Disability Benefit Access by Industry (Private Industry Workers, March 2024)

This table compares access to short-term and long-term disability insurance across major U.S. industries as of March 2024, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Coverage rates vary sharply by sector, white-collar fields such as finance and professional services offer the strongest protection, while retail, construction, and leisure and hospitality workers remain the most underinsured. The gaps highlight where employees are most vulnerable to denied or uncovered disability benefits under ERISA-governed plans.

**Lowest protection: Leisure & hospitality, retail trade, and construction, each with under 25% long-term disability access. **Highest protection: Finance, insurance, and professional/technical services, each exceeding 55% access to long-term disability. **National context: Across all private industries, only 34% of workers have long-term disability coverage, confirming that millions of employees are unprotected against income loss and more vulnerable to ERISA-related denials.
Chart: J. Price McNamara Source: BLSDownload imageCreated with Datawrapper