Big gaps in labor force participation and earnings
Bar graph about Labor Force Participation for Ages 18-64 showing 56% Minnesotans with Disabilities participate in the workforce and 90% of Minnesotans without Disabilities participate in the workforce, source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Minnesotans with disabilities who are between the ages of 18 and 64 have a 56 percent labor force participation rate, compared to a 90 percent labor force participation among Minnesotans with no disabilities in that same age group. That's according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.

Among Minnesotans with disabilities who are in the labor force, 27 percent work full time year round, the other 29 percent work part time and/or part of the year.

Compared to Minnesotans without disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64, Minnesotans with disabilities in that same age group are:

  • Over four times more likely not to be participating in the labor force (10% for those with no disability vs. 44 percent for those with a disability)
  • Less likely to work full time, year round

 

 

 

 


Median Annual Earnings bar graphic for those 16+ with earnings showing $20,957 for Minnesotans with Disabilities and $39,234 for Minnesotans without Disabilities, source: U.S. Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey 1 year estimates

Among Minnesotans with disabilities age 16 years and older who had earnings from employment in 2017, median annual earnings were $20,957, while Minnesotans without disabilities in that same age group had median earnings that were almost double that, at $39,234.

More than 110,600 people with disabilities live below the poverty line in Minnesota. That’s about 18 percent of Minnesotans with disabilities. That compares with 8.4 percent of Minnesotans without disabilities who live below the poverty line.

This information comes from the U.S. Census Bureau 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.