Disconnected youth is defined as the percentage of residents, age 16-19, who are neither working nor enrolled in school. Our youth is our region's budding labor force; ensuring that they are participating in school and/or working brightens their economic future and our region's prosperity.
The disconnected youth rate stands at 4.8% for 2022, the highest level in the 12-year history of the data. This trend is concerning, given the labor shortages in recent years, as well as, the importance of education for future workforce skills.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year Estimate[Table code: B14005]