According to a WalletHub study, one in every nine people between the ages of 16 to 24 either don’t have jobs or aren’t attending school.
WalletHub conducted a recent study ranking all 50 states in order from the most at-risk youth to the least in each state. This follows a shocking statistic that more than 70 percent of young adults are ineligible to join the military because they don’t meet the proper academic, moral or health requirements.
According to research conducted by WalletHub, factors like unstable homes, a lack of positive role models, economic challenges and more contribute to a young adult’s difficult transition into adulthood.
Poor health conditions and a lack of education can also hinder youth’s ability to develop physically and socially, according to WalletHub. There are many key factors that contribute to a young person’s success in adulthood, each of which were examined by WalletHub to compile this list.
All 50 states were compared, with 14 key indicators measured.
The 14 indicators included disconnected youth, as in youth who are not attending school and have no degree beyond high school, overweight and obese youth, youth using illicit drugs in the past year, youth reporting heavy drinking, youth depression, poverty rate, homeless youth, and more.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale with a 100 score being the highest level of youth risk, according to WaleltHub.
Colorado made its way in the middle of the list at state number 26 for at risk youth. But, Colorado ranked number three for the highest percentage of youth drug users out of all 50 states.
The top five states with the most at-risk youth are:
- District of Columbia
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- West Virginia
The states with the least at-risk youth are:
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Minnesota
Data was collected from a number of sources to conduct this list including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Nation’s Report Card, The Annie E. Case Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Priorities Project, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and National Conference of State Legislatures.
