Arthritis Hinders Work for Many

The CDC reports that roughly a quarter to a half of U.S. adults of working age with arthritis say their arthritis affects their work.

For the first time, the CDC has state-by-state statistics on the percentage of adults of working age (18-64) with arthritis-related work limitations.

Data came from a 2003 CDC survey of about 350,000 U.S. adults.

Among all adults of working age, the prevalence of those reporting arthritis-related work limitations ranged from 3.4% in Hawaii to 15% in Kentucky.

Participants were asked if they had ever been diagnosed by a doctor or other health professional with some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia.

Among those who answered yes to that question, the prevalence of those reporting arthritis-related work limitations ranged from 25.1% in Nevada to 51.3% in Kentucky.

Nearly 46 million U.S. adults have arthritis, according to background information from the CDC.

Here's how the states, territories, and Washington, D.C., ranked in the prevalence of adults of working age with self-reported arthritis and arthritis-attributable work limitations. Those with the same percentages are listed together.

State Rankings


Kentucky: 51.3%
Mississippi: 44.7%
Oklahoma: 41.9%
Missouri: 41.8%
West Virginia: 41.7%
Tennessee: 40.5%
Guam: 40.2%
Arkansas: 40%
North Carolina: 39.1%
Georgia: 39%
Louisiana: 38.8%
Alabama: 38.1%
South Carolina: 37.2%
Florida: 36.3%
Idaho: 35.8%
California: 35.7%
New York: 35.5%
South Dakota: 35%
Arizona and Texas: 34.8%
Indiana: 34.7%
Minnesota: 34.6%
U.S. Virgin Islands: 34.2%
Virginia: 33.7%
Washington: 33.2%
Maine: 33.1%
New Mexico: 33%
Vermont: 32.6%
Utah: 32.4%
Oregon: 32.3%
Montana: 31.9%
Massachusetts: 31.8%
Ohio: 31.7%
Nebraska and North Dakota: 30.8%
Alaska: 30.7%
Rhode Island: 30.2%
Maryland: 29.6%
Delaware and Wyoming: 29.1%
Wisconsin: 28.7%
Pennsylvania: 28.6%
Iowa: 28.2%
Colorado: 28%
Illinois: 27.9%
New Hampshire: 27.7%
Kansas: 27.5%
New Jersey: 26.9%
Hawaii: 26.5%
Connecticut: 25.7%
Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico: 25.5%
Nevada: 25.1%