Data Sources

All statistics on this site are derived from two primary sources:

U.S. Census Bureau - American Community Survey (ACS)

Dataset: 2023 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023 collection period)

Tables used:

  • S1810 - Disability Characteristics: prevalence by type, age, sex, race, and employment status
  • DP03 - Selected Economic Characteristics: median income, poverty rates, employment data

Geography levels: State, County, and Place (city/town/CDP)

The ACS 5-Year Estimates provide the most reliable data for small geographic areas by pooling responses over a 60-month period, ensuring sufficient sample sizes even for smaller communities.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Data includes:

  • SSDI approval rates at initial, reconsideration, and hearing levels by state
  • Average processing and wait times by state
  • Denial rates and appeal success rates

Sources: SSA Annual Statistical Reports, Office of Hearings Operations data, and administrative records compiled from SSA.gov, disability advocacy organizations, and legal research.

Data Processing

  1. Collection

    We query the Census Bureau API for disability (S1810) and economic (DP03) data at state, county, and place levels across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

  2. Geographic Mapping

    Places (cities, towns, CDPs) are mapped to their containing counties using Census Bureau gazetteer files and FCC Geocoder API verification for accuracy.

  3. Data Validation

    Census API sentinel values (such as missing data indicators) are identified and replaced with "Data Not Available" labels. All percentages are calculated from raw population counts to ensure accuracy.

  4. Content Generation

    Each page is generated with unique, location-specific content that interweaves disability prevalence, economic indicators, SSDI process information, and useful resources.

  5. Quality Assurance

    Automated checks verify internal link integrity, breadcrumb accuracy, schema markup validity, and data consistency across all 35,000+ pages.

Limitations

  • ACS estimates carry margins of error, particularly for smaller communities. We present point estimates without confidence intervals for readability.
  • SSDI approval rates vary by individual circumstances and are presented as state-level averages, not predictions for individual cases.
  • Some very small places may show "N/A" where Census data suppresses figures to protect respondent privacy.
  • Place-to-county mapping may contain minor inaccuracies for places that span multiple counties; we assign to the primary county.

Update Schedule

This site uses the most recently available ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). We plan to update when the Census Bureau releases new estimates, typically in December of each year. SSDI process data is updated as new administrative records become available.