A disproportionate number of Americans with disabilities continued to be unemployed in September, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday.

While the economy added 103,000 jobs during the month, the unemployment rate was unchanged for those with disabilities, remaining at 16.1 percent in September. That’s significantly higher than the jobless rate reported for the same period last year of 14.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the general population didn’t fare much better. The unemployment rate for that group was steady at 9.1 percent.

The Labor Department began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

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