Data & Research that Guides Us

Key Facts About Opportunity Youth

Youth Disconnection is Prevalent: Measure of America reports that 12.1 percent of young people aged 16-24 were disconnected from school or work in 2021 – approximately 4.7 million “Opportunity Youth.” This rate is significantly higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 10.7 percent.

Disconnection Continues to Grow: The rise in disconnected youth during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores a long-term increase in youth disconnection, suggests the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Every Year Counts: Opportunity Youth suffer an earnings penalty of over $30,000 per year by middle adulthood for each year they were disconnected, notes ChildStats.

Racial Gaps Define Disconnection: Measure of America discovered that nearly one quarter of Native American young people are Opportunity Youth (23.4 percent), while the disconnection rate is nearly 20 percent for Black young people (18.9 percent). of Black young people are teens and young adults have the second-highest disconnection rate, 19.6 percent, or 966,300 young people.

Gender Opportunity Gap Exists: The rate of youth disconnection is consistently higher among males than females. In 2021, 12.6% of males and 11.5% of females were classified as Opportunity Youth, according to the Measure of America data. Black young people have the largest gender gap in the youth disconnection rate of any racial or ethnic group—16.4 percent for Black girls and young women, compared to 21.4 percent for their male counterparts.

Homelessness is Pervasive among Youth and Young Adults: Chapin Hall research reveals the huge numbers of young people who experience homelessness: about 10 percent of young adults age 18-25, and at least one in 30 children age 13-17 experience some form of homelessness each year.

Disconnection is Everywhere: The states with the highest percentages of Opportunity Youth, according to Measure of America, are Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and Louisiana.

Pockets of Disconnection Also Emerge: Measure of America posits that Provo-Orem, UT (6.9 percent), boasts the lowest youth disconnection rate of the 100 most populous metro areas in the country, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (7.0 percent), and Madison, WI (8.2 percent). Although Madison has one of the lowest rates overall, the rate for Black young people in that metro area is very high, 21.2 percent. The highest youth disconnection rate can be found in Albuquerque, NM (19.7 percent), followed by Bakersfield, CA (19.6 percent), and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX (18.8 percent).

Education is Key: According to Measure of America, approximately 70% of Opportunity Youth do not have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Home is Where the Disconnection Begins: Opportunity Youth are more likely to come from households where their parents did not complete high school or have a college degree, says Measure of America.

Data Challenges Disproportionately Impact At-Risk Youth More: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the federal government’s ability to collect Opportunity Youth data. Thus, communities who would normally participate in certain surveys (I.e. low income Black and Latino households, who are most likely to be out of work) were unable to participate, argues Measure of America.

Research by NAYYAA Partners

The Center for Law and Social Policy reveals that economic instability continues to plague young people in America. Although the overall unemployment rate in 2022 returned to pre-pandemic levels, the unemployment rate for young people was higher in 2022 than in February of 2020.

An alarming number of young people report feeling down, depressed, or hopeless, yet lack the mental health resources to address these needs, according to this data portrait from The Center for Law and Social Policy. Moreover, programs that work with young people struggle to meet their needs, according to this national survey fielded by the National Youth Employment Coalition.