Imagine taking the entire population of Florida and combining it with the entire population of California. That is quite a lot of people. In fact, it is over 54 million people and 19 percent of the United States population, or in other words, one out of every five Americans. According to the United States Census Bureau, it is the same amount of people who reported at least some level of disability in the year 2005. The numbers from the census were definitely up from the last census taken in 2002.

While not all people reporting disabilities were found to be severely disabled, nearly 35 million were indeed classified as severely disabled. In addition, nearly 11 million of those with disabilities that were age 6 years and older needed help with everyday activities, such as taking a shower or bath and getting around inside the home.

The census also found that many disabled people are still holding jobs. In the age group of people 21 to 64, nearly 46 percent were still employed. Thirty-one percent of people with severe disabilities were employed, and 75 percent of those with disabilities labeled as non-severe were employed.

While many people automatically think of physical limitations such as being in a wheelchair when they think of disabilities, more than 16 million of those with disabilities were classified as having difficulty with mental functioning, emotional functioning and cognitive functioning. This group of disabled people included those who are severely anxious or depressed, and those who have issues concentrating, dealing with stress, and functioning in social situations.

The census found that the likelihood of having a disability increased with age. Over 18 million adults over the age of 64 were disabled in 2005. Out of that 18 million, almost 13 million were labeled as having a severe disability. For those 80 years old and older the likelihood increased; Seventy-one percent of people over 80 were disabled, and 56 percent of those were severely disabled.

Although it is more likely that older Americans will be disabled, there were still many children with disabilities involved in the census. Parents reported a whopping 475,000 children with disabilities from age 3 to 5 years old, and 228,000 children age 3 or under were reported as having a disability.