2017 State Report for County-Level Data: Employment

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Adam Lavoie, Kate Filanoski, Karen Volle, and Anna Brennan-Curry.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001-01-00; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037-03-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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2017 Louisiana Report for County-Level Data: Employment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the employed count and employment rate for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 2: Employment of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Louisiana.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities who are employed, sometimes called the employment rate or employment-to-population ratio, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for the employment of people with disabilities. In this report, the employment of people with disabilities is presented as the number of employed civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the employment rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from 2017, the year of the report, and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

 

 

 

In the ACS, people are also asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups:

  • People who worked at any time during the reference week;
  • People on temporary layoff who were available for work;
  • People who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff);
  • People who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and
  • People not in the labor force. 

In the ACS, people are identified as being employed if they responded as having worked during the past week. 

Specific to Louisiana, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for employment statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org.

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866.538.9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Boege, S.L., Lauer, E.A., & Houtenville, A.J., 2019. 2017 State Report for Louisiana County-Level Data: Employment. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2017 county-level employment statistics from Louisiana that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities: 
    • The employment rate for people with disabilities in Louisiana was 32.6%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people with disabilities across Louisiana counties was 24.2%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people with disabilities was Cameron (42.3%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people with disabilities was Caldwell (18.1%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people with disabilities across all counties in Louisiana was 28.8%.

 

  • For people without disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people without disabilities in Louisiana was 72.9%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people without disabilities across Louisiana counties was 25.9%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people without disabilities was West Baton Rouge (80.4%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people without disabilities was Tensas (54.5%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people without disabilities across all counties in Louisiana was 70.2%.
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Louisiana, by County: 2017
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
     Louisiana       367,479 119,845 32.6 2,445,923 1,784,113 72.9      Jefferson        30,505  11,000 36.1   240,325   184,226 76.7
       Acadia          6,140   1,521 24.8    30,564    22,014 72.0   Jefferson Davis      3,241   1,177 36.3    15,028    10,394 69.2
       Allen           2,128     448 21.1    10,112     7,402 73.2       LaSalle          1,169     338 28.9     6,712     4,236 63.1
     Ascension         7,924   2,997 37.8    65,182    51,839 79.5      Lafayette        15,819   5,443 34.4   136,417   107,696 78.9
     Assumption        2,156     753 34.9    11,808     8,242 69.8      Lafourche         9,214   3,105 33.7    51,340    37,264 72.6
     Avoyelles         3,716   1,090 29.3    18,027    12,813 71.1       Lincoln          3,611   1,132 31.3    28,009    18,952 67.7
     Beauregard        4,189   1,523 36.4    17,391    11,915 68.5      Livingston       10,176   4,001 39.3    73,401    55,147 75.1
     Bienville         1,673     448 26.8     6,193     4,246 68.6       Madison            659     222 33.7     5,047     3,296 65.3
      Bossier          7,805   2,667 34.2    64,244    48,718 75.8      Morehouse         2,063     379 18.4    12,590     8,392 66.7
       Caddo          19,716   6,225 31.6   129,419    91,721 70.9     Natchitoches       3,162     849 26.9    19,995    11,122 55.6
     Calcasieu        16,182   5,840 36.1   103,892    78,487 75.5       Orleans         30,847   8,853 28.7   223,816   159,105 71.1
      Caldwell           602     109 18.1     4,867     3,092 63.5       Ouachita         9,772   2,804 28.7    80,903    57,215 70.7
      Cameron            416     176 42.3     3,715     2,704 72.8     Plaquemines        1,187     414 34.9    12,428     8,944 72.0
     Catahoula           666     144 21.6     4,607     3,279 71.2    Pointe Coupee       2,470     855 34.6    10,569     7,911 74.9
     Claiborne         1,283     354 27.6     7,354     4,531 61.6       Rapides         12,148   3,364 27.7    64,877    46,584 71.8
     Concordia         1,083     270 24.9     9,122     5,926 65.0      Red River           686     189 27.6     4,297     2,976 69.3
      De Soto          2,390     600 25.1    13,505     8,927 66.1       Richland         1,162     442 38.0    10,389     6,980 67.2
  East Baton Rouge    33,125  13,243 40.0   252,609   190,324 75.3        Sabine          1,723     427 24.8    11,807     7,392 62.6
    East Carroll         249      52 20.9     2,471     1,476 59.7     St. Bernard        3,774     777 20.6    24,236    16,791 69.3
   East Feliciana      1,476     477 32.3     8,286     5,841 70.5     St. Charles        3,225   1,045 32.4    29,429    22,378 76.0
     Evangeline        4,265     918 21.5    14,626    10,024 68.5      St. Helena        1,099     223 20.3     5,124     3,185 62.2
      Franklin         1,516     320 21.1     9,080     6,298 69.4      St. James         1,652     572 34.6    11,425     8,230 72.0
       Grant           1,590     438 27.5     9,555     6,487 67.9 St. John the Baptist   2,938     778 26.5    23,713    17,636 74.4
       Iberia          6,717   1,872 27.9    36,690    26,460 72.1      St. Landry        5,495   1,086 19.8    42,286    27,292 64.5
     Iberville         3,235   1,199 37.1    15,021    10,878 72.4      St. Martin        4,418   1,615 36.6    28,528    20,878 73.2
      Jackson          1,661     392 23.6     6,668     4,722 70.8       St. Mary         5,049   1,678 33.2    26,198    17,987 68.7
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Louisiana, by County: 2017
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
    St. Tammany       17,802   7,451 41.9   130,470    99,745 76.5                                                                   
     Tangipahoa       15,382   5,695 37.0    64,226    46,830 72.9                                                                   
       Tensas            261      55 21.1     2,277     1,240 54.5                                                                   
     Terrebonne        9,381   2,715 28.9    59,104    41,910 70.9                                                                   
       Union           1,854     672 36.2    10,942     7,052 64.4                                                                   
     Vermilion         5,326   1,347 25.3    30,323    21,905 72.2                                                                   
       Vernon          4,624   1,282 27.7    23,103    15,167 65.6                                                                   
     Washington        5,486   1,479 27.0    20,374    13,494 66.2                                                                   
      Webster          3,340     782 23.4    19,515    13,301 68.2                                                                   
  West Baton Rouge     2,032     692 34.1    13,343    10,732 80.4                                                                   
    West Carroll         732     197 26.9     5,279     3,274 62.0                                                                   
   West Feliciana        756     313 41.4     7,006     4,728 67.5                                                                   
        Winn           1,336     321 24.0     6,064     4,160 68.6                                                                   
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
Count of Employed Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Louisiana, by County: 2017

Employment Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Louisiana, by County: 2017

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Employed – Individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. People who responded as having worked during the past week were considered "employed".

Employment Rate — The number of individuals that are employed as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE00010100, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://www.researchondisability.org