Youth ages 16–19 who are neither in school nor working are detached from these core activities, both of which play an important role in one's transition from adolescence to adulthood. A new report 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 those critical, transitional years to adulthood."¹⁰⁷ 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.In 2018, 8% of youth ages 16–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working. This estimate remains unchanged from the prior 2 years and has remained roughly unchanged over the past 20 years.

Indicator ED5: Percentage of youth ages 16–19 who are neither enrolled in school nor working by age and race and Hispanic origin, 2000–2020

• In 2020, 10% of youth ages 16–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working. This is an increase from 2019 (8%) after remaining roughly unchanged over the prior 20 years.
• The percentage of Black, non-Hispanic youth and Hispanic youth neither enrolled in school nor working has declined since 2000.
• Black, non-Hispanic youth and Hispanic youth had higher rates of detachment from work and school than White, non-Hispanic youth. In 2020, 11% of Black, non-Hispanic youth and 11% of Hispanic youth were neither enrolled in school nor working compared with 8% of White, non-Hispanic youth.
• Older youth ages 18–19 are almost three times as likely to be detached from school and work activities as youth ages 16–17. In 2020, 14% of youth ages 18–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working compared with 5% of youth ages 16–17. A little less than half of older youth were enrolled in school and not working in 2020 (48%) compared with 34% in 2000.

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