Employment of people with disabilities reaches all-time highs at end of 2025

The January 2026 National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report shows that employment outcomes for working-aged people with disabilities reached all-time highs in November and December 2025, potentially representing a push past the plateau experienced since mid-2023. nTIDE is issued monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability.

Due to the government shut down, statistics for the month of November were posted on December 19, marking the first time nTIDE has reported November data. November recorded all-time highs in both the employment-to-population ratio and the labor force participation rate. Statistics for December 2025 were released today and remained at near-record levels, following the historic highs recorded in November.

Based on data from today’s BLS Jobs Report the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16 to 64) decreased from 39.8 percent in November 2025 to 38.9 percent in December 2025 (down 2.3 percent or 0.9 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16 to 64), the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 74.9 percent in November 2025 to 74.8 percent in December 2025 (down 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing November 2025 to December 2025)

“Employment to population ratios reached all-time highs in November (39.8%) and December (38.9%) of 2025, possibly reflecting employers’ increased demand for additional employees during the holiday shopping season. Notably, these levels are well above those observed during the 2024 holiday shopping season,” remarked John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “These findings also indicate that people with disabilities continue to pursue employment and make progress beyond the plateau that emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Similarly, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities decreased from 42.8 percent in November 2025 to 42.6 percent in December 2025 (down 0.5 percent or 0.2 percentage points). For people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate decreased from 78.2 percent in November 2025 to 77.9 percent in December 2025 (down 0.4 percent or 0.3 percentage points).

“Over the past two months, people with disabilities have been entering the labor force at record numbers,” said Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and director of the UNH-IOD. “As always, a rise in labor force participation is a double-edged sword. While it is encouraging to see greater engagement in the labor market, increases in participation may also reflect families facing financial pressure from the rising cost of living,” he added.

When compared to the same month last year, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities increased from 38.1 percent in December 2024 to 38.9 percent in December 2025 (up 2.1 percent or 0.8 percentage points). For people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 74.9 percent in December 2024 to 74.8 percent in December 2025 (down 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points).
Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (comparing December 2024 to December 2025)

The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities increased from 41.3 percent in December 2024 to 42.6 percent in December 2025 (up 3.1 percent or 1.3 percentage points). For people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 77.7 percent in December 2024 to 77.9 percent in December 2025 (up 0.3 percent or 0.2 percentage points).

In December, among workers ages 16 to 64, the 7,082,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.7 percent of the total 152,268,000 workers in the U.S.

Ask Questions about Disability and Employment
On the same day nTIDE is issued, the team hosts an nTIDE Lunch & Learn webinar. This live Zoom broadcast gives attendees a chance to ask questions about the latest findings, hear news and updates from the field, and learn from invited panelists who discuss current disability-related research and events.

On January 9, 2026, at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET, guest presenters Yvonne Kellar-Guenther, Center for Public Health Innovation, and Peter Pike, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Office of Independent Living Services joins Drs. O’Neill and Houtenville, and Lillie Heigl, director of policy at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. Join our free Lunch and Learn live or visit the nTIDE archives at: ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.