South Dakota Leads US States for Disability Employment as National Disability Employment Awareness Month Begins

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As National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins, new research has highlighted the US states where people with disabilities have the strongest employment rates. South Dakota ranks first, followed by North Dakota and Nebraska, while Colorado and Utah also feature prominently, offering a snapshot of employment participation across America.

• South Dakota leads other states with the highest disability employment rate.
• North Dakota ties second with Nebraska, and Colorado is in third.
• Utah ranks fourth for disability employment with Wyoming rounding out the top five.

Which US state has the highest disability employment rate?

South Dakota ranks first, recording a disability employment rate of 59% among working-age adults aged 18 to 64 with disabilities.

According to research by autism therapy app Autism360, 35,236 disabled people are employed in South Dakota out of a disabled population of 59,742 in the 18-to-64 age group.

The finding places South Dakota at the top of the national ranking and gives the state a narrow lead over several other states in the northern and western United States.

The research used data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and compared employment among disabled working-age adults across all 50 states.

The measure is based on the proportion of people with disabilities who are employed, rather than simply the total number of disabled workers. A study from autism therapy app Autism360 has revealed South Dakota as the number one US state for disability employment. 

Top 10 US states for disability employment – National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Which states follow South Dakota?

North Dakota and Nebraska share second place, with both recording a disability employment rate of 57.4%.

North Dakota has 27,677 employed disabled people from a disabled population of 48,186 aged 18 to 64. Nebraska has a considerably larger population in the same category, with 69,459 disabled people employed out of 121,052.

The identical percentage puts both states immediately behind South Dakota, highlighting the strong employment participation recorded across parts of the Great Plains.

Colorado ranks third, with a disability employment rate of 57.3%. The state has 208,103 employed disabled people from a population of 363,341.

Colorado’s figures are particularly notable because it has the largest number of employed disabled people among the ten highest-ranking states in the study.

How does Utah perform?

Utah ranks fourth, recording a disability employment rate of 57.2%.

The state has 118,272 employed disabled people from a disabled population of 206,731 aged between 18 and 64.

Utah therefore sits just 1.8 percentage points behind South Dakota, demonstrating how closely grouped the leading states are.

The result also places Utah ahead of Wyoming, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire and Minnesota in the study’s top ten.

For employers and policymakers, the figures provide an indication of where disability employment participation is comparatively high, although the reasons behind differences between states cannot be established from the ranking alone.

Which state completes the top five?

Wyoming ranks fifth, with a disability employment rate of 56.1%.

The state employs 20,648 disabled people from a disabled population of 36,821 in the relevant working-age group.

Although Wyoming has the smallest number of employed disabled people among the top five, its employment rate remains above 56%.

The result means that all five leading states recorded disability employment rates exceeding 56%, with South Dakota remaining the only state in the study to reach 59%.

Which other states make the top 10?

Iowa ranks sixth with a disability employment rate of 53.7%. The state has 109,371 employed disabled people from a disabled population of 203,839.

Idaho follows in seventh place at 53.1%, with 80,121 employed disabled people from a population of 150,853.

Kansas ranks eighth, recording a rate of 52.9%. Its figures show 103,129 disabled people employed from a disabled population of 195,131.

New Hampshire takes ninth place at 52.4%, with 51,673 employed disabled people from a disabled population of 98,670.

Minnesota completes the top ten with a rate of 52.3%. It records 183,604 employed disabled people from a disabled population of 350,750.

Minnesota has the second-highest number of employed disabled people among the ten states, behind Colorado.

What does the ranking reveal about disability employment?

The figures show that disability employment rates vary considerably between US states, while also demonstrating that several states have relatively high levels of participation among disabled working-age adults.

The leading positions are concentrated largely in the northern Great Plains, Mountain West and Upper Midwest. South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah occupy the first five positions, followed by Wyoming, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas and New Hampshire.

However, an employment rate should not be interpreted as a complete measure of workplace inclusion. It indicates the share of the disabled working-age population that is employed, but does not explain factors such as wages, working hours, job quality, career progression, workplace accessibility or whether employment is full-time or part-time.

Those distinctions are important when considering disability employment beyond a simple state-by-state ranking.

Why is disability employment relevant to the travel industry?

Disability employment is particularly relevant to the travel and tourism sector because the industry depends on a broad workforce spanning aviation, hotels, restaurants, attractions, cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators and destination management organisations.

Accessible recruitment and workplace practices can widen the potential talent pool while helping tourism businesses reflect the diverse communities they serve.

The same principle applies to customer experience. Employees with different lived experiences can contribute valuable perspectives when businesses assess accessibility, service design and the practical needs of travellers with disabilities.

For hotels, airports, attractions and other tourism businesses, disability inclusion can therefore have implications beyond recruitment. It can form part of wider accessibility strategies covering facilities, communication, digital services and guest assistance.

Why does National Disability Employment Awareness Month matter?

National Disability Employment Awareness Month provides an opportunity to examine the contribution of workers with disabilities and the barriers that can restrict access to employment.

The timing of the study puts additional attention on state-level differences and the importance of measuring employment participation.

Research such as the Autism360 analysis can help identify where employment rates are comparatively strong, although it should be considered alongside broader economic, demographic and workplace data.

For businesses, the wider lesson is that employment inclusion requires more than recruitment targets. Accessible workplaces, reasonable accommodations, supportive management, career development and inclusive hiring practices can all influence whether disabled people can enter and remain in the workforce.

What are the key figures from the top 10?

The research places South Dakota first at 59%, followed by North Dakota and Nebraska, both at 57.4%.

Colorado records 57.3%, while Utah reaches 57.2%. Wyoming follows at 56.1%, with Iowa at 53.7%, Idaho at 53.1% and Kansas at 52.9%.

New Hampshire records 52.4%, while Minnesota completes the top ten at 52.3%.

The relatively narrow gap between several leading states makes the ranking notable. From South Dakota’s 59% to Minnesota’s 52.3%, the difference across the top ten is 6.7 percentage points.

The figures offer a useful starting point for examining disability employment across the US, while further research would be required to understand why rates differ and how employment quality varies between states.

What does this mean for employers?

For employers across tourism and other service industries, the findings underline the value of considering disability inclusion as part of workforce strategy.

A high employment rate does not automatically mean that every workplace is accessible or inclusive. Equally, a lower state-level rate does not necessarily indicate poor employer practices, as employment outcomes can be influenced by numerous social and economic factors.

The most useful approach is therefore to treat the data as an indicator rather than a definitive assessment of workplace inclusion.

As National Disability Employment Awareness Month gets under way, the ranking brings renewed attention to the participation of disabled people in the US workforce and the continuing importance of creating employment opportunities that are accessible, equitable and sustainable.