Youth Not in Work or School

Why do we measure ‘Youth Not in Work or School’?

Adolescents’ participation in school and in employment are pivotal pathways into adulthood.^1-2 Research shows that adolescents who are in school or working report better overall health.³ Furthermore, they are less likely to engage in risky health behaviors like smoking and unprotected sex, and less likely to experience adverse health outcomes in later adulthood such as depressive symptoms and substance-use issues.^4-6

When health and structural inequities restrict youth’s opportunities to participate in school or work, economic disadvantage can result, reflecting in part the loss of key experiences, knowledge, credentials, social skills, and access to social and career networks.^1-7 In short, education and employment during adolescence have enduring positive implications over the life course, positioning them as important determinants of health.

Identifying and reducing barriers to engaging in work or school can reduce risk of adverse health outcomes. A range of programs and policies to address structural factors, promulgate protective factors, and strengthen linkages between health, social, and community-based services have been shown to be effective in connecting adolescents to school and work. Targeted efforts to reduce the percentage of youth who are not in school or work, also sometimes referred to as ‘disconnected youth’ or ‘opportunity youth’, can improve adolescent health and support a successful transition into healthy adulthood.^8-12

How do we measure ‘Youth Not in Work or School’?

We define this metric as the percentage of youth 16-19 years who are neither working nor in school. This population is also sometimes referred to as “disconnected youth”.

‘Not working’ means the individual is unemployed and not seeking work (i.e. not in the labor force). ‘Not in school’ means that a youth is not attending any educational institution (public or private), and also is not being home schooled. In these data, youth enrolled in vocational or technical training are not considered to be attending an educational institution. This metric includes youth living in group quarters (i.e. dorms, military barracks, correctional facilities, etc.).

Strengths and Limitations

Calculation

The metric 'Youth Not in Work or School' is calculated by the following formula:

For more information on the calculation, please refer to the City Health Dashboard Technical Document.

Data Source

Estimates for this metric are from American Community Survey 5-year estimate data using the B14005 table. Multi-year data are available for this metric. For more information, please refer to Using Multi-Year Data: Tips and Cautions

Years of Collection

Calculated by the Dashboard Team using data from 2022.

References

1. Lewis, K. (2020) A Decade Undone: Youth Disconnection in the Age of Coronavirus. New York: Measure of America, Social Science Research Council.

2. Burd-Sharps S, Lewis K. (2018). More Than a Million Reasons for Hope: Youth Disconnection in America Today. Brooklyn, NY: Measure of America of the Social Science Research Council.

3. Chandler, R. F., & Santos Lozada, A. R. (2021). Health status among NEET adolescents and young adults in the United States, 2016-2018. SSM - population health, 14, 100814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100814

4. Tanton, C., McDonagh, L., Cabecinha, M., Clifton, S., Geary, R., Rait, G., Saunders, J., Cassell, J., Bonell, C., Mitchell, K. R., & Mercer, C. H. (2021). How does the sexual, physical and mental health of young adults not in education, employment or training (NEET) compare to workers and students?. BMC public health, 21(1), 412. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10229-6

5. Caniglia M. (2024). Nonparticipation in Work and Education in Emerging Adulthood and Depressive Symptoms through Early Midlife. SSM. Mental health, 6, 100329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100329

6. Gariépy, G., Danna, S. M., Hawke, L., Henderson, J., & Iyer, S. N. (2022). The mental health of young people who are not in education, employment, or training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 57(6), 1107–1121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-021-02212-8

7. Anderson, N. W., Eisenberg, D., & Zimmerman, F. J. (2023). Structural Racism and Well-Being Among Young People in the U.S. American journal of preventive medicine, 65(6), 1078–1091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2023.06.017

8. Tebb, K. P., Pica, G., Twietmeyer, L., Diaz, A., & Brindis, C. D. (2018). Innovative Approaches to Address Social Determinants of Health Among Adolescents and Young Adults. Health equity, 2(1), 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2018.0011

9. Riser, M. H., Mesler, K., Tallon, T. C., & Birkhead, G. S. (2006). New York State's "Assets Coming Together (ACT) for Youth": a statewide approach effects community change. Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP, Suppl, S41–S47. https://doi.org/10.1097/00124784-200611001-00009

10. Lindsay, S., R Hartman, L., & Fellin, M. (2016). A systematic review of mentorship programs to facilitate transition to post-secondary education and employment for youth and young adults with disabilities. Disability and rehabilitation, 38(14), 1329–1349. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2015.1092174

11. Zhu, N., Hawke, L. D., Prebeg, M., Hayes, E., Darnay, K., Iyer, S. N., & Henderson, J. (2022). Intervention outcome preferences for youth who are out of work and out of school: a qualitative study. BMC psychology, 10(1), 180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00887-5

12. Mendelson, T., Mmari, K., Blum, R. W., Catalano, R. F., & Brindis, C. D. (2018). Opportunity Youth: Insights and Opportunities for a Public Health Approach to Reengage Disconnected Teenagers and Young Adults. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 133(1_suppl), 54S–64S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354918799344

Last updated: Decmeber 3, 2024