Half a million young Californians aren’t in school or work. Most are men
Adam Echelman
October 29, 2025
If you ask Jodeah Wilson how his life got off track, he’ll say it’s all about money.
He needs money for November rent. He also needs money to pay back the tuition he owes for the spring semester at Sacramento State University, which would allow him to re-enroll. Until then, he’s stuck in limbo.
“All I need is a goddamn job so I can pay this off myself,” he said. But it’s been months and so far, he’s still unemployed.
To state leaders and researchers, though, it’s more than just money. California has nearly 500,000 young people ages 16 to 24 who are in the same predicament, neither working nor in school. Finding them a job is part of the solution, but it goes much deeper than that. Many are struggling socially and emotionally, too, making it even harder to move forward.
Men are particularly at risk. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to address “the alarming rise in suicides and disconnection among California’s young men and boys.”
