The May 2026 National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report indicates a decline in employment for people with disabilities. But while month-to-month changes are expected within a more limited range at the post-pandemic plateau, people with disabilities continue to maintain stronger employment gains than before the pandemic. nTIDE is issued monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).
Based on data from today’s BLS Jobs Report and separate nTIDE analysis, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) decreased from 38.5 percent in March 2026 to 37.9 percent in April 2026 (down 1.6 percent or 0.6 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio increased slightly from 74.8 percent in March 2026 to 74.9 percent in April 2026 (up 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, is the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the total population, then multiplied by 100).
From March 2026 to April 2026, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 38.5 to 37.9 percent for people with disabilities and increased from 74.8 to 74.9 percent for people without disabilities. The labor force participation rate decreased from 41.9 to 41.1 percent for people with disabilities and decreased from 78.0 to 77.9 percent for people without disabilities.
“We hoped April’s employment-to-population ratio (37.9%) would continue the upward trend seen late last year,” remarked John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “Even so, April’s numbers remained well within the historically high range achieved by people with disabilities during the post-pandemic employment plateau,” he added.
Similarly, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities decreased from 41.9 percent in March 2026 to 41.1 percent in April 2026 (down 1.9 percent or 0.8 percentage points). For people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate decreased from 78 percent in March 2026 to 77.9 percent in April 2026 (down 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points). The labor force participation rate reflects the percentage of people who are in the labor force (working, on temporary layoff, on furlough, or actively looking for work in the last four weeks) relative to the total population (the number of people in the labor force divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).
“The labor force participation rate of people with disabilities has been declining since it reached its all-time high of 42.8 percent in November 2025,” said Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and director of the UNH-IOD. “These declines still fall within the new plateau of around 41.5 percent that was established during the post-pandemic recovery. As price of oil remains high, we expect labor force participation to increase as people with disabilities and their families cope with rising prices of gasoline and other basic necessities. Recall that people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to live in families with incomes below the poverty line, according the most recent Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America, making inflation even more perilous for people with disabilities and their families,” he added.
From April 2025 to April 2026, the employment-to-population ratio increased from 37.4 to 37.9 percent for people with disabilities and decreased from 75.1 to 74.9 percent for people without disabilities. The labor force participation rate increased from 41.0 to 41.1 percent for people with disabilities and decreased from 78.0 to 77.9 percent for people without disabilities.
Compared with the same time last year, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities increased from 37.4 percent in April 2025 to 37.9 percent in April 2026 (up 1.3 percent or 0.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities , the employment-to-population ratio decreased slightly from 75.1 percent in April 2025 to 74.9 percent in April 2026 (down 0.3 percent or 0.2 percentage points).
The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities increased slightly from 41.0 percent in April 2025 to 41.1 percent in April 2026 (up 0.2 percent or 0.1 percentage points). For people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate decreased slightly from 78.0 percent in April 2025 to 77.9 percent in April 2026 (down 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points).
In April, among workers ages 16-64, the 6,450,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.3 percent of the total 151,198,000 workers in the U.S.
