The Influence of Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Neighborhood Disadvantage on Opportunity Youth Status in the United States

ABSRACTDespite the increase in educational and employment opportunities in developed countries, a significant number of young adults ages 16–24 are neither enrolled in school nor employed—opportunity youth—in the U.S. This study examines how early life socioeconomic status and neighborhood disadvantage shape the likelihood of being an opportunity youth in the U.S. Using data from Waves I & III of the restricted National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) (n = 9,662: 1,535 census tracts), the analysis employs multilevel logistic regression that accounts for the complex survey design. The findings suggest that approximately 1 out of every 8 young adults (12%) in the U.S. are disconnected from education and employment. Results indicate that young adults from low socioeconomic status and highly disadvantaged neighborhoods in adolescence have higher odds of being opportunity youth in young adulthood. Findings also show that about one-fourth of the variation in opportunity youth status is attributed to differences across neighborhoods. Overall, these findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms that perpetuate inequality and young adult disconnection. Future research should extend this work using non-school-based samples, additional neighborhood measures, and tests of variation by gender and race/ethnicity.