2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online >
Summary and Findings
Percent of Teens Not Attending School and Not Working
During late adolescence, young people make some critical choices that affect their transition to adulthood. The Percent of Teens Not Attending School and Not Working (sometimes referred to as “Idle Teens” or “Disconnected Youth”) reflects young people ages 16 to 19 who are not engaged in either of the core activities that usually occupy people during this crucial period in their lives. While those who have dropped out of school are clearly vulnerable, many young persons who have finished school but are not working also belong to a marginalized group.
- In 2005, almost 1.3 million teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were neither enrolled in school nor working.
- Nationwide, the share of 16- to 19-year-olds who were idle dropped slightly from 9 percent in 2000 to 8 percent in 2005.
- Between 2000 and 2005, the share of Idle Teens fell in 22 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 15 states, and remained unchanged in 13 others. It should be noted that many of these changes were quite small and may not be statistically significant.
- Among the states, the Percent of Teens Not Attending School and Not Working in 2005 ranged from a low of 5 percent in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota to a high of 11 percent in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
- For all minority groups examined here, only Asians and Pacific Islanders have a lower Percent of Teens Not Attending School and Not Working (ages 16 to 19) than that for non-Hispanic whites.
