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Long COVID, Cognitive Impairment, and the Stalled Decline in Disability Rates, Accessible Data
Figure 1. Prevalence of long COVID by demographic group
The chart consists of horizontal bars showing the percentage of each demographic group that has ever experienced long COVID. First, about 8 percent of men and 15 percent of women have had long COVID. Second, about 15 percent of those between ages 18 and 54, 12 percent of those aged 55 to 64, and 7 percent of those over 65 have had long COVID. Third, about 18 percent of Hispanics and Latinos have had long COVID, compared with 11 or 12 percent for white non-Hispanics, Black non-Hispanics, and other non-Hispanics. Fourth, about 9 percent of college graduates have had long COVID, compared with just over 15 percent of those without a college degree. In short, long COVID is especially prevalent among women, adults under 65, Hispanics and Latinos, and non–college graduates.
Note: This and all subsequent exhibits use sampling weights to obtain representative estimates.
Source: Census Household Pulse Survey and author’s calculations.
Figure 2. Physical and cognitive impairments associated with long COVID
The chart shows the share of Pulse respondents reporting physical and cognitive impairments as of summer 2022. Among those who currently have long COVID, about 18 percent report having a lot of difficulty remembering or concentrating, while just over 60 percent report having at least some difficulty doing so; about 9 percent have a lot of difficulty walking or climbing stairs, while about 35 percent have at least some difficulty doing so; and about 2 percent have a lot of difficulty dressing or bathing, while 12 percent have at least some difficulty doing so. Among those who have never had long COVID, about 4 percent have a lot of difficulty remembering or concentrating, and about 30 percent have at least some difficulty; about 2 percent have a lot of difficulty walking or climbing stairs, while 30 percent have at least some difficulty doing so; and under 1 percent have a lot of difficulty dressing or bathing, while 4 percent have at least some difficulty doing so. The chart also reports these statistics for individuals who previously had long COVID but no longer have symptoms. In all cases, impairment rates for this group are intermediate between the rates reported by those who currently have long COVID and those who have never had it. The overall impression is that long COVID is associated with substantial increases in rates of physical and cognitive impairment.
Note: Sample is restricted to ages 18–64. Dark portion of each bar (beneath the horizontal line) indicates “a lot” of difficulty; light portion of each bar (above the horizontal line) indicates “some” difficulty.
Source: Census Household Pulse Survey and author’s calculations.
Figure 3. Physical and cognitive impairments associated with long COVID
The chart consists of a single panel showing the share of CPS respondents reporting physical and cognitive impairments at monthly frequency between January 2017 and June 2022. The share with serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions was roughly constant before the pandemic, then rose from about 3 percent in February 2020 to 3.6 percent in June 2022. The share with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs was trending down before the pandemic, but has remained roughly constant at around 3.7 percent during the pandemic. The share with serious difficulty running errands was roughly constant at around 2.5 percent before the pandemic, but has been modestly elevated during the pandemic. The share with serious difficulty dressing or bathing was trending down slightly before the pandemic and has been slightly elevated during the pandemic. The main impression is that physical and cognitive impairments have been elevated during the pandemic, especially in the case of difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions.
Note: Sample is restricted to ages 18–64. Vertical bar indicates February 2020. Dashed lines are extrapolations of 2017–19 trends.
Source: Current Population Survey and author’s calculations.
Figure 4. Serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions
The chart consists of two panels showing the share of CPS respondents reporting serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions, at monthly frequency from January 2017 through June 2022, separately by gender and by collegiate status. In the top panel, this share was roughly constant for both men and women before the pandemic, just above 3 percent for men and just under 3 percent for women. During the pandemic, this share has risen to 3.6 percent for both genders, implying a steeper increase for women than for men. In the bottom panel a little over 1 percent of college graduates and about 4 percent of non–college graduates had serious difficulty before the pandemic. During the pandemic, this share has risen to 1.5 percent for college graduates and to 4.7 percent for non–college graduates, implying a steeper increase for those without a college degree.
Note: Sample is restricted to ages 18–64. Vertical bar indicates February 2020. Dashed lines are extrapolations of 2017–19 trends.
Source: Current Population Survey and author’s calculations.
Figure 5. Non-participation due to disability, illness, or inability to work
The chart consists of a single panel showing the share of CPS respondents who are out of the labor force due to disability or illness, at monthly frequency from January 2017 through June 2022. This share was in steady decline in the lead up to the pandemic, falling from 6.6 percent in January 2017 to 6.1 percent in February 2020, but has remained roughly constant during the pandemic and was 6.1 percent in June 2022. The chart illustrates that the trend decline in disability has stalled during the pandemic.
Note: Sample is restricted to ages 18–64. Vertical bar indicates February 2020. Dashed lines are extrapolations of 2017–19 trends.
Source: Current Population Survey and author’s calculations.
Figure 6. Non-participation due to disability accompanied by cognitive impairment
The chart consists of two panels showing the share of CPS respondents who were simultaneously (i) out of the labor force due to disability and (ii) experiencing serious difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions, at monthly frequency from January 2017 to June 2022, separately by gender and collegiate status. In the top panel, the share of men with serious difficulty has remained roughly constant at around 1.8 percent during the full period shown. By contrast, the share for women was declining modestly in the years lead up to the pandemic, but rose from 1.5 percent in February 2020 to 1.8 percent in June 2022. In the bottom panel, the share of college graduates with serious difficulty has been roughly 1 percent for the full period shown, whereas the share for non–college graduates was trending lower in the years leading up to the pandemic, but has risen from 2.3 percent in February 2020 to 2.6 percent in June 2022. The chart illustrates that women and those without a college degree—two groups with higher rates of long COVID—have exhibited an increasing probability of being out of the labor force due to disability while also having serious cognitive impairment.
Note: Sample is restricted to ages 18–64. Vertical bar indicates February 2020. Dashed lines are extrapolations of 2017–19 trends.
Source: Current Population Survey and author’s calculations.