National Beneficiary Survey: Disability Statistics, 2019

Job Characteristics of Employed Beneficiaries

Table 27. Job characteristics of beneficiaries employed at interview, by program (in percent)
Characteristic Overall Program
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
Months at current job
Less than 1 2.3 0.8 2.0 6.1
1–6 14.9 14.4 10.9 19.6
7–12 14.4 15.4 8.6 16.9
13–24 15.8 15.6 15.2 16.8
25 or more 43.6 46.8 41.8 36.7
Unknown 9.1 7.0 21.5 4.0
Median (months) 24.0 25.0 25.0 18.0
Usual hours worked per week
1–10 27.1 26.6 32.9 23.7
11–20 30.2 33.5 28.4 23.1
21–34 19.7 17.7 16.9 27.6
35 or more 22.9 22.2 21.9 25.6
Average (hours) 22.2 21.2 24.4 22.9
Hourly wage
Less than $5.00 5.2 2.1 10.6 8.8
$5.00 to $7.24 2.9 2.6 0.4 5.7
$7.25a to $9.99 30.5 30.2 33.1 29.1
$10.00 to $14.99 42.6 43.6 46.5 36.6
$15.00 or more 18.9 21.6 9.4 19.9
Average ($) 12.92 14.38 10.24 11.34
Average monthly pay ($) 1,220.54 1,309.99 992.44 1,178.88
Earning above substantial gainful activity level ($1,220 or more per month) 33.3 31.9 33.3 37.1
Occupation
Transportation and material moving 20.1 22.5 18.3 15.3
Production 5.9 4.9 9.7 5.3
Office and administrative support 13.4 14.4 6.3 16.6
Building and grounds cleaning or maintenance 10.8 7.7 18.5 12.6
Personal care and service 3.4 3.0 2.6 5.0
Sales 9.6 7.7 17.0 8.5
Food preparation or serving 9.1 6.4 10.8 14.8
Education, training, community, and social services 7.1 8.7 6.0 3.8
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 4.5 6.2 0.1 3.9
Health care practitioners, tech, and support 2.4 2.2 1.4 3.7
Protective service 4.2 6.3 1.2 1.2
Installation, maintenance, and repair 1.0 0.6 2.7 0.7
Management, business, and legal 1.7 2.5 0.4 0.9
Professional scientific 2.1 2.8 0.2 1.7
Agriculture, forestry, construction, and extraction 1.8 2.0 0.8 1.9
Unknown 3.0 2.1 4.2 4.3
Industry
Health care 8.5 8.5 11.9 5.5
Social assistance 26.5 19.4 42.7 31.2
Retail 15.1 15.3 13.1 16.3
Other services and public administration 4.5 5.4 2.9 3.3
Educational services 5.4 6.4 2.2 5.4
Accommodation and food services 8.2 6.4 8.0 13.1
Finance and insurance 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.8
Administration, support, and waste management/remediation services 4.1 4.8 1.2 4.7
Unknown 27.1 32.9 17.6 19.8
Self-employed 10.5 12.1 6.7 9.5
Working in sheltered employment
Yes 23.4 16.6 38.5 28.3
No 64.6 71.5 50.5 58.2
Unknown 12.1 11.9 11.0 13.6
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998
Beneficiaries employed at interview 4,597 2,237 948 1,412
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145
Beneficiaries employed at interview 1,212,138 711,944 229,858 270,335
Beneficiaries employed at interview as a percentage of all beneficiaries (weighted) 9.6 9.6 13.0 7.7
NOTE: For beneficiaries who held multiple jobs at the time of the interview (5 percent), the characteristics reported are those of the main job, as designated by the respondent.
a. The federal minimum hourly wage in 2018 was $7.25.
Table 28. Job characteristics of beneficiaries employed at interview, by age (in percent)
Characteristic All beneficiaries Under 30 30–49 50 or older
Months at current job
Less than 1 2.3 4.2 3.9 0.1
1–6 14.9 18.8 19.5 9.6
7–12 14.4 19.5 15.5 11.6
13–24 15.8 20.0 14.8 15.1
25 or more 43.6 32.5 37.9 52.5
Unknown 9.1 5.0 8.5 11.0
Median (months) 24.0 16.0 18.0 36.0
Usual hours worked per week
1–10 27.1 25.6 29.8 25.5
11–20 30.2 30.2 26.2 33.5
21–34 19.7 17.8 19.8 20.4
35 or more 22.9 26.3 24.2 20.7
Average (hours) 22.2 21.8 21.9 22.6
Hourly wage
Less than $5.00 5.2 5.4 8.4 2.5
$5.00 to $7.24 2.9 6.6 4.5 0.1
$7.25a to $9.99 30.5 33.1 29.2 30.6
$10.00 to $14.99 42.6 39.6 39.9 45.9
$15.00 or more 18.9 15.3 18.0 21.0
Average ($) 12.92 10.79 12.44 14.11
Average monthly pay ($) 1,220.54 1,059.10 1,253.71 1,253.50
Earning above substantial gainful activity level ($1,220 or more per month) 33.3 32.8 33.1 33.7
Occupation
Transportation and material moving 20.1 12.8 14.0 27.9
Production 5.9 5.7 7.6 4.5
Office and administrative support 13.4 11.0 16.2 11.9
Building and grounds cleaning or maintenance 10.8 18.2 11.9 7.1
Personal care and service 3.4 3.4 3.8 3.0
Sales 9.6 9.6 11.1 8.4
Food preparation or serving 9.1 19.6 14.1 1.0
Education, training, community, and social services 7.1 3.4 5.9 9.5
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 4.5 1.6 2.3 7.5
Health care practitioners, tech, and support 2.4 3.0 3.0 1.5
Protective service 4.2 1.1 1.6 7.6
Installation, maintenance, and repair 1.0 1.1 1.7 0.4
Management, business, and legal 1.7 1.3 1.2 2.3
Professional scientific 2.1 1.8 1.6 2.5
Agriculture, forestry, construction, and extraction 1.8 0.3 1.9 2.2
Unknown 3.0 6.1 2.1 2.6
Industry
Health care 8.5 5.9 8.1 9.8
Social assistance 26.5 36.4 25.0 23.9
Retail 15.1 14.0 17.9 13.3
Other services and public administration 4.5 3.2 4.6 4.8
Educational services 5.4 6.9 4.4 5.7
Accommodation and food services 8.2 16.3 13.2 1.1
Finance and insurance 0.7 1.1 1.0 0.2
Administration, support, and waste management/remediation services 4.1 4.6 5.9 2.4
Unknown 27.1 11.6 19.9 38.9
Self-employed 10.5 5.4 6.9 15.4
Working in sheltered employment
Yes 23.4 33.0 23.1 20.0
No 64.6 53.2 68.8 65.4
Unknown 12.1 13.8 8.2 14.7
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 1,885 4,292 2,915
Beneficiaries employed at interview 4,597 932 2,025 1,640
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 1,129,444 3,183,724 8,352,997
Beneficiaries employed at interview 1,212,138 206,032 456,029 550,076
Beneficiaries employed at interview as a percentage of all beneficiaries (weighted) 9.6 18.2 14.3 6.6
NOTE: For beneficiaries who held multiple jobs at the time of the interview (5 percent), the characteristics reported are those of the main job, as designated by the respondent.
a. The federal minimum hourly wage in 2018 was $7.25.
Table 29. Employer-provided benefits for beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs, by program (in percent)
Benefit Overall Program
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
Health insurance 36.7 34.8 44.1 35.2
Dental insurance 31.8 30.6 38.9 28.8
Flexible health or dependent care spending account 16.9 19.8 11.7 13.3
Sick days with pay 34.7 33.5 38.6 34.5
Paid vacation 35.1 35.6 35.2 33.6
Long-term disability benefits 15.2 17.5 7.1 16.7
Pension or retirement benefits 34.1 37.1 27.3 31.4
Childcare 2.6 2.4 1.1 4.6
Transportation allowance or discounts 11.6 7.4 18.8 16.0
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs 4,302 2,080 900 1,322
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs 1,084,548 625,467 214,540 244,540
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs as a percentage of all beneficiaries (weighted) 8.6 8.5 12.1 7.0
NOTES: For beneficiaries who held multiple jobs at the time of the interview (5 percent), the characteristics reported are those of the main job, as designated by the respondent.
Multiple responses possible.
Table 30. Job accommodations and supports for beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs, by program (in percent)
Accommodation or support Overall Program
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
  Work-related supports a
Any support 48.9 51.5 40.6 49.5
Among those with any work-related support—
Working fewer hours 11.2 12.1 7.3 11.9
Working fewer days 7.2 9.4 6.0 1.8
Working a different shift 2.7 3.5 1.3 1.6
Flexible schedule 13.4 17.0 7.5 7.7
Having more sick leave 3.7 4.5 0.6 3.7
Getting assistance with work tasks 3.0 3.9 1.8 1.6
Understanding coworkers 6.3 5.3 11.6 5.0
Physical modification to workspace 2.1 3.2 0.2 0.4
Job coach 4.5 0.4 17.8 5.6
On-the-job training 2.2 3.1 0.2 1.0
Behavioral coaching 2.4 3.2 0.4 1.7
Transportation assistance 10.3 7.1 15.4 15.0
Child or family care assistance 3.7 5.4 1.7 0.6
Other 69.3 69.6 75.8 63.5
  Job attributes that support employment a
Any attribute 50.2 53.1 45.6 46.6
Among those whose job has any such attribute—
Modified job duties 15.3 18.5 12.9 6.7
Special equipment or a modified workspace 6.9 6.3 13.6 2.7
Flexible schedule 24.2 27.1 30.6 8.1
An understanding supervisor 18.5 20.3 11.1 19.3
Coworker assistance 13.6 10.2 15.9 23.4
Work from home 5.3 7.3 0.4 3.4
Other 56.7 57.0 45.0 67.0
  Employer accommodations
Any accommodation 58.0 51.8 68.6 64.7
Among those with any employer accommodation—
Special equipment or technology 15.1 11.9 28.3 9.4
Among those with any special equipment or technology—
A mobility device or mobility equipment 20.8 20.4 11.5 48.6
Modified computer hardware 5.2 8.0 1.9 2.2
Modified computer software 31.5 49.7 8.3 20.1
Hearing equipment or device 5.3 2.0 7.5 13.1
Vision equipment or device 2.9 1.2 0.6 16.2
Special support seating 16.0 26.6 1.6 (X)
Other 38.3 9.9 81.3 36.9
A modified work schedule 49.9 53.0 45.7 47.1
Modified tasks 32.1 32.7 33.1 29.8
A modified work environment 37.8 41.9 35.5 31.3
Coworker assistance 63.5 60.0 49.5 84.6
Other 6.1 7.6 6.6 2.3
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs 4,302 2,080 900 1,322
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs 1,084,548 625,467 214,540 244,540
Beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs as a percentage of all beneficiaries (weighted) 8.6 8.5 12.1 7.0
NOTES: Multiple responses possible. Excludes "Don't know" and "refused" responses.
(X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
a. Need not be an employer-provided support or a formal accommodation.
Table 31. Job satisfaction among nonproxy respondents employed at interview, by program (in percent)
Satisfaction measure Overall Program
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
Satisfaction with current job
Very satisfied 51.9 55.1 55.2 37.9
Somewhat satisfied 37.9 37.0 32.7 46.2
Not very satisfied 5.2 3.6 2.5 13.4
Not at all satisfied 3.1 4.1 1.3 1.6
Agree or strongly agree that—
There are chances to develop abilities 72.0 67.8 82.0 76.5
Recognition or respect is received 89.3 88.0 88.2 94.8
Can work on own if desired 81.6 81.4 85.0 78.9
Can work with others or team if desired 84.0 84.5 74.5 91.4
Work is interesting or enjoyable 86.5 88.6 84.2 81.8
Work gives feeling of accomplishment 93.5 96.2 87.6 90.0
Coworkers are friendly and supportive 90.2 89.6 88.6 93.7
Supervisor is supportive a 91.8 90.3 97.5 91.5
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998
Nonproxy respondents employed at interview 3,718 1,921 741 1,056
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145
Nonproxy respondents employed at interview 829,502 526,005 149,113 154,383
Nonproxy respondents employed at interview as a percentage of all beneficiaries (weighted) 6.5 7.1 8.4 4.4
NOTE: Because 50 percent of beneficiaries working in a sheltered workshop had proxy respondents, this table may not fully reflect the job satisfaction of those beneficiaries.
a. Excludes self-employed beneficiaries.
Table 32. Selected job characteristics of beneficiaries employed at interview in wage and salary jobs, by beneficiary characteristics
Beneficiary characteristic Average— Percentage of employed beneficiaries—
Weekly hours worked Hourly earnings ($) Earning above substantial gainful activity level Working in sheltered employment Whose employer provides one or more accommodations
All employed beneficiaries 22.2 12.92 33.3 23.4 56.9
General health
Excellent or very good 22.9 11.32 40.1 30.7 53.2
Good or fair 22.9 12.79 31.5 24.6 56.6
Poor or very poor 18.1 16.72 26.0 3.1 67.1
Education level
Less than high school 25.9 10.13 26.4 21.2 55.0
High school diploma or GED 20.9 11.95 31.2 30.1 55.8
More than high school 22.4 15.61 39.6 14.4 59.6
Self-reported limiting condition
Intellectual disability 15.8 8.18 6.8 58.0 73.5
Sensory disorder 21.1 12.37 28.8 15.0 54.5
Psychiatric impairment 21.6 11.83 23.0 23.6 68.1
Musculoskeletal impairment 18.9 14.39 24.2 21.0 64.6
Circulatory system disease 17.3 12.76 10.9 25.6 56.7
Age at disability onset
Under 18 20.2 11.47 29.6 36.6 64.2
18–24 28.6 12.10 37.8 9.0 51.4
25–39 23.3 15.57 45.3 8.8 56.6
40–54 21.7 13.94 33.6 18.6 48.3
55 or older 20.7 12.71 12.2 25.7 54.3
Difficulty with—
Getting along with others 18.8 11.88 26.6 22.1 66.9
Concentrating 19.9 12.27 27.1 28.2 66.0
Coping with stress 18.9 13.66 24.8 20.3 68.2
Bathing or dressing 15.4 12.51 14.8 30.8 82.9
Getting around outside the home 18.1 12.10 21.9 32.2 67.6
NOTE: GED = General Educational Development certificate.