Fast Facts

Georgia statistics

• 1 in 5 Georgians have a disability. (Georgia Department of Labor)
• The 2004 American Community Survey estimated that Georgia's disabled community totals 1.1 million people.
• More than 400,000 Georgians with a disability are unemployed and of these, 276,000 would prefer to work. (Georgia Department of Labor)
• In 2005, under the JWOD program, 1,103 Georgians with disabilities were employed and earned $7.6 million in direct labor wages.

National statistics

• In 2005, the Census Bureau reported that 37.5 million people, or 14 percent of the total population aged 5 and over, have a disability.
• A 2005 article published in the Wall Street Journal, reported that the number of people with disabilities are growing due to accidents, strokes, war-related injuries, and the aging of baby boomers.
• In 2005, 7.5 million working-age adults with disabilities were employed. Fifty-eight percent of men and 66 percent of women with disabilities were unemployed. (US Census Bureau)
• A 2003 study from Crain's Chicago Business found an 8 percent turnover rate among people with disabilities compared to an overall turnover rate of 45 percent.
• People with disabilities represent $1 trillion in annual aggregate consumer spending, $220 billion of which is discretionary funds.