State-Level Youth Unemployment Rates from 2019 to 2021

Compared to 2020, in which youth unemployment rates spiked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, youth unemployment rates in 2021 decreased in every state. The rate of economic recovery for youth has differed from state to state. In 14 states, most of them rural, youth unemployment rates dropped below their 2019 levels. However, in other states, youth unemployment rates in 2021 remained well above the pre-pandemic levels.