A Profile of the Idle Youth in the US

Ana J. Montalvo, U.S. Census Bureau
Amy O'Hara, U.S. Census Bureau

In 2006, of the 38.3 million people 16 to 24 years old, 2.8 million in housing units were not enrolled in school and not in the labor force. We explore this population of idle youth using data from the American Community Survey. We present a comprehensive snapshot using descriptive statistics to summarize demographic indicators such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, educational attainment, and citizenship. We review household composition to ease comparability with transition to adulthood literature. We will also examine geographic concentration of idle youth, focusing on metropolitan, regional and rural designations, as well as economic resources in the households where idle youth reside.