Employment and Unemployment Among Youth Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, August 21, 2025                                  USDL-25-1301

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                    EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH -- SUMMER 2025


In July 2025, 53.1 percent of young people (those ages 16 to 24) were employed, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. This measure is down from 54.5 percent in 
July 2024. (The month of July typically is the summertime peak in youth employment.) The 
youth unemployment rate was 10.8 percent in July 2025, higher than the rate in July 2024 
(9.8 percent). (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment
and unemployment that occur each spring and summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Labor Force

The youth labor force--16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking for work--grows sharply
between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and
college students search for or take summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to
look for or begin permanent employment. In 2025, the youth labor force grew by 1.9 million, or
8.9 percent, from April (21.7 million) to July (23.7 million). (See table 1.)

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 59.5 percent in July 2025, little
different from a year earlier. (The labor force participation rate is the proportion of the
civilian noninstitutional population that is working or actively looking for work.) (See table
2.)

The July 2025 labor force participation rates for 16- to 24- year-old men (60.6 percent) and
women (58.4 percent) were little changed over the year. Continuing a long-standing pattern,
White youth had the highest labor force participation rate, and Asian youth had the lowest
rate (62.3 percent versus 47.2 percent) in July 2025. The participation rate for White youth
decreased from 63.5 percent in July 2024 to 62.3 percent in July 2025. The participation rates
for Black (52.2 percent), Asian (47.2 percent), and Hispanic (57.3 percent) youth showed
little change over the year.

Employment

There were 21.1 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds in July 2025. Between April and July, the
number of employed youth rose by 1.2 million, or 6.2 percent. The employment-population ratio
for youth--the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional population with
a job--was 53.1 percent in July 2025, lower than the rate of 54.5 percent from a year earlier.
(See tables 1 and 2.)

In July 2025, the employment-population ratios for young women (52.3 percent), White youth
(56.2 percent), and Asian youth (41.0 percent) were lower than a year earlier. The ratios for
young men (53.9 percent), Black youth (44.7 percent), and Hispanic youth (50.1 percent) were
little changed over the year.

In July 2025, 25 percent (5.4 million) of employed 16- to 24-year-olds worked in the leisure
and hospitality industry, the largest share of youth workers. An additional 17 percent of
employed youth worked in the retail trade industry, and 14 percent worked in education and
health services. (See table 3.)

Unemployment

Typically, the number of unemployed young people increases with the onset of summer, as people
who were not in the labor force while attending school begin seeking employment. To be
classified as unemployed, a person must either be looking and available for work or on
temporary layoff. From April to July 2025, the number of unemployed youth rose by 690,000 to
2.5 million. About 7 in 10 of the unemployed youth were looking for full-time work in July
2025. (See tables 1 and 2.)

The youth unemployment rate, at 10.8 percent in July 2025, was 1.0 percentage point higher
than the rate in July 2024. The July 2025 unemployment rates were higher for young men (11.0
percent) and White youth (9.8 percent) than in the prior summer, while the rates for young
women (10.5 percent), Black youth (14.3 percent), Asian youth (13.3 percent), and Hispanic
youth (12.6 percent) showed little change.