Youth (0-17) population profile by race/ethnicity and State, 2020

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Juvenile Population

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Q:	Within States, how do juvenile populations vary by race?
A:	While race/ethnicity profiles vary considerably across states, white, non-Hispanic youth accounted for the largest share of the youth population in 38 states in 2020.

*Race groups are non-Hispanic. Hispanic persons can be any race.

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In 2020, at least 9 of every 10 youth in Maine, Vermont, and West Virginia were non-Hispanic and white.
In contrast, New Mexico's youth population was 61.6% Hispanic. Other states with large Hispanic youth populations include California (51.6%), Texas (49.2%), Arizona (44.8%), and Nevada (41.1%). In 2020, more than half (51%) of all Hispanic youth lived in California, Texas, and Florida.
The states with the greatest proportions of non-Hispanic black youth in their populations in 2020 were Mississippi (42.9%), Louisiana (37.8%), Georgia (35.4%), Maryland (32.7%), South Carolina (31.2%), and Alabama (30.4%). Black youth accounted for 54% of the youth population in the District of Columbia.
In 2020, 5 states had youth populations with at least 10% American Indians or Alaska Natives. These states were Alaska (21.6%), South Dakota (13.4%), Oklahoma (12.0%), Montana (10.4%), and New Mexico (10.2%).

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/population/qa01103.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on October 13, 2021.

Data Source: Puzzanchera, C., Sladky, A. and Kang, W. Easy Access to Juvenile Populations. Available on-line at: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezapop/.