With October being National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the average monthly Social Security disability benefit of $1,403 barely enough to live on, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s Best & Worst Cities for People With Disabilities, as well as expert commentary. The report aims to ease the process of finding an affordable and accessible place to live while managing a disability.
WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 33 key indicators of disability-friendliness. The data set ranges from wheelchair-accessible facilities per capita to the rate of workers with disabilities to the quality of the public hospital system.
| Best Cities for People With Disabilities | Worst Cities for People With Disabilities | |
| 1. Scottsdale, AZ | 173. Huntsville, AL | |
| 2. Minneapolis, MN | 174. Anchorage, AK | |
| 3. Columbus, OH | 175. South Burlington, VT | |
| 4. St. Louis, MO | 176. Winston-Salem, NC | |
| 5. St. Paul, MN | 177. Mobile, AL | |
| 6. Huntington Beach, CA | 178. Juneau, AK | |
| 7. Pittsburgh, PA | 179. Montgomery, AL | |
| 8. Gilbert, AZ | 180. Jackson, MS | |
| 9. Irvine, CA | 181. Pearl City, HI | |
| 10. Chandler, AZ | 182. Gulfport, MS |
Best vs. Worst
- Fort Smith, Arkansas, has the highest share of people with disabilities living in the area, which is 3.6 times higher than in Irvine, California, the city with the lowest.
- Overland Park, Kansas, has the lowest share of people with disabilities living in poverty, which is 5.3 times lower than in Cleveland, Ohio, the city with the highest.
- Gulfport, Mississippi, has the lowest median annual cost of in-home services, which is 2.9 times lower than in Santa Rosa, California, the city with the highest.
- Fremont, California, has the highest median annual earnings for people with disabilities, which is 6.4 times higher than in Burlington, Vermont, the city with the lowest.
