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Study Finds Youth Employment Rates Lagging In Atlanta, Nation

March 14th, 2014

The Brookings Institution published a study today called The Plummeting Labor Market Fortunes of Teens and Young Adults. Their research found that from 2000 and 2011, employment opportunities in the 100 largest U.S. cities declined for teens between 16 and 19 years old as well as for young adults between the ages of 20 and 24.

For the 100 largest metropolitan areas, the study found that between 2000 and 2011:

employment rates fell from 44% to 24% for teens aged 16-19.
employment rates fell from 72% to 60% for young adults aged 20-24.

The study also found that in 2012 Atlanta ranked 83rd out of 100 U.S. cities for employment of teens aged 16-19. Similarly, Atlanta ranked 82nd out of 100 for employment of young adults aged 20-24 in 2012.

Comparing cities by their employment rates for teens and young adults is complicated by factors such as the relative number of colleges, the number and size of any military bases, and the number of immigrants that moved into the areas during that time period. The report’s authors analyzed employment rates as a proxy for measuring the relative levels of opportunity for people who are just starting their working lives.

Atlanta also fared poorly when its 2012 employment rates for these age groups are compared to those of other cities around the Southeast. For Atlanta teens, the 2012 employment rate was 22.0%. Young adults fared better with a 57.9% employment rate.

To illustrate how the Atlanta area compared to other Top 100 cities around the Southeast on these measures of youth employment opportunities, we extracted data comparing Atlanta to other Southeastern cities included in the study, which you can see in the table here. Using this data, we created two charts that show Atlanta’s relative standing among cities in the Southeast. The charts appear above.

The Brookings Institution has prepared a slide presentation that explains the major findings from their study.

The Plummeting Labor Market Fortunes of Teens and Young Adults from The Brookings Institution