2018 State Report for County-Level Data: Prevalence

Acknowledgements

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

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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2018 Pennsylvania Report for County-Level Data: Prevalence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Prevalence are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the number of people with disabilities for any given state and county in the United States. This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 1: Population and Prevalence 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 Prevalence can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states.

The following report provides county-level statistics for Pennsylvania. The proportions of people with disabilities, sometimes called prevalence, 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 people with disabilities. In this report, the prevalence of people with disabilities is presented as the number of people with disabilities in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages 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 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).

Specific to Pennsylvania, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for prevalence statistics are included below. 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., 2020. 2018 State Report for Pennsylvania County-Level Data: Prevalence. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2018 county-level statistics from Pennsylvania that are presented:

  • For the number of people with and without disabilities:
    • The range of total people across Pennsylvania counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people across Pennsylvania counties, was 1,558,496.
      • The county with the greatest number of total people was Philadelphia (1,561,749 people).
      • The county with the least number of total people was Forest (3,253 people).
    • The average number of total people across all counties was 187,880.
    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of total people across Pennsylvania counties was 84,726.
  • For the number of people with disabilities:
    • The range of people with disabilities across Pennsylvania counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people with disabilities across Pennsylvania counties, was 253,899.
      • The county with the greatest number of people with disabilities was Philadelphia (254,766 people).
      • The county with the least number of people with disabilities was Cameron (867 people).
    • The average number of people with disabilities across all counties was 26,143.
    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of people with disabilities across Pennsylvania counties was 14,457.
  • For the percentage of people with disabilities:
    • For the entire state of Pennsylvania, the overall percentage of people with disabilities is 13.9%.
      • The county with the highest percentage of people with disabilities was Forest (28.5%).
      • The county with the lowest percentage of people with disabilities was Chester (8.7%).

 

  • For the number of people without disabilities:
    • The range of people without disabilities across Pennsylvania counties, also known as the difference between the largest and smallest counts of people without disabilities across Pennsylvania counties, was 1,304,657.
      • The county with the greatest number of people without disabilities was Philadelphia (1,306,983 people).
      • The county with the least number of people without disabilities was Forest (2,326 people).
    • The average number of people without disabilities across all counties was 161,737.
    • The median, also known as the middle-most number, of people without disabilities across Pennsylvania counties was 71,005.
  • For the percentage of people without disabilities:
    • For the entire state of Pennsylvania, the overall percentage of people without disabilities is 86.1%.
      • The county with the highest percentage of people without disabilities was Chester (91.3%).
      • The county with the lowest percentage of people without disabilities was Forest (71.5%).
Prevalence of People with and without Disabilities for Pennsylvania, by County: 2018
County Total Disability No Disability   County Total Disability No Disability
Count % Count % Count % Count %
 Pennsylvania  12,587,979 1,751,584 13.9 10,836,395 86.1    Fayette        128,811    24,860 19.3    103,951 80.7
    Adams         100,752    13,565 13.5     87,187 86.5     Forest          3,253       927 28.5      2,326 71.5
  Allegheny     1,211,450   161,343 13.3  1,050,107 86.7    Franklin       152,390    21,614 14.2    130,776 85.8
  Armstrong        65,802    12,253 18.6     53,549 81.4     Fulton         14,476     2,342 16.2     12,134 83.8
    Beaver        165,469    25,881 15.6    139,588 84.4     Greene         34,658     6,641 19.2     28,017 80.8
   Bedford         48,156     8,403 17.4     39,753 82.6   Huntingdon       41,313     6,904 16.7     34,409 83.3
    Berks         411,827    55,721 13.5    356,106 86.5    Indiana         84,371    12,882 15.3     71,489 84.7
    Blair         122,398    21,325 17.4    101,073 82.6   Jefferson        43,542     7,013 16.1     36,529 83.9
   Bradford        60,706     9,302 15.3     51,404 84.7    Juniata         24,325     3,423 14.1     20,902 85.9
    Bucks         620,719    67,859 10.9    552,860 89.1   Lackawanna      207,587    32,299 15.6    175,288 84.4
    Butler        184,588    22,629 12.3    161,959 87.7   Lancaster       532,279    63,802 12.0    468,477 88.0
   Cambria        131,110    24,029 18.3    107,081 81.7    Lawrence        86,325    15,320 17.7     71,005 82.3
   Cameron          4,647       867 18.7      3,780 81.3    Lebanon        136,947    18,058 13.2    118,889 86.8
    Carbon         63,085    10,249 16.2     52,836 83.8     Lehigh        357,624    49,493 13.8    308,131 86.2
    Centre        156,606    15,018  9.6    141,588 90.4    Luzerne        310,131    48,492 15.6    261,639 84.4
   Chester        512,358    44,752  8.7    467,606 91.3    Lycoming       111,658    17,383 15.6     94,275 84.4
   Clarion         38,439     6,371 16.6     32,068 83.4     McKean         39,765     7,301 18.4     32,464 81.6
  Clearfield       74,746    14,457 19.3     60,289 80.7     Mercer        108,642    18,540 17.1     90,102 82.9
   Clinton         38,504     6,344 16.5     32,160 83.5    Mifflin         45,761     7,435 16.2     38,326 83.8
   Columbia        65,477     8,730 13.3     56,747 86.7     Monroe        166,617    25,498 15.3    141,119 84.7
   Crawford        84,726    14,710 17.4     70,016 82.6   Montgomery      807,341    80,599 10.0    726,742 90.0
  Cumberland      240,538    27,908 11.6    212,630 88.4    Montour         17,656     2,513 14.2     15,143 85.8
   Dauphin        271,146    34,904 12.9    236,242 87.1  Northampton      299,058    37,487 12.5    261,571 87.5
   Delaware       555,873    66,136 11.9    489,737 88.1 Northumberland     88,397    14,763 16.7     73,634 83.3
     Elk           30,275     4,853 16.0     25,422 84.0     Perry          45,411     6,392 14.1     39,019 85.9
     Erie         269,960    41,391 15.3    228,569 84.7  Philadelphia   1,561,749   254,766 16.3  1,306,983 83.7
Prevalence of People with and without Disabilities for Pennsylvania, by County: 2018
County Total Disability No Disability   County Total Disability No Disability
Count % Count % Count % Count %
     Pike          55,121     9,506 17.2     45,615 82.8                                                         
    Potter         16,698     3,252 19.5     13,446 80.5                                                         
  Schuylkill      136,535    24,028 17.6    112,507 82.4                                                         
    Snyder         40,152     4,760 11.9     35,392 88.1                                                         
   Somerset        70,045    11,538 16.5     58,507 83.5                                                         
   Sullivan         5,994     1,149 19.2      4,845 80.8                                                         
 Susquehanna       41,061     6,932 16.9     34,129 83.1                                                         
    Tioga          40,808     7,036 17.2     33,772 82.8                                                         
    Union          39,603     5,063 12.8     34,540 87.2                                                         
   Venango         51,664     9,767 18.9     41,897 81.1                                                         
    Warren         39,376     6,709 17.0     32,667 83.0                                                         
  Washington      205,819    30,125 14.6    175,694 85.4                                                         
    Wayne          47,956     8,579 17.9     39,377 82.1                                                         
 Westmoreland     351,430    53,865 15.3    297,565 84.7                                                         
   Wyoming         27,336     3,729 13.6     23,607 86.4                                                         
     York         438,937    59,799 13.6    379,138 86.4                                                         
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 
Count of People with Disabilities for Pennsylvania, by County: 2018

Percentage of People with Disabilities for Pennsylvania, by County: 2018

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.

Median — The middlemost 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.

 

 

Prevalence — The proportion of the population with a particular status or condition. Prevalence is usually expressed as a percentage or a number of people per unit of the population.

Prevalence Rate — The prevalence of a particular status or condition estimated over a specific period of time.

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
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E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
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