Chicago, Cook County and Illinois Rank Worst in Nation for Black Youth Disconnection

CHICAGO, /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from the UIC Great Cities Institute, titled A Normalized Crisis: Youth and Young Adult Joblessness and Disconnection in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois and the U.S., 2019-2024, shows teenage unemployment topping 10 percent in 74 of the last 78 years - while prime-age workers crossed that mark just once. Researchers deem youth joblessness a chronic policy shortfall, not a passing or self-resolving phase.

Key findings from the report include stark data on youth disconnection and the potential impact of $80 million in state funding to curb youth violence.

"Youth joblessness across the U.S. has hovered at crisis levels for nearly 80 years - rates that would prompt urgent federal action for prime-age adults - yet governments have offered no lasting fix," stated Jack Wuest, executive director of the Alternative Schools Network (ASN), which commissioned the study. "How has this become accepted?"

Chicago, Cook County and Illinois exemplify this national problem locally, placing near the bottom nationally for youth joblessness and disconnection from jobs or school - especially Black youth. More than 80 percent of Black Chicagoans aged 16-19 lack employment, with the city ranking sixth nationally for Black youth aged 20-24 joblessness. Racial disparities with white peers have grown in Cook County and Illinois.

Key Chicago findings on racial gaps
In 2024 Chicago: 81.9 percent of Black youth ages 16-19 jobless, versus 62.8 percent of white teens
46.5 percent of Black young adults ages 20-24 jobless, versus 18.9 percent of white peers
From 2019, white teen joblessness dropped 13.6 percentage points; Black teen rate fell 2.9 points
5.8 percent of Black teens neither in school nor working, versus 1 percent of white teens

The full report from UIC Great Cities Institute details these trends.

Spotlighting South and West Side neighborhoods where teen joblessness tops 80 percent, the study notes uneven post-pandemic recovery - with gaps widening for 16-19-year-olds in Chicago. Fluid school enrollment can mask true labor market struggles in standard metrics.

Cook County and Illinois Near Bottom in National Rankings
The rankings below target 20-24-year-olds, showing how early exclusion worsens over time:

Cook County third-worst among large counties for young adults out of school and work
Cook County sixth-worst for Black young adult joblessness
Illinois sixth-worst among states and D.C. for Black young adults out of school and work
Illinois eighth-worst for Black young adult joblessness

"These poor rankings signal danger," Wuest warned. "Cook County and Illinois lag badly nationwide, with effects hitting our communities hard right now."

"We use the broader jobless rate over traditional unemployment stats," explained author Matthew D. Wilson, associate director of economic and workforce development at UIC's Great Cities Institute (GCI).

"Joblessness captures those who quit searching," Wilson added, "unlike unemployment, which requires recent active job hunts. This matters for youth, who often drop out of the workforce amid weak attachments."

Unveiled Wednesday at an ASN event at The Union League Club of Chicago, the report drew state senators Kimberly Lightford (D-4th), Elgie Sims Jr. (D-17th), Omar Aquino (D-2nd), Rep. Norma Hernandez (D-77th), and Chicago aldermen Jason Ervin (28th), Pat Dowell (3rd), Jeanette Taylor (20th), and Jessie Fuentes (26th). Each earned an ASN Champion for Youth award for advancing young lives.

Barriers Blocking Youth from Jobs
Young seekers face hurdles like no work history, references, credentials, transit or networks - seen by employers as flakiness, not systemic blocks. Black youth endure added bias and network limits.

ASN calls for $80 million in state funds for youth jobs programs. "Such roles foster stability, boost confidence and strengthen the economy," Wuest noted.

"Prime-age unemployment over 10 percent sparks intervention to shield the economy," Wilson observed. "Youth joblessness harms just as deeply, slashing lifetime earnings and raising future risks."

Chicago evidence and other cities prove structured youth jobs cut harm with strong returns. A University of Chicago study of 1,700 in a seven-week summer program saw violent crime arrests drop 42 percent over 16 months.

"Illinois needs to engage youth productively," urged Melissa Lewis, principal of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School on Chicago's West Side. "All options must be considered."

Alternative Schools Network and UIC Great Cities Institute
The Alternative Schools Network, a Chicago nonprofit, delivers quality education focused on inner-city children, youth and adults. Since 1973, it backs community programs with funding and services. More at www.asnchicago.org.

The UIC Great Cities Institute connects academic expertise to partners for urban research, policy and programs. Linked to UIC's Great Cities Commitment, it enhances life in Chicago, its region and global cities. More at www.greatcities.uic.edu.

CONTACT:
LAURIE R. GLENN
773.704.7246
laurie@asnchicago.org

SOURCE Alternative Schools Network