Where Youth Unemployment Is Highest and Lowest

It’s no secret that young Americans suffered some of the steepest job losses in the aftermath of the Great Recession. While younger workers continue to lag behind the rest of the workforce as the economy recovers, the outlook remains particularly bleak in states like Georgia, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor published new state-level 2015 annual employment data for different demographic groups. 

The national unemployment rate for people age 16 to 24 now stands at 10.5 percent. That’s well below the nearly 20 percent rate reached in 2010, but it still far exceeds the 4.9 percent national rate for all workers. Other measures taking into account younger workers not currently in the labor market show they have a much longer way to go for a full recovery.

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States registering the highest youth unemployment rates for 2015 were West Virginia (17.4 percent), South Carolina (16.2 percent) and Georgia (14.6 percent). States posting the lowest rates included North Dakota (4.5 percent), Nebraska (6.5 percent), New Hampshire (7 percent) and Utah (7 percent).

State	Age 16-24 Rate	Age 25-54 Rate	Total Rate
Alabama	13.3%	5.5%	6.1%
Alaska	12.3%	5.7%	6.7%
Arizona	12.4%	5.0%	6.0%
Arkansas	11.1%	5.0%	5.2%
California	13.3%	5.2%	6.2%
Colorado	8.3%	3.5%	3.9%
Connecticut	10.0%	5.6%	5.6%
Delaware	12.0%	4.6%	5.0%
District of Columbia	14.6%	6.0%	6.9%
Florida	11.1%	4.8%	5.4%
Georgia	14.6%	4.5%	5.8%
Hawaii	8.7%	3.6%	3.7%
Idaho	8.2%	3.5%	4.3%
Illinois	13.1%	4.9%	5.9%
Indiana	11.5%	4.1%	4.8%
Iowa	8.4%	2.9%	3.6%
Kansas	7.5%	3.9%	4.3%
Kentucky	13.3%	4.3%	5.4%
Louisiana	13.6%	5.4%	6.2%
Maine	10.6%	4.0%	4.4%
Maryland	12.2%	4.6%	5.2%
Massachusetts	10.0%	4.4%	4.9%
Michigan	11.9%	4.5%	5.4%
Minnesota	7.7%	3.5%	3.8%
Mississippi	14.5%	5.4%	6.5%
Missouri	10.7%	4.3%	5.0%
Montana	7.2%	3.9%	4.1%
Nebraska	6.5%	2.3%	3.0%
Nevada	13.5%	6.0%	6.9%
New Hampshire	7.0%	2.7%	3.4%
New Jersey	11.9%	4.9%	5.8%
New Mexico	14.1%	6.3%	6.8%
New York	14.2%	4.0%	5.3%
North Carolina	14.3%	5.0%	5.9%
North Dakota	4.5%	2.7%	2.7%
Ohio	12.5%	3.7%	4.9%
Oklahoma	9.0%	3.8%	4.3%
Oregon	12.7%	4.2%	5.7%
Pennsylvania	10.1%	4.6%	5.2%
Rhode Island	10.7%	5.2%	5.9%
South Carolina	16.2%	4.7%	5.9%
South Dakota	9.6%	2.6%	3.5%
Tennessee	12.6%	4.8%	5.7%
Texas	9.3%	3.7%	4.4%
Utah	7.0%	2.7%	3.6%
Vermont	9.4%	3.0%	3.6%
Virginia	9.9%	4.0%	4.5%
Washington	11.7%	4.9%	5.6%
West Virginia	17.4%	6.0%	6.9%
Wisconsin	9.3%	4.1%	4.6%
Wyoming	8.9%	3.2%	4.1%

SOURCE: 2015 annual average (preliminary) unemployment rates published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
In general, unemployment for younger workers mirrors that of the rest of the workforce; states with lower youth unemployment rates tend to have lower rates overall. But a few states report particularly high youth unemployment despite average or below-average rates for other workers. In New York, for example, prime working age (25 to 54) employees recorded an unemployment rate of 4 percent, while youth unemployment was 14.2 percent -- one of the highest rates nationally. Other states with larger disparities included Kentucky (13.3 percent youth unemployment vs. 4.3 percent prime-working age unemployment) and Ohio (12.5 percent youth unemployment vs. 3.7 percent prime-working age unemployment).

Industries more inclined to hire young workers, like hospitality or tourism, have performed better in some states.

Demographics are another key factor. Of course, younger workers with higher levels of education are more likely to gain employment. Stark differences are further apparent across racial and ethnic groups, as young African-American workers recorded unemployment rates about twice that of whites and Asians last year.

Youth unemployment can also be assessed via state employment-to-population ratios. This broader measure considers those not in the labor force, including individuals who’ve given up their job search and full-time college students. Mississippi, New Jersey and New York recorded the lowest average youth employment-to-population ratios last year.

State	Age 16-24 Ratio	Age 16-19 Ratio	Age 20-24 Ratio
Alabama	44.6%	25.3%	59.9%
Alaska	52.7%	33.2%	66.9%
Arizona	48.8%	29.9%	64.3%
Arkansas	46.4%	26.4%	63.4%
California	43.3%	22.2%	58.2%
Colorado	53.4%	28.8%	72.0%
Connecticut	44.7%	21.5%	65.9%
Delaware	49.4%	30.7%	63.6%
District of Columbia	46.0%	13.6%	59.8%
Florida	44.6%	24.2%	61.8%
Georgia	43.1%	21.5%	59.2%
Hawaii	46.3%	27.3%	61.4%
Idaho	55.7%	39.7%	68.6%
Illinois	49.5%	31.1%	63.6%
Indiana	50.9%	32.1%	66.4%
Iowa	64.3%	50.6%	74.1%
Kansas	59.2%	42.1%	72.6%
Kentucky	48.0%	27.6%	62.5%
Louisiana	46.6%	27.7%	59.8%
Maine	53.3%	36.8%	66.8%
Maryland	51.0%	29.8%	67.2%
Massachusetts	50.7%	29.3%	64.2%
Michigan	52.6%	34.8%	65.4%
Minnesota	60.0%	45.8%	71.5%
Mississippi	42.0%	20.9%	57.0%
Missouri	58.2%	40.0%	73.8%
Montana	57.7%	42.1%	68.8%
Nebraska	61.9%	42.9%	74.4%
Nevada	52.1%	30.7%	69.4%
New Hampshire	63.0%	44.8%	77.7%
New Jersey	41.5%	21.9%	57.8%
New Mexico	44.0%	23.7%	60.2%
New York	41.4%	21.8%	55.4%
North Carolina	45.1%	24.2%	60.6%
North Dakota	65.3%	44.0%	78.6%
Ohio	52.4%	34.5%	67.8%
Oklahoma	52.0%	30.1%	68.4%
Oregon	47.4%	26.1%	65.9%
Pennsylvania	53.7%	35.3%	66.6%
Rhode Island	55.6%	34.6%	70.2%
South Carolina	44.7%	23.1%	62.2%
South Dakota	61.2%	46.0%	72.2%
Tennessee	52.4%	30.8%	67.9%
Texas	48.4%	26.2%	64.8%
Utah	63.1%	44.7%	76.0%
Vermont	55.4%	40.8%	67.9%
Virginia	49.0%	27.8%	65.9%
Washington	49.9%	26.2%	70.8%
West Virginia	45.0%	20.4%	60.8%
Wisconsin	61.4%	44.2%	74.0%
Wyoming	59.5%	39.1%	73.4%

SOURCE: 2015 annual average (preliminary) data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Part of President Obama’s recent budget proposal includes nearly $6 billion in new funding for youth employment. One major component of the plan is a $3.5 billion investment in partnerships with companies and localities to provide summer jobs and up to a year of paid work for those out of school. Another $2 billion would fund a competitive grant program aimed at putting youth who’ve dropped out of high school or are most at risk of doing so on a pathway to earning a diploma.