Compilation and Expansion A: Statistics on the Blind and Low Vision Population - Compendium (2026)

Statistics on the Blind and Low Vision Population

This section presents statistics on people with blindness and vision disabilities in the United States. People who are blind or have low vision range from engaging in their lives with entirely non-visual strategies all the way to people who may just need magnification or supplemental lighting to see certain tasks, or those who may have a reduced field of vision. And just as the level of vision is widely varied, all other human characteristics will vary as well, with blind and low vision people coming from all economic backgrounds, races and ethnicities, and other demographic factors. With this diversity in mind, we invite you to explore the following tables for key outcome and quality of life measures, where blindness or low vision, and the societal barriers and attitudes about those disabilities, are likely to have significant impact on people’s lives. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status or disability type) are based on having responded yes to one or more questions within the American Community Survey (see Glossary for details).

Tables starting with the letter “A” are found only in this Compilation and Expansion. Numbered tables are from other Sections in the Compendium. For the complete Compendium please go to https://www.researchondisability.org/ADSC/.

This expansion was authored by and made in collaboration with our partners at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Dr. Sarahelizabeth Baguhn and Dr. Arielle Silverman. For more statistics on the blind and low vision community please go to https://afb.org/stats.

Tables

Table A.1: In 2024, the portion of the United States population with blindness or low vision (as measured by the question “Are you blind or do you have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses”) was 8,537,000, up from 8,291,000 in 2023. This table includes statistics on demographics such as race, ethnicity, and age groups. Table A.1 Demographics - Civilians with Vision Disabilities Living in the Community by Demographic: 2024

Table 1.5: The state with the largest blind or low vision population in 2024 was Texas/TX with 889,000 individuals. The states with the smallest population in 2024 were Vermont/VT and Wyoming/WY with 13,000 individuals. Puerto Rico/PR had the highest rate of vision disability per capita (7.3%). Table 1.5 Civilians with Vision Disabilities Living in the Community for the United States and States: 2024

Table 2.3: People with vision disabilities may experience impacts on their ability to perform self-care or independent living tasks. This may be a proxy for the severity or impact the vision disability has in the person’s day to day life. Some individuals may report self-care or independent living disabilities due to a separate disability other than vision as well. 14.5% of people in the United States with vision disabilities report a self-care disability, and 26.5% report an independent living disability. Table 2.3 Functioning - Civilians with Vision and Self-Care or Independent Living Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for the United States and States: 2024

Table 2.4: People with visual disabilities may experience disability with self-care tasks or independent living tasks. The ACS does not differentiate whether this experience is caused by vision difficulties, or if a person is experiencing other co-occurring disabilities. However, since vision loss can impact both self-care and independent living, these rates are of interest. It is important to note that some people with vision difficulty, including some people who are totally blind, may not experience disability in these areas after having access to adequate education or rehabilitation services that equip them with the appropriate skills and assistive technologies to perform tasks independently and efficiently using alternate methods. There are also features of the community environment, such as quality of mass transit systems, that impact blind and low vision individuals’ access to independent living, which is measured by a question about doing errands alone. Table 2.4 Functioning - Civilians with Vision and Both or Only Self-Care and Independent Living Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for the United States and States: 2024

Table 3.3: This table shows the employment of people with and without vision disabilities. The relative ratio shows the percentage of people with vision difficulties employed relative to their sighted peers in that state. A ratio of 1 would indicate that people with vision difficulties are as likely to be employed as those who are sighted. A ratio of 0.5 indicates that people with vision difficulties are half as likely to be employed as their sighted neighbors. Table 3.3 Employment to Population Ratio - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community by Employment Status for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.2: This table shows the industries in which people work. Some industries show similar representation of workers with and without vision difficulties, while others such as Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services have a large gap. Table A.2 Industry and Occupation - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community by Industry in the United States: 2024

Table A.3: This table shows the occupations in which people work. People with vision difficulties are more likely than sighted peers to work in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations, but less likely to work in business and financial operations. People with vision difficulties are more likely than sighted peers to work in healthcare support occupations, but less likely to work as healthcare practitioners. Table A.3 Industry and Occupation - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community by Occupation in the United States: 2024

Table A.4: The median earnings for people employed full time show a large gap, with sighted people frequently outearning blind and low vision individuals. Nationally, the gap is as much as $12,183.00. The most egregious pay gap was $25,381.00 in both Massachusetts/MA and Rhode Island/RI. States with a p-value greater than .05 indicate that the data did not provide adequate evidence that the gap was significantly different than zero. Table A.4 Earnings - Annual Median Earnings Full-Time, Full-Year Civilian Workers Ages 18-64 with and without Disabilities (in 2024 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars): 2024

Table 6.3: Perhaps unsurprisingly following table A.4 showing the lower earnings of people employed full time who have vision difficulties, the poverty rates are also unequal between groups. The relative ratios of 2 and above indicate states where a person who is blind or low vision is twice as likely to live in poverty as someone without a vision disability. In some states, people with vision difficulties are three times more likely to live in poverty. [Table 6.3 Poverty - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community and Experiencing Poverty for the United States and States: 2024]

Table A.5: Technology access to the internet opens many opportunities for education, employment, and community access. Nationally, people with vision difficulties are nearly twice as likely to live in a home without internet access as sighted individuals. As seen by relative ratios above 3.0, in some states they may even be three times more likely to live without internet access. Table A.5 Technology Access - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community in a Home Environment that Lacks Internet Access for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.6: Access to high speed internet provides a robust internet connection for opportunities for education, employment, and community access. Nationally, people with vision difficulties are nearly one and a half times as likely to live in a home without high speed internet as sighted individuals. As seen by relative ratios above 2, in some states they may even be twice as likely to live without high speed internet access. Table A.6 Technology Access - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community in a Home Environment that Lacks High Speed Internet Access for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.7: Technology access to the internet and a home computer opens many opportunities for education, employment, and community access. People with vision difficulties are twice as likely to live in a home without computer access than sighted individuals. As seen by relative ratios above 2.0, in some states they may even be twice as likely to live without a home computer. Table A.7 Technology Access - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community in a Home Environment that Lacks a Computer for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.8: Another common form of internet access at home is a smartphone or tablet. People who have vision difficulties are two and a half times more likely to live in a home without access to these essential access tools. Smartphones include a range of assistive technology apps that can provide text reading, money identification, color identification, and other specially designed features to support people who are blind or have low vision, so this lack of access becomes two-fold. It is not only a limitation in accessing the internet at large, but also reduces the range of assistive technologies available to the individual. Table A.8 Technology Access - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community in a Home Environment that Lacks a Smartphone or Tablet for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.9: Sometimes called the paper ceiling, a 4-year college degree is required to enter some careers. Nationally, people who have vision difficulties are about as likely as other disabled people to attain this education. However, some states seem to have large disparities in college completion, such as Montana where people with vision difficulties are only about half as likely to complete a 4-year degree. Table A.9 Education - Civilians with Vision Disabilities compared to those with Other Disabilities Ages 25 to 64 Years Living in the Community with a 4-Year College Degree or Greater for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.10: Sometimes called the paper ceiling, a 4-year college degree is required to enter some careers. Nationally, people who have vision difficulties are half as likely as non-disabled people to attain this education. Montana/MT has the largest disparity with people with vision difficulties completing college at just under a third the rate of their non-disabled neighbors. Table A.10 Education - Civilians with and without Vision Disabilities Ages 25 to 64 Years Living in the Community with a 4-Year College Degree or Greater for the United States and States: 2024

Table A.11: Of the 131,366 people awarded Social Security Disability Insurance benefits because of Blindness, 108,415 are workers, 2,080 are widow(er)s, and 20,871 are Disabled Adult Children, (go to the Glossary for more details). Nationally, the mean monthly benefit is $1,537 while the median monthly benefit is $1,410. Table A.11 Social Security Disability Insurance - Number of Recipients of Social Security Disability Benefits Because of Blindness, and Average Monthly Benefit Amount for All Disabilities: December 2024