Disability Status in South Carolina
People 5 years old and over are considered to have a disability if they have one or more of the following:
(a) blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment;
(b) a substantial limitation in the ability to perform basic physical activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying;
(c) difficulty learning, remembering, or concentrating; or
(d) difficulty dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home.
In addition to the above criteria, people 16 years old and over are considered to have a disability if they have difficulty going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office, and people 16-64 years old are considered to have a disability if they have difficulty working at a job or business.
According to the Census Bureau, nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19.3 percent of the population) had some type of disability in 2000. In South Carolina the percentage was even higher, with 22.2 percent of the population having at least one type of disability. In the United States the percentage of the population having at least one type of disability was lower than that for South Carolina, at 19.3 percent. With the population aging and the likelihood of having a disability increasing with age, the growth in the number of people with disabilities is expected to accelerate in the coming decades.
Although age is the main factor affecting the likelihood of having a disability, the elderly are not the only ones affected. Even among children in South Carolina ages 5 to 15, 6.4 percent had some type of disability. Among the population in their prime employment years of 21 to 64, 22.7 percent had a disability in 2000.
Population 5 to 15 Years
In South Carolina in 2000, 6.3 percent (40,209 people) of the civilian noninstitutionalized population between the ages of 5 and 15 reported having some type of disability. This is slightly higher than the national figure of 5.8 percent of the same age group with some type of disability.
Of the 45,133,667 children in U.S. who were 5 to 15 years old, 5.8 percent (2,614,919 people) had at least one type of disablility.
Disabilty Status for the Population Aged 5 to 15 in 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Population Aged 5 to 15 | 633,667 | 100.0 | 45,133,667 | 100.0 |
| With One Type of Disability | 32,174 | 5.1 | 2,080,569 | 4.6 |
| With Two or More Types of Disability | 8,035 | 1.3 | 534,350 | 1.2 |
Population 16 to 20 Years
In South Carolina in 2000, 14.9 percent (42,237 people) of the civilian noninstitutionalized population between the ages of 16 and 20 reported having some type of disability. This is slightly higher than the national figure of 13.3 percent of the same age group with some type of disability.
Of the 19,555,690 individuals in the U.S. who were 16 to 20 years old, 13.3 percent (2,599,415 people) had at least one type of disablility.
Disabilty Status for the Population Aged 16 to 20 in 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Population Aged 16 to 20 | 283,093 | 100.0 | 19,555,690 | 100.0 |
| With One Type of Disability | 27,323 | 9.7 | 1,713,785 | 8.8 |
| With Two or More Types of Disability | 14,914 | 5.3 | 885,630 | 4.5 |
Population 21 to 64 Years
In South Carolina in 2000, 2,270,202 residents were in their prime employment years, ages 21 to 64. Of these, 22.7 percent (514,963 people) reported having at least one disability. In the United States, 19.2 percent of those 21 to 64 years of age were disabled.
In the United States, 19.2 percent (30,553,796 people) of the population ages 21 to 64 had at least one type of disability.
Disabilty Status for the Population Aged 21-64 in 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Population Aged 21 to 64 | 2,270,202 | 100.0 | 159,131,544 | 100.0 |
| With One Type of Disability | 269,485 | 11.9 | 16,205,168 | 10.2 |
| With Two or More Types of Disability | 245,478 | 10.8 | 14,348,628 | 9.0 |
Of the population ages 21 to 64 in South Carolina with one disability, the most common type of disability was employment disabilities (56.0 percent), followed by physical disabilities (19.9 percent). In the United States, 52.7 percent of adults ages 21 to 64 with one disability had an employment disability, and 20.7 percent had a physical disability.
Type of Disability for Population Ages 21-64 Having One Type of Disability: 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Pop. Ages 21-64 with One Disability | 269,485 | 100.0 | 16,205,168 | 100.0 |
| Sensory Disability | 26,227 | 9.7 | 1,690,283 | 10.4 |
| Physical Disability | 153,498 | 19.9 | 3,348,245 | 20.7 |
| Mental Disability | 17,756 | 6.6 | 1,231,481 | 7.6 |
| Self-Care Disability | 1,272 | 0.5 | 66,368 | 0.4 |
| Go-Outside-Home Disability | 19,849 | 7.4 | 1,321,534 | 8.2 |
| Employment Disability | 150,883 | 56.0 | 8,547,257 | 52.7 |
Type of Disability for Population Ages 21-64 Having Two or More Types of Disability: 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Pop. Ages 21-64 with Two or More Types of Disability | 245,478 | 100.0 | 14,348,628 | 100.0 |
| Includes self-care disability | 22,931 | 9.3 | 1,650,020 | 9.4 |
| Does not include self-care disability | 97,900 | 39.9 | 5,952,891 | 41.5 |
| Go-outside home and employment disabilities | 38,283 | 15.6 | 2,470,739 | 17.2 |
| Other combination | 59,617 | 24.3 | 3,482,152 | 24.3 |
Population 65 Years and Over
The age group with the highest likelihood of disability is the population aged 65 years and over. 45.8 percent (213,448 people) of the population aged 65 and over in South Carolina reported having some type of disability in 2000. This is higher than the national percentage of 41.9.
Disabilty Status for the Population Aged 65 and Over in 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Population Aged 65 and Over | 465,847 | 100.0 | 33,346,626 | 100.0 |
| With One Type of Disability | 95,969 | 20.6 | 6,704,088 | 20.1 |
| With Two or More Types of Disability | 117,479 | 25.2 | 7,274,030 | 21.8 |
Of the population age 65 and over in South Carolina with one disability, the most common type of disability was physical disabilities (49.2 percent), followed by go-outside-home disabilities (26.3 percent). In the United States, 48.4 percent of adults age 65 and over with one disability had a physical disability, and 25.6 percent had a go-outside-home disability.
Type of Disability for Population 65 and Over Having One Type of Disability: 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Pop. Age 65 and Over with One Disability | 95,969 | 100.0 | 6,704,088 | 100.0 |
| Sensory Disability | 17,088 | 17.8 | 1,327,266 | 19.8 |
| Physical Disability | 47,240 | 49.2 | 3,246,580 | 48.4 |
| Mental Disability | 5,684 | 5.9 | 364,937 | 5.4 |
| Self-Care Disability | 762 | 0.8 | 50,436 | 0.8 |
| Go-Outside-Home Disability | 25,195 | 26.3 | 1,714,869 | 25.6 |
Type of Disability for Population 65 and Over Having Two or More Types of Disability: 2000
| South Carolina | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Total Pop. Age 65 and Over with Two or More Types of Disability | 117,479 | 100.0 | 7,274,030 | 100.0 |
| Includes self-care disability | 53,128 | 45.2 | 3,133,404 | 43.1 |
| Does not include self-care disability | 64,351 | 54.8 | 4,140,626 | 56.9 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000. SF3, Table PCT26.