A popular saying is, "If it gets measured, it gets done." Explore publications on the collection and use of data to track the number of people in competitive jobs.
You can find more information that describe national and state level findings on competitive integrated employment outcomes at StateData.
For examples of how states use data, check out our State Agency Promising Practices.
Accurate, accessible data empowers states to make informed decisions, drive systems change, and improve employment outcomes for people with IDD. View this 1-page resource to learn how to analyze state trends and ask the right strategic questions.
This Special Issue Data Brief examines the employment experiences and outcomes of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who receive services through state IDD systems. Using data from nearly 17,000 adults across 30 states and Washington, DC, the brief explores rates of community employment, the types of jobs and industries people work in, and how individuals spend their time throughout the week.
This guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for using national and state-level data to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. It offers practical tools, dataset overviews, and examples to help policymakers, administrators, and advocates make data-informed decisions that expand inclusive workforce opportunities. Read the guide.
Data Note No. 95, 2025
This Data Note discusses the definition of competitive integrated employment (CIE) under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and its role as a goal for federally funded employment services. It highlights the national shift toward CIE for people with IDD, promoting community participation and self-sufficiency, and provides guidance on identifying valid CIE outcome data.Report, 2015
This report summarizes the employment and economic outcomes for young adults with intellectual disabilities between 2006 and 2013 in the nation’s 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). Data are reported separately for two age groups: 16 to 21 years old, and 22 to 30 years old. Data are from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 (RSA-911), and the National Core Indicators (NCI).
National Core Indicators™ (NCI™) data provide an important window on the employment and outcomes that may be related to employment (such as friendships, choice-making, etc.) of people with IDD receiving services. This Special Issue Data Brief updates the Brief from May 2016 and describes the employment status of individuals supported by state IDD agencies and compares participating states in terms of proportions of service recipients in different types of community employment.
What?
Analysis to describe the relationship between state employment system characteristics and employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Why?
To better understand higher-performing state employment systems.
Read the brief here. This study examined data from a sample of 12,213 people with IDD who responded to the NCI Adult Consumer Survey in 2012–2013. The sample captures data from respondents in 26 states. The purpose of the study was to observe and describe different demographic characteristics among the respondents, and how those characteristics correlated to different outcomes. The findings of this study showed a correlation between legal guardianship and employment setting for individuals with IDD.
PIE project work is framed by the High-Performing States Transition Model, which contains 8 key elements: collaboration, leadership, state goals and policy, funding and contracting, staff training, service innovation, performance management and quality assurance, and youth leadership development and family engagement. This document is one in a series of PIE Project Fact Sheets that chronicle how PIE grantee states are making change under the elements of the High-Performing States Transition Model.
Improving employment outcomes has been identified as a priority by self-advocates, states agencies, the National Governor’s Association, and federal policy makers. The recognition of the pivotal role that work can play in the lives of people with IDD is driving many state developmental disabilities agencies to adopt “Employment First” policies that prioritize employment in integrated settings as the preferred day service alternative. The need for this policy shift is clear.