2.6. Teens neither enrolled in school nor employed

In 2004, the percentage of teenagers in rural areas who were neither enrolled in school nor employed was higher than in suburban areas, lower than in cities, but not measurably different than in towns.

In 2004, approximately 5.5 percent of persons ages 16 to 19 were neither enrolled in school nor working in the labor market (table 2.6). The percentage of rural teenagers who were neither enrolled nor employed (5.8 percent) was greater than the percentage in suburban areas (4.3 percent), lower than the percentage in cities (6.6 percent), but not measurably different from the percentage in towns (5.9 percent).

Nationally, a larger percentage of females ages 16 to 19 were neither enrolled nor employed (6.1 percent) than males (4.9 percent). While this same difference existed between male and female teenagers in cities and towns, there was no measurable difference between the percentages of male and female teenagers in rural or suburban areas who were neither enrolled nor employed. The apparent difference between these percentages in rural areas may not be statistically significant due to large standard errors.

A greater percentage of rural males ages 16 to 19 were neither enrolled nor employed (5.4 percent) than suburban males (4.0 percent), while no difference was detected between these rural males and their peers in cities or towns (figure 2.6). Like males, the percentage of female teenagers in rural areas who were neither enrolled nor employed (6.3 percent) was greater than in suburban areas (4.6 percent) and not measurably different than in towns (6.7 percent). However, unlike males, the percentage of such females in rural areas was smaller than in cities (7.6 percent).