SSI Disabled Recipients Who Work, 2005

Blind and Disabled Recipients

Chart 1. Number who work, December 1987–2005

The number of blind and disabled recipients who work almost doubled between 1987 and 2005, from 173,000 to 337,000. Initially, the number of participants under sections 1619(a) and 1619(b) were approximately equal. However, participation under section 1619(b) gradually increased to five times the initial total, and it now exceeds participation under section 1619(a) by more than four to one. The number of working recipients not participating under either of these provisions has increased by more than 69 percent.

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Table equivalent for Chart 1. Number who work, December 1987–2005 (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

SOURCE: Tables 1 and 9.

Chart 2. Percentage who work, by state, December 2005

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 2005. 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, 1976–2005
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
2003
March	5,657,353	334,378	259,820	74,558	5.9
June	5,705,871	329,740	257,724	72,016	5.8
September	5,749,384	329,195	255,619	73,576	5.7
December	5,740,683	323,682	252,585	71,097	5.6
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
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 ($860 effective January 2006).
CONTACT: Clark Pickett (410) 965-9016 or ssi.workers@ssa.gov.

Table 2. Number and percentage who work, by state or other area, December 2005
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	5,977,788	336,570	5.6
Alabama	146,839	4,059	2.8
Alaska	9,055	597	6.6
Arizona	85,381	3,919	4.6
Arkansas	82,046	3,700	4.5
California	864,099	44,807	5.2
Colorado	47,743	4,016	8.4
Connecticut	46,446	3,825	8.2
Delaware	12,600	890	7.1
District of Columbia	19,433	720	3.7
Florida	327,657	12,752	3.9
Georgia	176,985	7,145	4.0
Hawaii	16,421	893	5.4
Idaho	20,940	1,892	9.0
Illinois	231,183	13,534	5.9
Indiana	94,133	5,755	6.1
Iowa	41,272	6,690	16.2
Kansas	36,792	4,101	11.1
Kentucky	167,213	4,749	2.8
Louisiana	139,585	5,271	3.8
Maine	30,165	2,160	7.2
Maryland	80,596	6,032	7.5
Massachusetts	129,792	9,505	7.3
Michigan	208,237	13,526	6.5
Minnesota	65,107	9,976	15.3
Mississippi	110,205	3,088	2.8
Missouri	109,850	7,299	6.6
Montana	14,084	1,805	12.8
Nebraska	20,898	3,046	14.6
Nevada	24,878	1,689	6.8
New Hampshire	13,134	1,283	9.8
New Jersey	120,669	7,683	6.4
New Mexico	45,810	2,259	4.9
New York	507,304	30,609	6.0
North Carolina	175,678	8,202	4.7
North Dakota	7,276	1,346	18.5
Ohio	238,161	16,792	7.1
Oklahoma	72,296	3,971	5.5
Oregon	53,790	4,064	7.6
Pennsylvania	291,744	15,472	5.3
Rhode Island	26,662	1,683	6.3
South Carolina	93,917	4,883	5.2
South Dakota	11,357	2,061	18.1
Tennessee	145,366	5,210	3.6
Texas	395,498	14,113	3.6
Utah	20,861	2,263	10.8
Vermont	12,381	1,157	9.3
Virginia	118,210	6,852	5.8
Washington	102,768	6,042	5.9
West Virginia	73,019	2,166	3.0
Wisconsin	86,049	10,171	11.8
Wyoming	5,576	836	15.0
Outlying area
Northern Mariana Islands	627	11	1.8
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 2005
Diagnostic group	All blind and disabled recipients	Recipients who work ^a
Total
Number	4,082,870	321,327
Percent	100.0	100.0
Congenital anomalies	0.6	1.4
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases	3.5	1.3
Infectious and parasitic diseases	1.6	1.0
Injuries	2.6	1.4
Mental disorders
Retardation	21.7	41.5
Schizophrenia	9.9	7.1
Other	26.1	17.6
Neoplasms	1.1	0.7
Diseases of the—
Blood and blood-forming organs	0.4	0.4
Circulatory system	4.5	1.2
Digestive system	0.9	0.4
Genitourinary system	1.0	0.6
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue	10.2	3.4
Nervous system and sense organs ^b	7.8	9.0
Respiratory system	2.1	0.7
Skin and subcutaneous tissue	0.2	0.1
Other	0.2	0.3
Unknown	5.6	12.2
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 2005
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	4,158,453	100.0	321,327	7.7	75,583	1.8
18–21	285,640	6.9	32,658	11.4	3,176	1.1
22–29	520,247	12.5	79,819	15.3	19,252	3.7
30–39	681,095	16.4	76,150	11.2	20,653	3.0
40–49	1,061,793	25.5	72,837	6.9	19,234	1.8
50–59	1,123,466	27.0	46,716	4.2	10,379	0.9
60–64	486,212	11.7	13,147	2.7	2,889	0.6
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 2004, by program status and earnings in December 2005
Program status in December 2004	Total	Receiving payments in December 2005			Not receiving payments in December 2005
		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	5,806,479	16,823	226,942	5,038,249	74,093	741	180	388	128,492	320,571
Receiving payments
Section 1619(a)	17,581	6,589	2,395	3,826	2,504	41	8	23	681	1,514
Have earnings	237,741	2,889	174,133	35,624	8,580	65	11	25	6,977	9,437
No earnings	5,477,369	5,731	46,074	4,987,752	19,750	196	30	74	114,595	303,167
Not receiving payments
Section 1619(b)	73,788	1,614	4,340	11,047	43,259	439	131	266	6,239	6,453
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.