A report shows that 14.7 percent—or 5.8 million—of all Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither working nor in school.
The report was released last week by Measure of America, an initiative of the Social Science Research Council, of New York City. Using federal census data, the study ranks the 25 largest metropolitan areas. Among them, Phoenix had the highest rate of such disconnection, with 19 percent, while Boston had the lowest, with 9 percent.
The report also says the number of disconnected youths surged by more than 800,000 from 2007 to 2010, which it attributes to the Great Recession.
