2015 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, Rachel Coleman, 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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2015 California 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 California.

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 2015, 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 California, 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. 2015 State Report for California County-Level Data: Employment. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2015 county-level employment statistics from California that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people with disabilities in California was 32.8%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people with disabilities across California counties was 38.4%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people with disabilities was Mono (50.4%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people with disabilities was Sierra (12.0%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people with disabilities across all counties in California was 31.6%.

 

  • For people without disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people without disabilities in California was 71.3%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people without disabilities across California counties was 17.6%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people without disabilities was Inyo (79.2%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people without disabilities was Imperial and Sierra (61.6%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people without disabilities across all counties in California was 68.1%.
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
  California    1,957,088 641,283 32.8 22,095,101 15,754,962 71.3      Mono             355     179 50.4      9,014      6,489 72.0
    Alameda        75,718  25,755 34.0    967,178    715,991 74.0    Monterey        17,014   5,746 33.8    231,492    162,124 70.0
    Alpine            134      30 22.4        522        330 63.2      Napa           6,758   2,554 37.8     78,493     61,183 77.9
    Amador          2,550     800 31.4     16,310     10,607 65.0     Nevada          6,462   2,081 32.2     51,766     36,004 69.6
     Butte         20,243   5,121 25.3    118,928     79,228 66.6     Orange        115,545  45,198 39.1  1,866,969  1,383,349 74.1
   Calaveras        4,197   1,187 28.3     21,290     13,682 64.3     Placer         16,961   6,309 37.2    199,152    147,098 73.9
    Colusa          1,437     540 37.6     11,102      7,656 69.0     Plumas          2,179     641 29.4      8,889      5,843 65.7
 Contra Costa      58,326  20,962 35.9    624,335    460,147 73.7    Riverside      128,133  38,903 30.4  1,242,811    840,238 67.6
   Del Norte        3,090     752 24.3     11,041      7,210 65.3   Sacramento       98,702  29,678 30.1    813,066    577,012 71.0
   El Dorado       11,188   3,410 30.5    100,184     70,558 70.4   San Benito        2,285     699 30.6     33,173     24,189 72.9
    Fresno         64,022  19,191 30.0    502,242    337,378 67.2 San Bernardino    120,565  36,520 30.3  1,146,182    762,317 66.5
     Glenn          2,371     854 36.0     13,842      9,021 65.2    San Diego      142,666  48,673 34.1  1,864,511  1,343,172 72.0
   Humboldt        13,396   4,060 30.3     74,484     50,621 68.0  San Francisco     41,272  15,015 36.4    565,336    443,314 78.4
   Imperial        10,511   2,885 27.4     85,815     52,848 61.6   San Joaquin      44,652  11,938 26.7    378,316    255,616 67.6
     Inyo             959     292 30.4      9,421      7,462 79.2 San Luis Obispo    12,978   4,275 32.9    160,137    112,491 70.2
     Kern          52,909  14,317 27.1    446,467    300,057 67.2    San Mateo       25,952  10,620 40.9    451,850    354,334 78.4
     Kings          8,084   2,763 34.2     68,270     45,989 67.4  Santa Barbara     19,051   6,841 35.9    253,214    183,750 72.6
     Lake           7,276   1,535 21.1     30,624     19,490 63.6   Santa Clara      62,967  23,567 37.4  1,142,743    850,813 74.5
    Lassen          2,278     686 30.1     11,238      7,783 69.3   Santa Cruz       13,297   4,801 36.1    166,028    118,133 71.2
  Los Angeles     469,189 152,770 32.6  6,019,892  4,269,973 70.9     Shasta         17,023   4,121 24.2     88,850     60,496 68.1
    Madera          9,911   3,291 33.2     73,524     46,853 63.7     Sierra            342      41 12.0      1,469        905 61.6
     Marin          9,451   4,037 42.7    142,980    111,472 78.0    Siskiyou         4,735   1,110 23.4     20,439     13,395 65.5
   Mariposa         1,420     633 44.6      8,943      6,095 68.2     Solano         25,161   8,261 32.8    234,671    168,900 72.0
   Mendocino        7,611   2,087 27.4     44,367     31,354 70.7     Sonoma         28,835  10,620 36.8    281,139    212,346 75.5
    Merced         23,360   8,289 35.5    131,207     83,790 63.9   Stanislaus       37,109  11,778 31.7    281,225    187,660 66.7
     Modoc            985     221 22.4      4,094      2,712 66.2     Sutter          6,256   2,297 36.7     49,467     33,165 67.0
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
    Tehama          6,863   1,848 26.9     29,616     19,654 66.4                                                                  
    Trinity         1,574     366 23.3      6,175      3,982 64.5                                                                  
    Tulare         27,660   8,215 29.7    233,630    155,103 66.4                                                                  
   Tuolumne         5,043   1,411 28.0     24,659     16,324 66.2                                                                  
    Ventura        39,843  14,698 36.9    479,873    359,760 75.0                                                                  
     Yolo          10,586   3,809 36.0    127,674     85,180 66.7                                                                  
     Yuba           7,648   2,002 26.2     34,772     22,316 64.2                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
Count of Employed Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2015

Employment Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2015

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