15% of U.S. youth are neither in school nor working

According to a study released last week, 6M people age 16 to 24 (15% of that population) are not working or going to school. The indolence amid this population is troubling considering these are the individuals who should be building experience, expanding their knowledge base, and beginning their contribution to society. Without education or experience, this population is likely to be dependent on entitlement benefits to survive. This means that rather than contributing to society, they would be likely to be a drain of economic resources. Looking at it further, there may be more to why these people are unemployed and uneducated.

The same study showed 49 states have seen in increase in poverty and 45 states had their median incomes fall. These are two factors that predict the success of young people within a community. Other community level variables that predict success include internet access, college graduation rates, income inequality, and public safety. Vermont tops the list of supportive states while New Mexico is at the bottom. States that provide more support have lower levels of indolence. Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.