Definition: Estimated percentage of children ages 0-17 with one or more serious difficulties in hearing, vision, cognitive ability, ambulatory ability, self-care, or independent living (e.g., in 2024, 4.5% of California children had major disabilities).
Data Source: Population Reference Bureau, analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey summary files and public use microdata (Aug. 2026).
Footnote: Estimates exclude children in institutional group quarters and those in the active-duty military. Major disabilities include serious difficulties in hearing and vision among all children, serious difficulties in cognitive ability, ambulatory ability, and self-care among children ages 5-17, and serious difficulties in independent living among children ages 15-17. These estimates are based on a survey of the population and are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. Data for 2020 are not available due to disruptions in data collection. N/A means that data are not available.
