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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults who aren't in school or working — AH‑09 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  American Community Survey (ACS), Census

Baseline: 11.5 percent of adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 24 years were neither enrolled in school nor working in 2017

Target: 11.2 percent

Numerator
Number of adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 24 years who are neither enrolled in school nor working.
Denominator
Number of adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 24 years.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because the targets were not statistically significant or were moving away from the desired direction. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because progress on this objective is likely to be impeded by external factors. This objective is very sensitive to the economic and job market climate, as youth and young adults, especially those with less than a college degree (and most especially those without a high school diploma), are the population groups least likely to be able to obtain employment during difficult economic times.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2017 American Community Survey:

Numerator:
Has this person ever served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard?
  1. Never served in the military
  2. Only on active duty for training in the Reserves or National Guard
  3. Now on active duty
  4. On active duty in the past, but not now
LAST WEEK, did this person work for pay at a job (or business)?
  1. Yes
  2. No – Did not work (or retired)
LAST WEEK, did this person do ANY work for pay, even for as little as one hour?
  1. Yes
  2. No
At what location did this person work LAST WEEK?
  1. Address (Number and street name)
  2. Name of city, town, or post office
Is the work location inside the limits of that city or town?
  1. Yes
  2. No, outside the city/town limits
Name of county
  1. _______________
Name of U.S. state or foreign country
  1. _______________
ZIP Code
  1. _______________
LAST WEEK, was this person on layoff from a job?
  1. Yes
  2. No
LAST WEEK, was this person TEMPORARILY absent from a job or business?
  1. Yes, on vacation, temporary illness, maternity leave, other family/personal reasons, bad weather, etc.
  2. No
Has this person been informed that he or she will be recalled to work within the next 6 months OR been given a date to return to work?
  1. Yes
  2. No
During the LAST 4 WEEKS, has this person been ACTIVELY looking for work?
  1. Yes
  2. No
LAST WEEK, could this person have started a job if offered one, or returned to work if recalled?
  1. Yes, could have gone to work
  2. No, because of own temporary illness
  3. No, because of all other reasons (in school, etc.)
When did this person last work, even for a few days?
  1. Within the past 12 months
  2. 1 to 5 years ago
  3. Over 5 years ago or never worked
During the PAST 12 MONTHS (52 weeks), did this person work 50 or more weeks? Count paid time off as work.
  1. Yes
  2. No
How many weeks DID this person work, even for a few hours, including paid vacation, paid sick leave, and military service?
  1. 50 to 52 weeks
  2. 48 to 49 weeks
  3. 40 to 47 weeks
  4. 27 to 39 weeks
  5. 14 to 26 weeks
  6. 13 weeks or less
During the PAST 12 MONTHS, in the WEEKS WORKED, how many hours did this person usually work each WEEK?
  1. _______________
Usual hours worked each WEEK
  1. _______________
Was this person
  1. An employee of a PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT company or business, or of an individual, for wages, salary, or commissions?
  2. An employee of a PRIVATE NOT-FOR-PROFIT, tax-exempt, or charitable organization?
  3. A local GOVERNMENT employee (city, county, etc.)?
  4. A state GOVERNMENT employee?
  5. A Federal GOVERNMENT employee?
  6. SELF-EMPLOYED in own NOT INCORPORATED business, professional practice, or farm?
  7. SELF-EMPLOYED in own INCORPORATED business, professional practice, or farm?
  8. Working WITHOUT PAY in a family business or farm?
For whom did this person work?
  1. _______________
What kind of business or industry was this?
  1. _______________
Is this mainly
  1. Manufacturing?
  2. Wholesale trade?
  3. Retail trade?
  4. Other (agriculture, construction, service, government, etc.)?
What kind of work was this person doing?
  1. _______________
What were this person’s most important activities or duties?
  1. _______________

INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Self-employment income from own nonfarm businesses or farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships.
  1. Yes (TOTAL AMOUNT) _______________
  2. No

History

Revision History
Revised. 

In 2024, the data source was changed from the Current Population Survey to the American Community Survey. The baseline was revised from 11.2% to 11.5% and the target was revised from 10.1% to 11.2%.