Persons with Disabilities in Colorado in the 2017-2021 ACS

According to the 2021 5-year American Community Survey, 10.8 percent, or 610,000 Colorado residents identified as having a disability. Among counties, the share of persons with disabilities ranges from a low of 4.3 percent in San Juan County and a high of 23.4 percent in Las Animas County. The share of the population with a disability varies by age, race, ethnicity, and type of disability. In addition, adults age 18-64 with disabilities earn less, are less likely to be employed, and are more likely to have incomes below the poverty level than adults without disabilities. Sixteen percent of persons with disabilities have incomes below the poverty line. The most commonly reported type of disability is an “ambulatory disability” with an estimated 264,600 persons reporting “difficulty climbing stairs.”