• Since 2000, youth of color have comprised the largest share of disconnected youth nationwide. 
• In 2022, 20 states had a share of disconnected youth equal to or above the national average of 12 percent.
• Native American and Black youth in 2022 had the highest rates of disconnection, at 23 percent and 18 percent, respectively. 
• The number of disconnected youth in 1990 was largely driven by young women, but young men were slightly more likely to be disconnected from school or work in recent years. 
• Among youth living at or below 200 percent  of the federal poverty level in the 100 largest US cities, Detroit, Michigan, had the largest share of disconnected youth (30 percent) and Madison, Wisconsin, had the lowest (4 percent). 
   

Youth of color become disconnected — neither working nor in school — at higher rates than white youth due to disparities in school and neighborhood poverty rates, which are the primary contributors to disconnection. Students of color are more likely to attend high-poverty schools and live in areas with concentrated poverty because of the United States' long history of racial segregation forged through historical practices, including racially exclusive housing covenants and zoning laws, as well as ongoing factors, including discriminatory hiring and mortgage lending. While youth of color and white youth commit crimes at similar rates, youth of color are far more likely than white youth to be suspended from school or involved in the juvenile justice system. These experiences further increase the likelihood that youth of color will become disconnected.

• Expand access to high-quality public education, create cradle-to-career pipelines for vulnerable youth, increase access to affordable childcare, and invest in universal pre-K.

• Reform harsh, "zero tolerance" school discipline policies to keep youth in school and on track to graduate.

• Develop comprehensive youth employment systems and policies to promote summer youth employment across the education, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems and support policies to address youth disconnection.

• Connect youth to career paths through career academies, apprenticeships, workforce training programs, and internships.

• Remove law enforcement officers from elementary and high schools and hire more counselors and support staff.

• At the federal level, lower and/or eliminate tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities, tribal colleges, community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs, provide additional financial assistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, increase and expand access to Pell Grants, and eliminate current student loan debt for all.

• Reports: Broad Recovery, Persistent Inequality; Race for Results: Building a Pathway to Opportunity for All Children; Preparing Opportunity Youth for the Future of Work

• Toolkit: A Toolkit to Engage Employers and Opportunity Youth on the Future of Work

• Data: Measure of America; DiversityDataKids.org; KIDS COUNT Data Center