FACT BRIEFDo people with disabilities make up Nevada's largest minority group?
NO
Estimates vary, but while people with disabilities make up a significant percentage of Nevada’s population, they do not appear to be the largest minority group.
On the low end, the U.S. Census Bureau most recently reported that 8.5% of Nevada’s population under 65 had a disability. In contrast, Hispanic and Black Nevadans made up 29.9% and 10.6% of the state’s population, respectively. Females made up 49.6% of the population.
On the high end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted more than 711,000 Nevadans in total with a disability, or about one in four, according to a web page last updated May 28, 2022.
The Census Bureau uses two surveys to count disability, logging self reports of physical, cognitive, or emotional impairment that interfere with a person’s ability to work and live. However, low participation among people with disabilities causes undercounts, leading the bureau to classify them as a “hard-to-count” population.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Census QuickFacts | Nevada
Centers for Disease Control Disability & Health U.S. State Profile Data: Nevada
US Census How Disability Data are Collected from The American Community Survey
US Census Counting the Hard to Count in a Census
National Disability Rights Network The Need for Disability Inclusion and Representation in Federal Data
The Nevada Independent is a proud participant in The Gigafact Project — an initiative to safeguard democracy and spread accurate information.
Have you seen a claim online that you want fact-checked? Send us a link here.