Jared J Pehrson | March 5, 2025

What Are the Top 10 Disabilities?

About 13.4% of Arizona residents are living with a disability, including 30% of the state’s veterans. 

Disabled children, adults, and their dependents rely on several sources of benefits: 

  • Workers’ compensation provides temporary and permanent disability benefits for work-related illnesses and diseases
  • Disability insurance through an individual or group policy
  • Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits for service-connected disabilities
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) based on disability, age, and income
  • Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on disability and work credits

The largest disability benefits program is SSDI with 8.8 million disabled beneficiaries. The average benefit is $1,581 per month in 2025. In 2023, the average age of SSDI beneficiaries was 56 years old. Nearly one out of 11 disabled workers between 18 and 64 also received SSI. 

Below are the top ten disabilities among SSDI beneficiaries according to the SSDI’s 2023 Annual Statistical Report. 

1. Musculoskeletal System Disorders – 30.1%

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissues make up almost one-third of SSDI beneficiaries. 

Common types of disabling musculoskeletal disorders are: 

  • Arthritis
  • Amputation or loss of limb
  • Burns
  • Chronic lower back pain
  • Fractures
  • Osteoporosis

MSDs are also the leading cause of workplace injuries, accounting for 65% of workers’ comp claims. These disorders may be the result of an acute injury, repetitive strain, medical conditions, and aging. 

About one million people receiving SSDI have a disabling depressive disorder. Common forms include: 

  • Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), formerly known as two conditions: major depressive disorder and dysthymia
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Psychotic depression
  • Postpartum depression

Mental disorders of all types account for 34% of disabled SSDI beneficiaries, but depressive disorders are the most common type. 

3. Nervous System and Sense Organ Disorders – 10.1%

Disorders of the nervous system impair the transmission of signals between the brain and body. 

The most common nervous system disorders are: 

  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Brain injuries
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • Loss of vision

Every year, there are 18,000 new spinal cord injuries and 85,000 disabling brain injuries in the U.S. These disorders can affect everything from moving, seeing, and hearing to breathing, swallowing, and thinking. 

4. Intellectual Disorders – 9.0%

Intellectual disorders are neurodevelopmental conditions that impair adaptive and cognitive functioning and develop before adulthood. These disorders cause below-average intelligence and difficulty with learning, judgment, problem solving, and activities of daily living. 

Common examples are: 

  • Down syndrome, the leading chromosomal cause of intellectual disorders
  • Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most common preventable cause
  • Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited genetic cause
  • Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)

About 14% of working-age beneficiaries of SSDI and SSI have an intellectual disorder. 

5. Circulatory System Diseases – 6.7%

About 600,000 people receiving SSDI have a disease of the heart and circulatory system. 

Common types of cardiovascular diseases are: 

  • Stroke
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD)
  • Heart failure
  • Heart attack
  • Heart valve disease
  • Atherosclerosis

Heart disease is a general term that refers to many circulatory diseases. It’s the leading cause of death in the U.S. 

6. Schizophrenia Spectrum And Other Psychotic Disorders – 4.7%

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) cause debilitating symptoms such as: 

  • Delusions
  • Hallucinations
  • Disordered speech
  • Disorganized thinking
  • Flat emotional expression

Conditions that cause psychosis alter a person’s perception of reality, significantly impairing their ability to function in daily life. 

7. Other Mental Disorders – 4.5%

About 400,000 people receive SSDI due to a mental disorder other than depressive, intellectual, developmental, neurocognitive, and psychotic disorders. 

Mental disorders include: 

  • Trauma and stress-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety disorders like panic disorder and social anxiety disorder (SAD)
  • Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia
  • Somatic symptom disorder
  • Personality and impulse-control disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

This category does not include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is treated as its own category. 

8. Neoplasms – 3.1%

Neoplasms or tumors can be considered disabling and qualify for SSDI. More than 273,000 receive benefits for benign brain tumors and malignant cancers like breast, lung, and prostate cancer. 

9. Injuries – 3.0%

Over 300,000 people receive SSDI benefits due to an acute injury. Disabling injuries are often caused by car accidents, motorcycle accidents, workplace accidents, and slip and falls. 

10. Neurocognitive Disorders – 3.0%

Finally, over 266,000 SSDI beneficiaries have major neurocognitive disorder (MND) or dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form. Other forms of MND include vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia. 

If a life-changing accident has left you with a long-term disability, you may have options for compensation beyond disability benefits. An experienced legal team can help you explore your options to hold a negligent party accountable for your injuries. Schedule a free consultation today to explore whether you may be entitled to compensation.

If you were injured in an accident in Phoenix, AZ, and need legal help, contact our Phoenix personal injury attorneys at Impact Legal Car Accident Attorneys to schedule a free case review today.

We serve Maricopa County and Arizona’s surrounding areas.

Impact Legal Car Accident Attorneys
16202 N Cave Creek Rd Suite D, Phoenix, AZ 85032
(602) 345 -1818