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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Travel Patterns of American Adults with Disabilities

Friday, November 22, 2024

Key Findings

The following highlights key findings from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), which, in part, captured the travel behavior of persons who self-reported "a temporary or permanent condition or handicap that makes it difficult to travel outside of the home." See the persons with travel-limiting disabilities dashboard at the end of this report for interactive visuals and detailed data. 

NHTS estimated that 18.6 million Americans age 5 and older (6.1 percent of all Americans in that age range) had self-reported travel-limiting disabilities; 10.0 million were age 18 to 64 (5.1 percent of persons age 18 to 64) and 7.7 million were age 65 and older (14.1 percent of persons age 65 and older).

Compared to those reporting no disabilities, people reporting travel-limiting disabilities revealed the following:

  • they were less likely to travel, be employed, and live in a household with a vehicle; 
  • they took fewer trips and cited health problems as the top-most reason for taking fewer trips; 
  • they lived in lower income households; and
  • they compensated for their disabilities by asking others for rides, limiting travel to daytime, and using rideshare and special transportation services, such as Dial-A-Ride. 

As expected, older age groups reported more travel-limiting disabilities than their younger cohorts.  

Travel-Limiting Disabilities

  • In 2022, 18.6 million Americans age 5 and older (6.1 percent of all persons in that age range) self-reported travel-limiting disabilities. Of those Americans, 10.0 million were age 18 to 64 (53.8 percent), and 7.7 million were age 65 and older (41.1 percent).[1]
  • In 2022, 40.2 percent of people age 18 to 64 and 57.1 percent of persons age 65 and older with travel-limiting disabilities made zero trips on the day surveyed—up from 34.1 and 44.7 percent in 2017, respectively. In comparison, 21.2 percent of people age 18 to 64 and 31.2 percent of persons age 65 and older without travel-limiting disabilities made zero trips on the survey day in 2022—up from 13.4 and 19.3 percent in 2017, respectively, and nearly equal to the increase seen among those with travel-limiting disabilities in the same age group.

Household Demographics and Vehicle Ownership

  • In 2022, about one-third of people age 18 to 64 with travel-limiting disabilities worked full- or part-time—up from one-fifth in 2017. In comparison, over three-quarters (78.3 percent) of people age 18 to 64 without travel-limiting disabilities worked full- or part-time in 2022—up marginally from 76.6 percent in 2017.
  • Following the national trend in a real increase in income between 2016 and 2022, fewer persons with travel-limiting disabilities lived in low-income households in 2022 than in the previous survey year but still more than persons with no travel-limiting disabilities.[2]
  • In 2022, 14.3 percent of persons age 18 to 64 with travel-limiting disabilities lived in zero-vehicle households; a significantly larger share, by 9.4 percentage points, than those without disabilities in the same age group. Like persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, the share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities living in zero-vehicle households was significantly larger (by 9.2 percentage points) than the share of persons without disabilities in the same age group.
  • The percent of persons with disabilities who lived in a zero-vehicle household declined from 2017 to 2022 among those age 18 to 64 and age 65 and older. The decline was slightly larger for persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, at 6.2 percentage points, than for persons age 65 and older with disabilities (5.6 percentage points).

Trip Frequency and Purpose

  • People age 18 to 64 with travel-limiting disabilities made fewer trips per day on average than people without travel-limiting disabilities in 2022 (1.7 v. 2.3 trips). People age 65 and older with travel-limiting disabilities likewise made fewer trips than those without disabilities (1.1  v. 2.0 trips).
  • Daily trips both by persons with travel-limiting disabilities and those without fell in 2022 from 2017. This may be a residual effect from COVID-19 as evidenced by a greater share of persons staying at home on the travel day surveyed in 2022 than in 2017. In 2022, 40.2 percent of persons age 18 to 64 with travel-limiting disabilities and 57.1 of persons age 65 and older with travel-limiting disabilities stayed at home on the travel day surveyed compared to 34.1 and 44.7 percent, respectively, in 2017.
  • Among those reporting travel-limiting disabilities in 2022, health problems ranked as the top-most reason for taking fewer trips, with 54.9 percent of people age 18 to 64 and 63.3 percent of people age 65 and older selecting this reason for taking fewer trips in the past 30 days. Among those age 18 to 64 without travel-limiting disabilities in 2022, "other" (a reason other than concerns about COVID-19, health, transportation safety, transportation access, transportation cost, and lack of time) was the top-most reason for taking fewer trips in the past 30 days, while concerns about COVID-19 was the top-most reason selected by those age 65 and older without travel-limiting disabilities.

Mode Share

  • In 2022, both workers and nonworkers age 18 to 64 without travel-limiting disabilities drove for more of their trips (78.2 and 67.1 percent, respectively) than those with disabilities (52.8 and 51.4 percent, respectively). Among persons age 65 and older, those without disabilities also drove for more of their trips than persons with disabilities (75.3 v. 49.7 percent, respectively).  In both age groups, the share of persons with travel-limiting disabilities who drove remained unchanged from 2017, while the share increased by a statistically significant amount among persons without travel-limiting disabilities in both age groups.
  • Using rideshare ranked well below other compensating strategies used by persons with travel-limiting disabilities. Nearly two-thirds (60.3 percent of those age 18 to 64 and 65.3 percent of those age 65 and older) stated they reduced day-to-day travel, and among those age 18 to 64, only 10.1 percent said they used rideshare due to their condition or disability.

Introduction

This report uses data from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to examine the daily travel patterns of American adults with travel-limiting disabilities and data from the 2001, 2009, and 2017 NHTS to illustrate trends over time. The NHTS asks individuals to self-report if they have a "a temporary or permanent condition or handicap that makes it difficult to travel outside of the home." Because the NHTS captures travel-limiting disabilities, "people with disabilities" in this report refers to those reporting such disabilities. Persons living in nursing homes or other group quarters are not included.

The estimates in this report will differ from disability-related estimates from other sources, such as the American Community Survey, Current Population Survey, and the National Health Interview Survey due to differences in the definition of disabilities used.

In 2022, an estimated 18.6 million people reported travel-limiting disabilities (heretofore, referred to as persons with disabilities); down by a statistically significant amount from 25.5 million in 2017. People with disabilities accounted for 6.1 percent of the population age 5 and older in 2022, 8.5 percent of the population in 2001, 10.2 percent in 2009, and 8.5 percent in 2017.

This report looks at disabilities among adults age 18 to 64 and people age 65 and older and for select behaviors, and it includes breakouts by employment status and density of residence.

Disability Rates by Age, Duration, and Medical Device(s) Used

The percentage of people reporting one or more disabilities increases with age (figure 1). In 2022, the percent reporting a disability was less than 10 percent before the age of 71. The percentage then increased to 12.2 percent among those 71 to 80 before significantly increasing to 34.5 percent among those age 81 and over. In each 10-year age bracket above age 50, the percentage reporting a disability in 2022 was significantly lower than the 2017 percentage. The reason for the decline is unclear. The American Community Survey shows a similar decline in the percentage reporting a disability (a hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and/or independent living difficulty) among those 75 and older, from 50 percent in 2016 to 46 percent in 2022 but only a marginal decline among those age 65 to 74 (from 25 percent in 2016 to 24 percent in 2022). In contrast, the National Health Interview Survey measured no statistically significant change in the percentage reporting "a lot of difficulty" or "not able to do at all" for one or more of six functioning domains from 2019 to 2022 (the same data was not collected years prior to 2019).[3]

Collectively, the NHTS, in 2022, revealed:

  • An estimated 10.0 million Americans of typical working age (age 18 to 64) reported disabilities, accounting for slightly more than half of people with disabilities (53.8 percent) and 5.1 percent of their age group.
  • An estimated 7.7 million Americans age 65 and older also reported disabilities; they accounted for 41.1 percent of people with disabilities in 2022 and 14.1 percent of their age group.

Most disabilities are long-term: 67.9 percent of people of all ages with disabilities reported having a disability for more than 6 months in 2022 and another 17.7 percent reported having a life-long disability.

Figure 1: Percent Reporting a Travel-Limiting Disability by Age Group, 2017 and 2022

The bar charts shows the percent of persons age 5 and over reporting a travel limiting disability by age group in 2017 and 2022. The percentage of people reporting one or more disabilities increases with age.

 

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Nearly half (49.3 percent) of all respondents with disabilities used one or more medical devices[4]:

  • walking cane or stick (28.9 percent)
  • walker or crutches (20.1 percent)
  • manual scooter or wheelchair (9.4 percent)
  • motorized scooter or wheelchair (8.8 percent)

Determinants of Travel Behavior

Employment, vehicle ownership, and household income are major determinants of travel behavior. The following looks at each of these components for persons with travel-limiting disabilities.

How Does Employment Differ for People with Travel-Limiting Disabilities?

Travel is often essential to employment, and people with disabilities are less likely to have jobs.

By age

About one-third (33.9 percent) of respondents age 18 to 64 worked full- or part-time if they reported having disabilities in 2022. In 2022, the percent of persons age 65 and older who worked full time and reported a disability was not statistically different from those 65 and over who worked full time but reported no disability. The share of persons age 65 and older who reported a disability and worked part-time in 2022 was too small to reliably estimate by disability status. 

Among those age 18 to 64 who worked in 2022:

  • A greater percentage of workers with disabilities worked full-time than part-time in 2022—56.6 v. 43.4 percent—but significantly less than the share of workers without disabilities (80.8 and 19.2 percent, respectively) (figure 2). 
  • A larger percentage of workers with disabilities worked from home at least one day a week; 57.4 percent compared to 37.4 percent of workers without disabilities. 

Changes over time

In 2022, the share of respondents age 18 to 64 with a disability who worked full- or part-time was up by a statistically significant amount from 20.2 percent in 2017 and close to the percentage working in 2009 (30.9 percent) but down from the 2001 rate of 39.1 percent. The share working full- versus part-time remained statistically unchanged from 2017 among persons age 18 to 64 both for those reporting a disability and those age 18 to 64 who did not.

Figure 2: Full- and Part-Time Employment Status for Workers by Travel-Limiting Disability Status, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over reporting a travel limiting disability who are employed, employed full-time, and employed part-time in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability. A greater percentage of workers with disabilities worked full-time than part-time but but significantly less than share of workers without disabilities.

 

 

NA = could not be reliably estimated.
NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

How Does Vehicle Access Differ for People with Travel-Limiting Disabilities?

By age 18 to 64

People age 18 to 64 with disabilities are less likely to own or have access to vehicles than people without disabilities (figure 3). In 2022, 14.3 percent of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities lived in zero-vehicle households; a significantly larger share, by 9.4 percentage points, than those without disabilities in the same age group. The percentage of workers age 18 to 64 who lived in zero-vehicle households in 2022 could not be reliably estimated by disability status.

More likely to live in zero-vehicle households, fewer persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities drove on one or more trips in 2022 than persons age 18 to 64 without disabilities (65.9 v. 93.4 percent).

By age 65 and older

Compared to persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, a slightly smaller but not statistically different share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities lived in zero-vehicle households (figure 4). Like persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, the share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities living in zero-vehicle households was significantly larger (by 9.2 percentage points) than the share of persons without disabilities in the same age group. For persons age 65 and older, the percent living in zero-vehicle households could not be reliably estimated for workers with disabilities.

The larger share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who lived in zero-vehicle households corresponds with a smaller share (58.1 percent) driving on one or more trips than persons age 65 and older without disabilities (94.0 percent).

Changes over time

The percent of persons with disabilities who lived in a zero-vehicle household declined from 2017 to 2022 in both age groups. The decline was slightly larger for persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, at 6.2 percentage points, than for persons age 65 and older with disabilities (5.6 percentage points). Among those age 18 to 64 with disabilities, the decline in the percent living in a zero-vehicle household corresponds with a 5.4 percentage point increase in the share who drove on one or more trips in 2022. The difference between persons age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities who drove also fell 3.8 percentage points.

Among those age 65 and older, the share of persons with disabilities living in a zero-vehicle household declined in 2022 from 2017 by a statistically significant amount. The percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who drove on one or more trips remained statistically unchanged in 2022 from 2017.

Figure 3: Persons Age 18 to 64 Living in Zero-Vehicle Households by Travel-Limiting Disability Status , 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 18 to 64 reporting a travel limiting disability who lived in a zero vehicle household in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability in the same age group. Persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities are less likely to own or have access to vehicles than people without disabilities.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 4: Persons Age 65 and Older Living in Zero-Vehicle Households by Travel-Limiting Disability Status, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 65 and over reporting a travel limiting disability who lived in a zero vehicle household in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability in the same age group. Like persons age 18 to 64, persons age 65 and over with disabilities are less likely to own or have access to vehicles than people without disabilities.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

What is the Household Income of Persons with Travel-Limiting Disabilities?

Household income is a major determinant of travel behavior and affects vehicle ownership and the mode used to travel.

By age 18 to 64

Among those age 18 to 64 with disabilities, 8.7 percent lived in households with annual household incomes under $10,000, and 25.9 percent lived in households with an income of $10,000 to $24,999 in 2022 (figure 5). In total, about one-third (34.6) percent of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities lived in a household with an income less than $25,000 in 2022. In 2022, the largest share of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities lived in a household with an income of $10,000 to $24,999. That share gradually declined as income increased. Only 5.2 percent of those age 18 to 64 who lived in a household with an income of $100,000 to $125,999 reported a disability as compared to 25.9 percent of persons of the same age living in a household with an income of $10,000 to $24,999[6]

Among persons living in households with an income less than $10,000, the share of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities was significantly higher (5.2 percentage points more) than the share of persons without disabilities. The disparity between persons with and without disabilities was even greater, at 20.5 percentage points, among persons living in households with an income of $10,000 to 24,999.

By age 65 and older

Among those age 65 and older with disabilities, the share living in a household with an annual income under $10,000 in 2022 was too small to reliably estimate. However, 27.9 percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities lived in a household with an income under $25,000 — a slightly smaller share than persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities in the same income group (figure 6). Like persons age 18 to 64, the largest share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities lived in a household with an income of $10,000 to $25,000 (20.8 percent) in 2022. The share then declined as income increased with the exception of the highest income group ($150,000 or more), which had nearly two times more persons age 65 and older with a disability than the third highest income group (persons with disabilities age 65 and older in the second highest income group could not be reliably estimated).

More persons age 65 and older with disabilities lived in a household with an income less than $25,000 than those of the same age without a disability. However, the disparity was less than that for those age 18 to 64 in the same income group (17.9 v. 25.7 percentage points).

Changes over time

The share of persons with disabilities living in the lowest of low-income households fell in 2022 from 2017. This follows a real increase in income from 2016 (the survey period for the 2017 NHTS) to 2022. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that real median household income grew 6.4 percent from 2016 to 2022.[7]

Among persons age 18 to 64, the percent of persons with disabilities living in a household with an income less than $10,000 fell 13.5 percentage points (from 22.2 percent in 2017). The percentage of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities and living in a household with an income $10,000 to $24,999 did not change by a statistically significant amount from 2017 to 2022.

Among those age 65 and older, the percent with disabilities who lived in a household with an income less than $25,000 declined by a statistically significant amount (10.8 percentage points) in 2022 from 38.6 percent in 2017. The change over time in the percentage of persons age 65 and older with disabilities and living in households with an income less than $10,000 could not be reliably estimated.

Figure 5: Annual Household Income for Individuals by Travel-Limiting Disability Status (age 18–64), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 18 to 64 reporting a travel limiting disability by household income in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability in the same age and income group. The largest share of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities lived in a household with an income of $10,000 to 24,999 and the share gradually declined as income increased in both years.

 

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 6: Annual Household Income for Individuals by Travel-Limiting Disability Status (age 65 and older), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 65 and over reporting a travel limiting disability by household income in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability in the same age and income group. Like persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, the largest share of persons age 65 and over with disabilities lived in a household with an income of $10,000 to 24,999 and the share gradually declined as income increased in both years.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

How Do People With Travel-Limiting Disabilities Travel Differently from People Without Disabilities?

Daily Trip Making

By age 18 to 64

Overall, people age 18 to 64 with disabilities made fewer trips per day on average than people without disabilities in 2022 (1.7 v. 2.3 trips). Workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities make an average of 2.2 trips per day, while workers age 18 to 64 without disabilities make an average of 2.4 trips per day. The difference is slightly greater for nonworkers: nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities made an average of 1.5 trips per day versus 1.9 trips per day for nonworkers age 18 to 64 without disabilities in 2022.

Age 65 and older

People age 65 and older have different travel patterns from younger people, in part because they are more likely to be retired. People age 65 and older with disabilities made an average of 1.1 trips per day versus 2.0 trips for people age 65 and older without disabilities in 2022. Daily trips by workers age 65 and older with disabilities were significantly higher than nonworkers age 65 and older with disabilities (2.1 v. 1.1) but not statistically different from workers in the same age group without disabilities (2.1 v. 2.5) in 2022.

Changes over time

People age 18 to 64 made fewer trips per day in 2022 than in previous years regardless of whether they reported a disability. People age 18 to 64 with disabilities made an average of 1.7 trips per day in 2022, a lower amount than in 2001 (3.4 trips), 2009 (3.2 trips), and 2017 (2.6 trips). Those age 18 to 64 without disabilities made an average of 2.3 trips per day in 2022, a lower amount than in 2001 (4.5 trips), 2009 (4.2 trips), and 2017 (3.6 trips) (figure 7). The larger decline among those age 18 to 64 without disabilities reduced the disparity in daily trips between persons age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities. For both groups, the decrease in daily trip making may be a residual effect from COVID-19, which increased work from home and caused many people to stay-at-home and/or alter their trips to reduce exposure to the virus. This effect can be seen through a larger share of persons age 18 to 64 staying at home on the travel day surveyed in 2022 than in 2017. In 2022, 40.2 percent of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities and 21.2 percent of persons age 18 to 64 without disabilities stayed at home on the travel day surveyed compared to 34.1 and 13.4 percent, respectively, in 2017.

For people age 65 and older with disabilities, daily trip rates changed marginally from 2.0 trips in 2001 and 2009 to 2.1 trips in 2017 before declining to 1.1 trips in 2022. For people age 65 and older without disabilities, daily trip rates decreased slightly from 2001 to 2017 (3.9 trips in 2001, 3.6 trips in 2009, and 3.5 trips in 2017) before declining to 2.0 in 2022 — a slightly larger decline from 2017 to 2022 than for persons age 65 and older with disabilities. Like persons age 18 to 64, the increased share of persons age 65 and older staying at home in 2022 partially accounted for the decline in daily trips. In 2022, 57.1 percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities stayed at home on the travel day surveyed compared to 44.7 percent in 2017. Similarly, 31.2 percent of persons age 65 and older without disabilities stayed at home on the day surveyed in 2022 compared to 19.3 percent in 2017.

The decline in trips by persons with disabilities from 2017 to 2022 are across nearly all trip purposes for both age groups as discussed in the section that follows.

Figure 7: Average Daily Trips by Travel-Limiting Disability Status, 2001–2022

The line graph shows average daily trips by persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2001, 2009, 2017, and 2022 compared to persons in the same age group without disabilities. In both age groups, persons with disabilities made fewer trips per day on average than people without disabilities and the average has declined from 2001 to 2022.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Trip Purpose for Persons with Travel-Limiting Disabilities

By age 18 to 64

In 2022, workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities took significantly fewer work trips than people without disabilities (0.4 v. 0.9 trips per day) (figure 8). For all other trip purposes, there were no statistically significant differences between persons with and without disabilities among workers age 18 to 64.

Among nonworkers age 18 to 64, persons with disabilities made significantly fewer social and recreational trips than nonworkers without disabilities in the same age group (0.5 v. 0.8 trips per day) in 2022, but otherwise the trip purposes of nonworkers with disabilities were not significantly different from nonworkers without disabilities age 18 to 64.

Age 65 and older

Because the percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who worked could not be reliably estimated, the following presents trip purposes for all persons age 65 and older. People age 65 or older with disabilities made significantly fewer trips in all categories except medical and dental where they made significantly more trips than people age 65 and older without disabilities (0.2 v. 0.1 trips per day) in 2022 (figure 9).

Changes over time

Among workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities, trips were down by a statistically significant amount in 2022 from 2017 except for shopping, meals, and errands, which remained unchanged, and medical and dental, which could not be reliably estimated for workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities in 2022. Among nonworkers, trips by persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities were down by a statistically significant amount from 2017 across all purposes except for shopping, meals, and errands, which remained unchanged, and medical and dental, which could not be reliably estimated for nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities in 2022.

All but medical and dental trips for persons age 65 and older with disabilities were down by a statistically significant amount in 2022 from 2017.  The decline in 2022 from 2017 is larger for people age 65 or older with disabilities than for people age 18 to 64 with disabilities across all purposes where a statistically significant decline occurred.

Figure 8: Travel by Trip Purpose, Travel-Limiting Disability Status, and Worker Status (age 18–64), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows average daily trips by workers and non-workers age 18 to 64 reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to workers and non-workers in the same age group without disabilities by trip purpose. Workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities took significantly fewer trips than people without disabilities for work trips, while non-workers age 18-64 with disabilities made significantly fewer social and recreational trips than non-workers without disabilities in the same age group.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 9: Travel by Trip Purpose and Travel-Limiting Disability Status (age 65 and older), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows average daily trips by persons 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to persons 65 and over in the same age group without disabilities by trip purpose. People age 65 or older with disabilities made significantly fewer trips in all categories except medical and dental where they made significantly more trips than people age 65 and older without disabilities.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Who Does Not Travel and Why?

The NHTS asks people to record their travel for a single day.

By age 18 to 64

Over one-third (40.2 percent) of people age 18 to 64 with disabilities made zero trips on the survey day in 2022 versus 21.2 percent of people without disabilities in the same age group.

People may choose not to travel for many reasons, but some stay home because they have no choice. Of people with disabilities age 18 to 64, 16.5 percent who made zero trips said  they stayed home because they have disabilities or are housebound (figure 10). That percentage translates to an estimated 0.6 million Americans age 18 to 64 with disabilities who did not leave their homes.

In 2022, the NHTS asked respondents whether they took fewer trips in the past 30 days. Persons age to 64 with disabilities took fewer trips at higher rates than persons in the same age group without disabilities (figure 11). Health problems ranked as the top-most reason for taking fewer trips, with 54.9 percent of people age 18 to 64 with disabilities selecting this reason. Concerns related to COVID-19 was the second-most selected reason among persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities at 27.1 percent. Respondents could choose multiple reasons. In comparison, a reason other than concerns about COVID-19, health, transportation safety, transportation access, transportation cost, and lack of time was the top-most reason for taking fewer trips in the past 30 days in 2022 among persons age 18 to 64 without disabilities.

By age 65 and older

More than half (57.1 percent) of persons age 65 and older with disabilities made zero trips on the survey day in 2022 versus 31.2 percent of people in the same age group without disabilities. Among persons age 65 and older with and without disabilities, this was a larger share (16.9 and 10.0 percentage points more, respectively) than the percentage of persons age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities, respectively, who took zero trips on the survey day in 2022. Among those age 65 and older, the share of persons with disabilities who stayed at home was 25.9 percentage points larger than the share of those age 65 and older without a disability who stayed a home. This is a larger disparity than among those age 18 to 64 with and without a disability who stayed at home.

Of those age 65 and older who took zero trips on the survey day in 2022, 20.0 percent (0.9 million Americans) said that they stayed at home because they have disabilities or are housebound — 3.5 percentage points (0.2 million) more than the share of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities who stayed at home due to their condition (figure 10).

Like persons with disabilities age 18 to 64, persons with disabilities age 65 and older took fewer trips in the 30 days prior to when surveyed in 2022 than persons in the same age group without disabilities (figure 11). Also, like persons with disabilities age 18 to 64, health problems ranked as the top-most reason, with 63.3 percent of people age 65 and older with disabilities selecting this reason. Concerns related to COVID-19 was the second-most selected reason among persons age 65 and older with disabilities at 26.6 percent. Persons age 65 and older without disabilities selected concerns COVID-19 as their top-most reason for not traveling on the survey day in 2022.

By density of residence

In both rural and urban areas, a larger share of persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities made zero trips on the survey day in 2022 (48.3 and 38.6 percent, respectively) than persons of the same age without a disability (20.0 and 21.4 percent, respectively). The disparity between persons with and without disabilities is slightly smaller for persons age 65 and older living in rural areas (60.7 v. 35.6 percent, respectively). In contrast, among those age 65 and older, the disparity is larger between persons with and without disabilities living in urban areas than for those age 18 to 64, with 55.9 percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who lived in urban areas making no trips on the travel survey day in 2022 (compared to 29.9 percent of those without disabilities in the same age group who likewise lived in urban areas).

Changes over time

More persons in 2022 than in 2017 declined to disclose the reason for staying at home (34.7 v. 0.36 percent in 2017), and as a result, it’s unclear if fewer persons were housebound due to their disability in 2022 than in 2017. Data on the percent who took fewer trips in the past 30 days were not collected in 2017; therefore, the change over time cannot be estimated.

Figure 10: Persons with Travel-Limiting Disabilities Who Made Zero Trips on Travel Day Surveyed by Reason, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over with travel limiting disabilities who made zero trips on the travel day surveyed in 2017 and 2022 by reason for taking no trips. About one-fifth of persons in each age group who made zero trip on the travel day surveyed selected disability as the reason for remaining housebound.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 11: Persons Reporting That They Took Fewer Trips in the Past 30 Days by Travel-Limiting Disability Status and Age, 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over with travel limiting disabilities who took fewer trips in the 30 days prior to when surveyed in 2022 compared to the percent reporting no disability in the same age group. In both age groups, health problems ranked as the top-most reason for taking fewer trips

NOTE: Question asked for first time in 2022 Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Mode Choice

People use personal vehicles—as drivers or as passengers—for most trips regardless of disability status.

By age 18 to 64

Figure 12 shows how mode share varies by worker status and disability status for people age 18 to 64. Workers age 18 to 64 without disabilities drove for more of their trips (78.2 percent) than workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities (52.8 percent) in 2022. Similarly, nonworkers age 18 to 64 without disabilities drove for more of their trips (67.1 percent) than nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities (51.4 percent). Nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities were more likely to be passengers on trips in 2022 than nonworkers of the same age without disabilities (38.3 v. 19.7 percent). Workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities who traveled as passengers could not be reliably estimated in 2022.

Age 65 and older

Because only a small share of persons age 65 and older worked, differences in the mode used by workers versus nonworkers age 65 and older could not be reliably estimated. Therefore, the following discusses the mode used by all persons age 65 and older.

Like persons age 18 to 64, persons with disabilities age 65 and older used personal vehicles for most of their trips but were less likely to be the driver and more likely to be a passenger than persons age 65 and older without a disability (49.7 v. 75.3 percent and 34.3 v. 17.2 percent, respectively). There were no other statistically significant differences in the mode used between persons with and without disabilities age 65 and older.

Unlike nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities, a statistically significant, greater share of persons age 65 and older with disabilities used local transit in 2022 (figure 13). There were no other statistically significant differences across age groups with disabilities in 2022.

Changes over time

Among persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, there were no statistically significant changes in method of transportation for either workers or nonworkers from 2017 to 2022.

Mode use for people age 65 and older with disabilities remained statistically unchanged in 2022 from 2017 (figure 13). Differences between workers and nonworkers among persons age 65 and older with disabilities could not be reliably estimated in 2022.

Figure 12: Mode Share by Worker and Travel-Limiting Disability Status (age 18–64), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of trips taken by workers and non-workers age 18 to 64 with travel limiting disabilities by mode used in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent taken by workers and non-workers in the same age group reporting no disability. In both years, workers and non-workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities used personal vehicles—as drivers or as passengers—for most trips.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTES: “Other modes” includes bicycles, golf carts, recreational vehicles, school buses, private or charter buses, city-to-city buses, Amtrak, commuter rail, taxis and limos (including Uber and Lyft), rental cars, airplanes, boats, and ferries. “Walking” includes travel by wheelchairs and scooters. Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 13: Mode Share by Travel-Limiting Disability Status (age 65 and older), 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of trips taken by persons age 65 and over with travel limiting disabilities by mode used in 2017 and 2022 compared to the percent taken by persons in the same age group reporting no disability. Persons with disabilities age 65 and older used personal vehicles for most of their trips but were less likely to be the driver and more likely to be a passenger than persons 65 and older without a disability.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTES: “Other modes” includes bicycles, golf carts, recreational vehicles, school buses, private or charter buses, city-to-city buses, Amtrak, commuter rail, taxis and limos (including Uber and Lyft), rental cars, airplanes, boats, and ferries. “Walking” includes travel by wheelchairs and scooters. Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Trip Distance and Travel Times

By age 18 to 64

Nonworkers age 18 to 64 with disabilities took shorter trips on average than people without disabilities in 2022 (8.0 v. 12.2 miles per day), but otherwise, there were no statistically significant differences in trip distance between persons with and without disabilities age 18 to 64 (figure 15). With regards to travel time, there were no statistically significant differences between persons with and without disabilities age 18 to 64 (figure 14).

Age 65 and older

In 2022, persons with disabilities who are 65 and over did not travel a statistically different distance nor time from persons without disabilities in the same age group (figure 14 and figure 15). The distance and travel time of workers age 65 and older with disabilities could not be reliably estimated.

Density of Residence

In urban areas, persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities made shorter trips than persons without disabilities in the same age group in 2022 (7.7 v. 12.4 miles per day) (figure 17). There otherwise were no statistically significant differences in trip distance nor time (figure 16) between persons age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities in urban or rural areas.

Persons age 65 and older with disabilities also took shorter trips in urban areas than persons without disabilities living in the same area and of the same age (6.6 v. 11.7 miles per day) and additionally traveled a significantly shorter time per day (20.6 v. 24.7 minutes per day). There were no statistically significant differences in trip distance nor trip time among those age 65 and older with disabilities who lived in rural areas.

Changes over time

In urban areas, there were no statistically significant changes in the distance or time spent traveling by persons with disabilities age 18 to 64 nor age 65 and older between 2017 and 2022. However, in rural areas, trip time significantly increased from 2017 to 2022 among persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities, but no similar statistically significant change occurred for persons age 65 and older with disabilities who lived in rural areas. There were no other statistically significant changes among persons in either age group with disabilities living in rural or urban areas.

Figure 14: Average Trip Time by Travel-Limiting Disability and Employment Status, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the average travel time by workers and non-workers age 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to workers and non-workers 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over without disabilities. There were no significant differences across disability status in each age group.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 15: Average Trip Distance by Disability and Employment Status, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the average trip distance by workers and non-workers age 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to workers and non-workers 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over without disabilities. Non-workers age 18 to 64 with disabilities took shorter trips on average than people without disabilities but otherwise, there were no significant differences across disability status in each age group.

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 16: Average Trip Time by Disability Status and Density of Residence, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows average travel time by persons age 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to persons in the same age group without disabilities by density of residence. In urban areas, persons 65 and over with disabilities traveled a significantly shorter time per day but otherwise there were no significant differences.

 

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Figure 17: Average Trip Distance by Travel-Limiting Disability Status and Density of Residence, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows average trip distance by persons age 18 to 64 and all persons 65 and over reporting travel limiting disabilities in 2017 and 2022 compared to persons in the same age group without disabilities by density of residence. In urban areas, persons with disabilities age 18 to 64 and 65 and over made shorter trips than persons without disabilities in the same age group but otherwise there were no significant differences.

 

NA = could not be reliably estimated.

NOTE: Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

How Do People with Travel-Limiting Disabilities Compensate for Transportation Limitations?

By age

People with disabilities reported using a range of strategies to compensate—at least in part—for transportation limitations in 2022. These mutually exclusive strategies include (figure 18):

  • Asking others for rides (34.7 and 31.4 percent of persons age 18 to 64 and age 65 and older, respectively
  • Limiting travel to daytime (17.6 and 21.3 percent of persons age 18 to 64 and age 65 and older, respectively)
  • Used rideshare services (10.1 percent of persons age 18 to 64[8])
  • Using special transportation services, such as Dial-a-Ride or reduced-fare taxis (8.1 percent of persons age 18 to 64[8])

In many cases, however, people with disabilities simply traveled less often:

  • Reducing day-to-day travel (60.3 and 65.3 percent of persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over, respectively
  • Giving up driving (13.0 and 32.9 percent of persons age 18 to 64 and 65 and over, respectively)

The percent of persons in each age group with disabilities who used public transit less often could not be reliably estimated in 2022.

Changes over time

Compared to 2017, people age 18 to 64 with disabilities as well as people age 65 and older with disabilities used all of these compensating behaviors less often in 2022 (with the exception of using rideshare services, which was not asked in 2017). The decline was statistically significant except for the percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who gave up driving. The statistically significant decline in all other compensating strategies may be due to lower daily trip rates among persons with disabilities (1.7 in 2022 v. 2.6 in 2017 among persons age 18 to 64 and 1.1 v. 2.1, respectively, among persons age 65 and older) and more persons with disabilities electing not to travel at all on the day surveyed in 2022 (40.2 percent in 2022 v. 34.1 percent in 2017 among persons age 18 to 64 and 57.1 v. 44.7 percent, respectively, among persons age 65 and older).

Figure 18: Compensating Strategies for People with Travel-Limiting Disabilities, 2017 and 2022

The bar chart shows the percent of persons 18 to 64 and 65 and over reporting a travel limiting disability who used a compensating strategy in 2017 and 2022 by type of compensation. People with disabilities reported using a range of strategies to compensate—at least in part—for transportation limitations, with nearly two-thirds stating they reduced day-to-day travel.

NA = could not be reliably estimated

NOTE: Using rideshare services was not asked in 2017. Black bars show the 90 percent confidence interval. This is the range within which the value likely lies.

SOURCE: Calculations by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics from U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2022 National Household Travel Survey, available at https://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 2023

Rideshare Services

By age

People age 18 to 64 with disabilities used rideshare services (such as Uber and Lyft) at nearly the same frequency as persons without disabilities in 2022, with about one-fifth of each group using rideshare at least once in the 30 days prior to when surveyed in 2022 (22.6 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively). However, among those who used rideshare at least once, the average number of trips by persons age 18 to 64 with disabilities was significantly larger from those without in 2022 (5.1 v. 3.8 trips in past 30 days).

The percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who used rideshare at least once in the past 30 days could not be reliably estimated in 2022. Among those age 65 and older who used rideshare at least once in the 30 days prior to when surveyed in 2022, the average number of trips for persons with disabilities was not statistically different from those without disabilities in 2022.

Changes over time

In 2022, rideshare use by persons age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities was up from 2017 when only 4.6 and 12.4 percent, respectively, used the service at least once in the 30 days prior to when surveyed. The number of trips taken by those using rideshare was not collected in 2017; therefore, the change in the average number of trips taken could not be calculated.

The change in use by persons age 65 and older could not be calculated because the percent of persons age 65 and older with disabilities who used rideshare at least once in the 30 days prior to when surveyed could not be reliably estimated in 2022.

See the persons with travel-limiting disabilities dashboard at the end of this report for interactive visuals and detailed data. 


Explore the data

Select a characteristic from the drop down to view more details about the travel patterns of persons with disabilities.

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[1] Numbers in this report may sum exactly to their totals due to rounding.

[2] The 2017 National Household Travel Survey was conducted from Apr. 19, 2016 through Apr. 25, 2017. Given that a majority of the survey period was in 2016, household income is assumed to be in 2016 dollars.

[3] The six functioning domains are: seeing (even if wearing glasses), hearing (even if wearing hearing aids), mobility (walking or climbing stairs), communication (understanding or being understood by others), cognition (remembering or concentrating), and self-care (such as washing all over or dressing).

[4] The 2022 NHTS also asks about the use of any devices to aid the visually impaired or blind but it could not be reliably estimated among persons with disabilities.

[5] In this report, values with a relative standard error greater than 25 percent are suppressed due to not being reliable.

[6] The share of persons age 18 to 64 with a disability living in the two highest income categories could not be reliably estimated. The $100,000 to $125,999 income group was the highest income group that could be reliably estimated for persons with disabilities age 18 to 64.

[7] Based on 1-year American Community Survey estimates (table S1901).

[8] Percentage could not be reliably estimated for persons age 65 and older with disabilities.