One in seven: ranking youth disconnection in the 25 largest metro areas

[The authors] note that one in seven American adolescents and young adults ages 16 to 24 is neither working nor in school. [The authors] call such status 'disconnected'. This isolation from society's anchor structures is costly to individuals, communities, and the country as a whole. This paper ranks the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the US - and racial and ethnic groups within those areas - in terms of youth disconnection. Youth disconnection mirrors adult disconnection. Household poverty rates and the employment and educational status of community adults are strongly associated with youth disconnection. The paper concludes by exploring strategies and programs that have increased youth connection at home and abroad.

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