NCJ Number
248981
Date Published
July 2014
Length
100 pages
Annotation
This 2014 report presents data for 2013 on the demographic characteristics of young adults (ages 18-24) in America and factors related to their well-being.
Abstract
Demographic data pertain to race/ethnicity, gender, population size, "group quarters," military participation, and imprisonment rates. Data on factors related to young adults' well-being address education; economic circumstances; family formation; civic, social, and personal behavior; and health and safety. The report indicates that as of 2012 there were 31.2 million young adults ages 18-24 living in the United States. Approximately 522,000 young adults were serving on active duty in the military, and just over 180,000 young adults were imprisoned in State correctional institutions in 2011. In 2013, 84 percent of young adult women and 81 percent of young adult men had completed at least a high school education, up from 79 percent and 75 percent, respectively, in 1980. The overall college enrollment rate for young adults increased from 26 percent in 1980 to 41 percent in 2012. Nineteen percent of young adults ages 20-24 were neither enrolled in school nor working in 2013, compared to 17 percent in 1990. The labor force participation rate for young adults was 65 percent in 2012 compared with the peak rate of 75 percent in 1986. Median annual earnings (in constant 2012 dollars) for young adults ages 20-24 not enrolled in school were lower in 2012 than in 2000 for all levels of education. Fifty-eight percent of young adult men and 51 percent of young adult women lived with their parents in 2013. Regarding civic, social, and personal behavior, young adults, like the rest of the population, were less likely to vote in congressional election years than presidential election years. In 2012, 71 percent of young adults ages 18-24 had a usual source of health care. Extensive figures and tables