According to a study released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, millions of Americans ages 16-29 are currently categorized as “NEETs,” meaning they are neither working nor receiving any education or training.
As of 2015, there are roughly 10.2 million NEETs in the United States. This number translates to roughly 15 percent of the 16- to 29-year-old population.
Previous reports released in 2013 and 2014, show that the number of NEETs has declined slightly over the last three years along with economic recovery.
According to Pew, longer trends of the Current Population Survey (CPS) show that the NEET rate among those 16- to 24-years-old generally follows the economic cycle, rising during and after recessions in the early 1990s, early 2000s, and peaking in 2010 after the Great Recession.
Teens and young adults were among the groups that were hit hardest in the global financial crisis of 2007-08, and many have still not been able to recover. The study notes that many labor economists “fear that without assistance, economically inactive young people won’t gain critical job skills and will never fully integrate into the wider economy or achieve their full earning potential.” The report notes, “Some observers also worry that large numbers of NEETs represent a potential source of social unrest.”
Pew broke down the NEETs rate by gender, age group, ethnicity, as well as education level. The majority of the group is comprised of females (57 percent), with males making up the remaining 43 percent. Also, the NEET group in the U.S. consists of 16 percent whites, 22 percent blacks, 14 percent Asians, and 20 percent Hispanics. The NEETs group is largely comprised (40 percent) of individuals who have a high school degree, but no college education.
The areas with the highest NEETs rates were concentrated in the South and West, including Memphis, Tennessee (21.6 percent); Bakersfield, California (21.2 percent); and Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida (20.4 percent). The areas with the lowest NEETs rates were more commonly found in the Northeast and Midwest, including Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa, and Fairfield County, Connecticut (both 7.7 percent), and Boston (8.2 percent).
