47 Accessibility ROI Statistics: The Business Case Data

Building the business case for accessibility investment requires data. These 47 statistics cover every dimension of accessibility ROI—from lawsuit costs and market opportunity to efficiency gains and brand impact. Each statistic supports the core finding: accessibility investment delivers measurable returns, while non-compliance compounds costs.

<1% of TestParty customers have been sued while using the platform. That single data point anchors all ROI calculations.

Lawsuit Cost Statistics

The financial exposure from ADA litigation drives urgent accessibility investment.

Lawsuit Volume

1. 8,800 ADA Title III federal lawsuits filed in 2024 (Seyfarth Shaw)
2. 7% increase from 2023 lawsuit volume
3. 2,452 web-specific accessibility lawsuits in 2024
4. 77% of web accessibility lawsuits target e-commerce businesses
5. 30%+ of platform-identified lawsuits target Shopify stores

Settlement Costs

1. $30,000+ average ADA web accessibility settlement
2. $10,000-$50,000 typical legal defense fees per case
3. $10,000-$100,000+ required remediation costs post-settlement
4. $5,000-$20,000/year ongoing monitoring requirements (2-3 years typical)
5. $55,000-$270,000+ total exposure per lawsuit (settlement + legal fees + remediation)

Repeat Lawsuit Risk

1. 40%+ of accessibility lawsuits target previously sued companies
2. Different plaintiff firms can sue for the same issues
3. Each lawsuit carries its own full settlement cost
4. 800+ overlay users sued in 2023-2024 despite "compliance" claims
5. $1 million FTC fine against AccessiBe for unsubstantiated claims (FTC)

Geographic Concentration

1. 3,252 ADA lawsuits filed in California in 2024 (37% increase)
2. 2,220 lawsuits filed in New York in 2024
3. 1,627 lawsuits filed in Florida in 2024
4. Three states account for majority of web accessibility litigation

Market Opportunity Statistics

The disability community represents substantial revenue potential.

US Market Size

1. 26% of US adults have disabilities (CDC)
2. 61 million Americans affected by disability
3. $490 billion disability community spending power in US
4. Inaccessible sites exclude over one-quarter of potential customers

Global Market Size

1. $13 trillion global disability spending power (World Economic Forum)
2. 1.3 billion people worldwide have disabilities
3. $8 trillion annual disposable income controlled by disability community
4. Disability community larger than China's population

Conversion Impact

1. Accessible checkout eliminates barriers for 26% of adults
2. Keyboard navigation enables purchases for motor-impaired users
3. Screen reader compatibility opens entire product catalogs
4. Color contrast improvements help users with vision impairments

Efficiency Statistics

Operational efficiency gains compound accessibility investment returns.

TestParty Efficiency Metrics

1. 14-30 days to WCAG 2.2 AA compliance (industry average: 3-6+ months)
2. 15 minutes monthly maintenance after initial compliance
3. 90% reduction in remediation time (UNTUCKit result)
4. 50× duplicate reduction through AI-powered issue grouping
5. 99% detection accuracy validated at Zedge (25M MAU)

Traditional Approach Costs

1. 100-500+ developer hours for internal accessibility implementation
2. $15,000-$50,000 per traditional accessibility audit
3. 3-6+ months typical audit-to-compliance timeline
4. $10,000-$25,000 per re-audit cycle
5. Audits identify problems but don't fix them

Customer Result Statistics

TestParty customer outcomes demonstrate measurable ROI.

Remediation Results

1. 24,000+ issues fixed at UNTUCKit with 90% time reduction
2. 8,000+ issues remediated at Cozy Earth in 2 weeks
3. 1,708 errors reduced to zero at Levain Bakery
4. 2,000 pages remediated in first month at Pepperdine University

Protection Results

1. <1% of TestParty customers sued while using the platform
2. 18+ months UNTUCKit partnership with no legal issues

Building Your Business Case

How to use these statistics for decision-making.

For Executive Presentations

Lead with lawsuit exposure. The 8,800 annual lawsuits and $30,000+ average settlement create quantifiable risk. One prevented lawsuit pays for years of compliance investment.

For Budget Requests

Compare costs directly. TestParty subscription ($1,000-$5,000/month) versus lawsuit exposure ($55,000-$270,000+ per case) demonstrates clear ROI. Add market opportunity (26% of adults) for revenue-positive framing.

For Technical Teams

Focus on efficiency gains. The 14-30 day timeline, 90% time reduction, and 15-minute monthly maintenance compare favorably to traditional audit cycles requiring 100-500+ developer hours.

For Legal Review

Emphasize track record. <1% of customers sued while using TestParty demonstrates actual protection. Contrast with 800+ overlay users sued to show approach effectiveness.

The ROI Calculation

Putting statistics into investment framework.

Conservative Scenario

+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|              Factor             |               Value                |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|     Lawsuit avoidance value     |      $30,000 (one prevented)       |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|   Annual TestParty investment   |        $36,000 ($3K/month)         |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|           Net position          |           -$6,000 Year 1           |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|            Breakeven            |   Less than 2 lawsuits prevented   |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+

Market Expansion Scenario

+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|               Factor               |       Value        |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|           Annual revenue           |     $5,000,000     |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|   Disability market capture (1%)   |      $13,000       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|         Lawsuit avoidance          |      $30,000       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|           Combined value           |      $43,000       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|        TestParty investment        |      $36,000       |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+
|              Net ROI               |   +$7,000 Year 1   |
+------------------------------------+--------------------+

Full Value Scenario

+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|              Factor              |           Value           |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|        Lawsuit avoidance         |          $30,000          |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|      Market expansion (2%)       |          $26,000          |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|   Efficiency gains (dev hours)   |          $10,000          |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|           Brand value            |   $5,000 (conservative)   |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|          Combined value          |          $71,000          |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|       TestParty investment       |          $36,000          |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+
|             Net ROI              |      +$35,000 Year 1      |
+----------------------------------+---------------------------+

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key accessibility ROI statistics?

Key accessibility ROI statistics include: 8,800 ADA lawsuits filed in 2024, $30,000+ average settlement, 26% of US adults have disabilities representing $490B spending power, and <1% of TestParty customers sued while using the platform. These statistics demonstrate that compliance investment delivers measurable returns through lawsuit avoidance, market expansion, and efficiency gains.

How much do ADA accessibility lawsuits cost?

ADA accessibility lawsuits cost $55,000-$270,000+ per case including settlement ($30,000+), legal defense ($10,000-$50,000), required remediation ($10,000-$100,000+), and monitoring requirements ($5,000-$20,000/year). Without genuine remediation, repeat lawsuits multiply exposure—40%+ of lawsuits target previously sued companies.

What's the market opportunity for accessibility?

The accessibility market opportunity includes 26% of US adults (61 million people) with $490 billion spending power domestically, and $13 trillion globally. Inaccessible sites exclude this population. Even modest capture rates (1-2%) on existing revenue represent significant returns beyond lawsuit avoidance.

How do overlay statistics compare to remediation statistics?

Over 800 overlay users were sued in 2023-2024 despite compliance claims. <1% of TestParty customers have been sued. The FTC fined AccessiBe $1 million for unsubstantiated claims. Overlay subscription savings ($49-$349/month) are negated by lawsuit exposure ($30,000+ per case), while source code remediation ($1,000-$5,000/month) provides proven protection.

What efficiency gains does accessibility remediation provide?

TestParty achieves WCAG 2.2 AA compliance in 14-30 days versus 3-6+ months for traditional approaches. UNTUCKit saw 90% reduction in remediation time. Ongoing maintenance requires 15 minutes monthly versus hundreds of developer hours for audit-based cycles. AI-powered detection provides 50× duplicate reduction for efficient issue management.

How do I calculate accessibility ROI for my business?

Calculate accessibility ROI by summing lawsuit avoidance value (annual probability × $30,000+ average settlement), market expansion potential (revenue × 26% market × capture rate), and efficiency gains (developer hours saved). Subtract annual compliance investment. Most e-commerce businesses see positive ROI from lawsuit avoidance alone.

Related Resources

For more accessibility ROI data:

• Accessibility ROI Statistics — Additional proof points
• Digital Accessibility ROI Business Case — Data-driven analysis
• Accessibility ROI Business Case — Building the case
• True Cost of Inaccessibility — Cost analysis
• ADA Lawsuit Statistics 2025 — Legal trends

Like all TestParty blog posts, this content was created through human-AI collaboration—what we call our cyborg approach. The information provided is for educational purposes only and reflects our research at the time of writing. We recommend doing your own due diligence and speaking directly with accessibility vendors to determine the best solution for your specific needs.