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• Number of blind persons in this country: 1.1 million
  (AFB Sept./Oct. JVIB & Chiang, et al., 1992, Milbank Quarterly)
• Number of blind school age children: 57,425
  (APH, Federal Quota Census of January 1998)
• Number of blind seniors, 65 and over (3.5% of the population 65 and over): 787,691 (Chiang, et al., 1992)
• Projected number of seniors who will be blind:
  Year 2015: 1.6 million
  Year 2030: 2.4 million
  (Based on using Chiang's % of the general population who were blind as of 1990 and using general population estimates from the U.S. Census)
• Employment:
  Number of working age blind who are unemployed: 74%
  (AFB Sept./Oct. JVIB Kirchner & Schneidler, 1997)
• Cost of blindness:
  Estimated annual costs of blindness to the federal government: $4 billion
  (Prevent Blindness America, 1994)
• Cost of a lifetime of support and unpaid taxes for one blind person: $916,000
  (Figured using SSI & SSDI average payments and unpaid tax estimates)
• Total Population of the United States
  About 262 million (1994-95).
• Estimated number of blind & visually impaired people of all ages, including institutionalized and homeless people 7 to 10 million (1994-5).
• Estimated number of blind & visually impaired people who live in households (i.e., excluding institutionalized and homeless) of all ages 6 to 8 million (1994-5).
  Note: Only people who live in households, including those who live alone, are covered by surveys used for statistics on employment. The range of estimates exists because various national studies use different definitions and methods.
• Estimated number and percentage of household-based blind & visually impaired people who are of working age, defined as 18 through 69 years old About 2 to 3 million (1994-95) or 35-40% of all blind & visually impaired household-based people.
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of working age (18 to 69 years old) blind & visually impaired people who are employed 1 to 1.3 million people or 40-45% (1994-95).
• Not Employed: estimated number and percentage of working age (18 to 69 years old) blind & visually impaired people who are not employed 1 to 1.7 million people or 55-60% (1994-95).
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of working age (18 to 69 years old) who are employed About 160,000 people or 30% (1994-95).
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of working age (18 to 69 years old) who are not employed About 375,000 people or 70% (1994-95).
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired (excluding legally blind) people of working age (18 to 69 years old) who are employed About 1.1 million people or 45% (1994-95).
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired (excluding legally blind) people of working age (18 69 years old) who are not employed About 1.4 million people or 55% (1994-95).
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of blind & visually impaired people of working age, by age category, who are employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 868,000 people or 54% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 217,000 people or 22% (1994-95)
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of blind & visually impaired people of working age, by age category, who are not employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 740,000 people or 46% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 769,000 people or 78% (1994-95)
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of working age, by age category,
  who are employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 145,000 people or 42% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 17,000 people or 9% (1994-95)
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of working age, by age category,
  who are not employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 200,000 people or 58% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 171,000 people or 91% (1994-95)
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired people (excluding legally blind) of working age,
  by age category, who are employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 year About 733,000 people or 59% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 149,000 people or 20% (1994-95)
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired people (excluding legally blind) of working age,
  by age category, who are not employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 509,000 people or 41% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 598,000 people or 80% (1994-95)
• Employed: estimated number and percentage of the general population with no serious impairments, of working age, who are employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 97,649,000 people or 82% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 11,453,000 people or 54% (1994-95)
• Not employed: estimated number and percentage of the general population with no serious impairments, of working age, who are not employed:
  Ages 18 through 54 years About 21,435,000 people or 18% (1994-95)
  Ages 55 through 69 years About 9,756,000 people or 46% (1994-95)