Youth ages 16–19 who are neither in school nor working are detached from core activities that play an important role in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Research shows that "a disconnected youth will suffer an earnings penalty of over $30,000 per year in middle adulthood as compared to someone who came from a family with the same income but who was in school or working during those critical, transitional years to adulthood."¹ The percentage of youth who are not enrolled in school and not working is one measure of the proportion of young people who are at risk of limiting their future prospects.

Indicator ED1 Percentage of youth ages 16–19 who are neither enrolled in school nor working by age and race and Hispanic origin, 2000–2024

• In 2024, 9% of youth ages 16–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working. This rate has remained between 8% and 9% since 2000, with the exception of 2020 (when the rate was 10%).
• Among youth ages 16–19, those who were Black, non-Hispanic and Hispanic had higher rates of detachment from work and school in 2024 than did those who were White, non-Hispanic. Specifically, 12% of Black, non-Hispanic youth and 11% of Hispanic youth were neither enrolled
  in school nor working, compared with 7% of White, non-Hispanic youth.
• The percentages of Hispanic and Black, non-Hispanic youth ages 16–19 who were neither enrolled in school nor working in 2024 was not measurably different from the percentages in 2010.
• Youth ages 18–19 were more than twice as likely as youth ages 16–17 to be detached from school and work. In 2024, 13% of youth ages 18–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working, compared with 5% of youth ages 16–17.

 ED1.A HTML Table | ED1.B HTML Table | ED1.C HTML Table