SSI Disabled Recipients Who Work, 2006

Blind and Disabled Recipients

Chart 1. Number who work, December 1987–2006

The number of blind and disabled recipients who work more than doubled between 1987 and 2006, from 173,000 to 349,000. Initially, the number of participants under sections 1619(a) and 1619(b) were approximately equal. However, participation under section 1619(b) gradually increased to almost six times the initial total, and it now exceeds participation under section 1619(a) by more than five to one. The number of working recipients not participating under either of these provisions has increased by more than 70 percent.

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Table equivalent for Chart 1. Number who work, December 1987–2006 (thousands)
Year	1619(a)	1619(b)	Other
1987	14.56	15.63	142.66
1988	19.92	15.63	153.60
1989	25.66	18.25	161.93
1990	13.99	23.52	182.42
1991	15.53	27.26	186.82
1992	17.60	31.65	199.67
1993	20.03	35.30	210.32
1994	24.32	40.68	217.48
1995	28.06	47.00	223.57
1996	31.09	51.91	225.31
1997	34.67	57.09	228.09
1998	37.27	59.54	229.66
1999	25.53	69.27	245.83
2000	27.54	83.57	249.31
2001	22.10	76.46	247.56
2002	17.27	82.18	241.46
2003	17.13	71.10	235.45
2004	17.12	73.68	237.41
2005	17.62	78.21	240.74
2006	17.39	89.35	242.68

SOURCE: Tables 1 and 8.

Chart 2. Percentage who work, by state, December 2006

In 13 of the 50 states, mostly in the South and Southeast, less than 5 percent of blind and disabled recipients were working in December 2006. The highest employment rates, 15 percent or more, were in the upper Midwest: Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Map linked to data in table format, provided in the Percentage of all blind and disabled recipients column of Table 2.

SOURCE: Table 2.

Table 1. Number and percentage who work, selected months, 1976–2006
Month	All blind and disabled recipients ^a	Recipients who work
Month	All blind and disabled recipients ^a	Total	Receiving SSI ^b	Section 1619(b) participants	Total as a percentage of all blind and disabled recipients
December
1976	2,088,242	70,719	70,719	. . .	3.4
1977	2,186,771	83,697	83,697	. . .	3.8
1978	2,249,025	87,697	87,697	. . .	3.9
1979	2,277,859	92,270	92,270	. . .	4.1
1980	2,334,241	99,276	99,276	. . .	4.3
1981	2,340,785	102,632	102,632	. . .	4.4
1982	2,314,364	107,803	102,288	5,515	4.7
1983	2,391,262	113,899	108,734	5,165	4.8
1984	2,499,046	--	--	--	--
1985	2,633,552	--	--	--	--
1986	2,795,756	--	--	--	--
1987	2,945,244	172,855	157,223	15,632	5.9
1988	3,046,074	189,144	173,519	15,625	6.2
1989	3,172,270	205,837	187,583	18,254	6.5
1990	3,386,603	219,932	196,415	23,517	6.5
1991	3,681,050	229,619	202,355	27,264	6.2
1992	4,126,816	248,917	217,268	31,649	6.0
1993	4,544,777	265,649	230,350	35,299	5.8
1994	4,870,564	282,476	241,793	40,683	5.8
1995	5,115,014	298,635	251,633	47,002	5.8
1996	5,252,991	308,300	256,395	51,905	5.9
1997	5,189,724	319,855	262,766	57,089	6.2
1998	5,293,829	326,475	266,933	59,542	6.2
1999	5,317,861	340,618	271,353	69,265	6.4
2000	5,395,935	360,427	276,855	83,572	6.7
2001	5,500,481	346,110	269,655	76,455	6.3
2002	5,618,506	340,910	258,733	82,177	6.1
2003	5,740,683	323,682	252,585	71,097	5.6
2004	5,850,359	328,204	254,523	73,681	5.6
2005	5,977,788	336,570	258,365	78,205	5.6
2006	6,113,277	349,420	260,070	89,350	5.7
2004
March	5,796,837	321,030	251,498	69,532	5.5
June	5,834,265	323,624	250,726	72,898	5.5
September	5,869,004	328,831	253,174	75,657	5.6
December	5,850,359	328,204	254,523	73,681	5.6
2005
March	5,919,765	325,357	251,110	74,247	5.5
June	5,946,966	333,089	253,721	79,368	5.6
September	5,966,290	337,325	257,191	80,134	5.7
December	5,977,788	336,570	258,365	78,205	5.6
2006
March	6,014,109	336,446	257,536	78,910	5.6
June	6,045,960	341,450	258,360	83,090	5.6
September	6,098,112	346,309	259,093	87,216	5.7
December	6,113,277	349,420	260,070	89,350	5.7
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record (Characteristic Extract Record format), 100 percent data.
NOTE: . . . = not applicable; -- = not available.
a. Includes section 1619(b) participants.
b. Includes section 1619(a) participants and SSI recipients earning less than the substantial gainful activity level ($900 effective January 2007).
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.

Table 2. Number and percentage who work, by state or other area, December 2006
State or area	All blind and disabled recipients	Recipients who work
State or area	All blind and disabled recipients	Number	Percentage of all blind and disabled recipients
All areas	6,113,277	349,420	5.7
Alabama	149,300	4,268	2.9
Alaska	9,439	621	6.6
Arizona	87,205	4,263	4.9
Arkansas	84,700	3,858	4.6
California	876,326	46,849	5.3
Colorado	49,120	4,102	8.4
Connecticut	47,747	3,941	8.3
Delaware	13,041	969	7.4
District of Columbia	20,021	795	4.0
Florida	331,835	13,435	4.0
Georgia	180,879	7,213	4.0
Hawaii	16,810	926	5.5
Idaho	21,841	2,007	9.2
Illinois	234,207	14,242	6.1
Indiana	96,891	5,911	6.1
Iowa	41,920	6,985	16.7
Kansas	37,313	4,282	11.5
Kentucky	169,732	4,843	2.9
Louisiana	142,044	5,428	3.8
Maine	30,857	2,193	7.1
Maryland	82,612	6,277	7.6
Massachusetts	132,997	9,812	7.4
Michigan	211,639	13,664	6.5
Minnesota	68,020	10,430	15.3
Mississippi	110,460	3,164	2.9
Missouri	112,676	7,635	6.8
Montana	14,577	1,904	13.1
Nebraska	21,214	3,133	14.8
Nevada	26,206	1,814	6.9
New Hampshire	14,003	1,313	9.4
New Jersey	122,884	7,869	6.4
New Mexico	47,370	2,316	4.9
New York	513,648	31,382	6.1
North Carolina	180,285	8,353	4.6
North Dakota	7,438	1,396	18.8
Ohio	242,316	17,170	7.1
Oklahoma	75,688	4,242	5.6
Oregon	55,410	4,227	7.6
Pennsylvania	301,386	16,180	5.4
Rhode Island	27,265	1,641	6.0
South Carolina	94,643	4,859	5.1
South Dakota	11,626	2,114	18.2
Tennessee	147,892	5,352	3.6
Texas	419,516	15,027	3.6
Utah	21,902	2,517	11.5
Vermont	12,753	1,255	9.8
Virginia	120,819	7,198	6.0
Washington	106,134	6,415	6.0
West Virginia	74,621	2,254	3.0
Wisconsin	87,723	10,488	12.0
Wyoming	5,658	875	15.5
Outlying area
Northern Mariana Islands	666	13	2.0
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record (Characteristic Extract Record format), 100 percent data.
NOTE: Includes section 1619(b) participants.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.

Table 3. Percentage distribution of recipients and those who work aged 18–64, by diagnostic group, December 2006
Diagnostic group	All blind and disabled recipients	Recipients who work ^a
Total
Number	4,152,130	333,701
Percent	100.0	100.0
Congenital anomalies	0.7	1.5
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases	3.4	1.2
Infectious and parasitic diseases	1.6	0.9
Injuries	2.6	1.4
Mental disorders
Retardation	21.6	40.5
Schizophrenia	9.7	7.0
Other	26.8	18.9
Neoplasms	1.2	0.7
Diseases of the—
Blood and blood-forming organs	0.4	0.4
Circulatory system	4.4	1.3
Digestive system	0.9	0.4
Genitourinary system	1.0	0.6
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue	10.3	3.6
Nervous system and sense organs ^b	7.8	9.0
Respiratory system	2.0	0.7
Skin and subcutaneous tissue	0.2	0.1
Other	0.2	0.3
Unknown	5.2	11.3
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record (Characteristic Extract Record format), 100 percent data.
a. Includes section 1619(b) participants.
b. Most disabled recipients classified as blind are included in this category. A few blind recipients with a primary impairment other than diseases of the eye are coded in other categories. Also, a few recipients are classified with diseases of the eye, but their impairment does not meet the definition of blindness.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.

Table 4. Number and percentage of recipients, those who work, and section 1619(b) participants aged 18–64, by age, December 2006
Age	All blind and disabled recipients ^a		Recipients who work		Section 1619(b) participants
Age	Number	Percent	Number	Percentage of all blind and disabled recipients	Number	Percentage of all blind and disabled recipients
Total	4,238,519	100.0	333,701	7.9	86,389	2.0
18–21	304,948	7.2	33,863	11.1	3,784	1.2
22–29	539,439	12.7	85,238	15.8	22,558	4.2
30–39	671,409	15.8	76,904	11.5	23,155	3.4
40–49	1,056,432	24.9	73,613	7.0	21,331	2.0
50–59	1,167,963	27.6	49,920	4.3	12,265	1.1
60–64	498,328	11.8	14,163	2.8	3,296	0.7
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record (Characteristic Extract Record format), 100 percent data.
a. Includes section 1619(b) participants.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.

Table 5. Number in December 2005, by program status and earnings in December 2006
Program status in December 2005	Total	Receiving payments in December 2006			Not receiving payments in December 2006
		Section 1619(a)	Have earnings	No earnings	Ineligible because of earned income				Other excess income	Other nonpay
					Section 1619(b)	Reasons no longer eligible
					Section 1619(b)	Do not need or use Medicaid	Can pay for equivalent coverage	Both
All blind and disabled recipients	5,931,220	16,537	228,838	5,169,888	84,226	355	92	159	120,918	310,207
Receiving payments
Section 1619(a)	17,694	6,658	2,460	3,921	2,773	33	2	12	734	1,101
Have earnings	241,863	2,835	179,421	32,759	9,077	50	7	11	6,622	11,081
No earnings	5,593,327	5,454	43,099	5,122,983	20,937	113	20	34	107,178	293,509
Not receiving payments
Section 1619(b)	78,336	1,590	3,858	10,225	51,439	159	63	102	6,384	4,516
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record (Characteristic Extract Record format), 100 percent data.
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.