Disability-Owned Business Fact Sheet

Roughly 23% of U.S. adults live with a disability, and they’re more likely to become entrepreneurs than those without a disability, underscoring the need for an ecosystem that supports their success.

Key Statistics

9.4 Million Business Owners

28% of entrepreneurs (9.4 million business owners) identify as having a disability or experience functional difficulties. Of these, 2.6 million (8% of entrepreneurs) have more significant functional limitations.

3.8 Million Business Owners with Employees

Entrepreneurs with disabilities are more likely to have W-2 employees (40%) than those without (27%). Among those with more significant functional limitations, 41% (1 million) are employers.

Leading in Entrepreneurship

Adults with disabilities are about 1.3 times more likely to be entrepreneurs than those without — driven by both innovation and barriers in traditional workplaces.

Workplace Inclusion

Disability-owned businesses hire people with disabilities at 10× the rate of other companies. (Source: Disability:IN)

Economic Impact

Entrepreneurs with disabilities generated an estimated $493 billion in sales and receipts in 2024; those with more significant limitations generated $123 billion.

Innovating with AI

Entrepreneurs with disabilities are more than twice as likely to use generative AI in their business than those without disabilities (22% vs. 10%).

Mission & Community Focused

Entrepreneurs with disabilities prioritize community impact and are more likely to be mission-driven than other businesses (43% vs. 31%).

Health Coverage Gaps Force Closures

51% of former entrepreneurs without disabilities closed their business due to a lack of affordable health insurance — rising to 59% for those with disabilities and 80% for those with greater functional limitations.

Facing Barriers to Support

Entrepreneurs with disabilities are more likely to face challenges accessing support (76% vs. 65%), especially finding role models, getting support from family, and using Small Business Development Centers.

The Revenue Gap

Entrepreneurs with disabilities report average annual revenues of about $61,000 — less than half the $135,000 reported by entrepreneurs without disabilities.

The Missed Opportunity

Closing the revenue gap could drive $776 billion more into our economy each year. That’s the opportunity we unlock when entrepreneurs with disabilities have equitable access to financing, health coverage, and essential support.

Closing Message

Entrepreneurs with disabilities don’t just start businesses — they drive local economies, build inclusive workplaces, and lead on innovation, even while facing steeper barriers to health coverage and essential support.

Let’s start new conversations about how we can work together to support underserved small businesses across the U.S.

Contact: [email protected]

Note and Sources

Sources: Author’s calculations using the NORC at the University of Chicago Entrepreneurship in the Population (EPOP) Survey Project Restricted Use Data File: 2024 (epop.norc.org ), unless otherwise specified. For additional analysis of small businesses owned by people with disabilities, including a careful analysis of many trends relevant to the statistics reported here, see the National Disability Institute’s 2022 Report on Small Business Owners with Disabilities

Note: “Entrepreneurs with disabilities” refers to business owners who reported experiencing “a lot of difficulty” or being unable to do at all at least one activity such as seeing, hearing, walking or climbing, concentrating or remembering, washing or dressing, speaking or communicating, or doing errands. “Those with more significant limitations” refers specifically to individuals who indicated they cannot perform at least one of these activities at all.