public (Ages 0 to 64)

Public health insurance (PHI) includes Medicaid, Medicare, and veteran's health insurance programs. In New Hampshire, 50.5% of people under age 64 with disabilities have public health insurance compared to the national average of 53.0%. Those without disabilities in NH have substantially lower rates of PHI enrollment (14.9%) compared to the U.S. total (22.2%).

population with disability with public health insurance, NH: 50.5%, 103,000 people; U.S.: 53.0%, 25,482,000 people

Population with and without Disability with Public Health Insurance (Age 0-64)

Population (Age 0-64) US NH ME MA VT
Percent of Pop. with Disability 53.0% 50.5% 61.0% 59.7% 57.9%
Percent of Pop. without Disability 22.2% 14.9% 2.0% 22.5% 23.0%
Public Insurance Gap 30.8 35.6 59.0 37.2 34.9

Population with and without Disability with Private Health Insurance (Age 0-64) in NH by county

County Percent of People with Disability (Age 0-64) Percent of People without Disability (Age 0-64) Public Insurance Gap
Belknap 57.8% 17.8% 40
Carroll 46.5% 23.7% 22.8
Cheshire 49.9% 17.7% 32.2
Coos 70.3% 28.2% 42.1
Grafton 57.4% 17.1% 40.3
Hillsborough 49.9% 13.8% 36.1
Merrimack 52.1% 14.8% 37.3
Rockingham 43.2% 9.6% 33.6
Strafford 49.1% 15.0% 34.1
Sullivan 72.7% 19.0% 53.7

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References

  • Brucker, D., Houtenville, A., and Lauer, E. (2016). Using sensory, functional, and activity limitation data to estimate employment outcomes for working-age persons with disabilities in the United States. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 27(3), 131-137.
  • Erickson, W.A., von Schrader, S., and Bruyere, S.M. (2014). The employment environment: Employer perspectives, policies, and practices regarding the employment of persons with disabilities. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulleting, 57(4).
  • Gettens, J., Lei, P-P, and Henry, A.D. (2018). Accounting for geographic variation in disability program participation. Social Security Bulletin, 78(2). https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v78n2/v78n2p29.html
  • Paul, S., Rogers, S., Bach, S., & Houtenville, A.J. (2023). Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2023. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.
  • Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., and Carafa, G. 2018. A systematic review of barriers and facilitators of disability disclosure and accommodations for youth in post-secondary education. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 65(5), 526-556.
  • Montez, J.K., Zajacova, A., and Hayward, M.D. 2017. Disparities in disability by educational attainment across US States. American Journal of Public Health, 107(7), 1101-1108.
  • Reichard, A. Stransky, M., Brucker, D., and Houtenville, A. (2019). The relationship between employment and health and health care among working-age adults with and without disabilities in the United States. Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(19).
  • Sevak, P., O’Neill, J., Houtenville, A., and Brucker, D. (2018) State and local determinants of employment outcomes among individuals with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 29(2), 119-128.

  • U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, 2022, https://data.census.gov/advanced.

    U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, 2022, https://data.census.gov/advanced.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Romy Eberle, Kate Filanoski, Bianca Weatherly, and Douglas Marino.

Funding for this publication is made possible by the NH Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Developmental Services and the University of New Hampshire, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC). The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RT5037-03-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

This publication is supported, in part, by Grant #90DDUC01050100  from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the Institute on Disability.

Suggested Citation

Bach, S., Henly, M., & Houtenville, A. (2024). New Hampshire Disability Statistics. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

About the Institute on Disability

The Institute on Disability (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

For more information, please explore our website.

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No part of this copyrighted work may be modified, reproduced, or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution, or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of the UNH Institute on Disability. For permission, please Contact the IOD.

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