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The percentage of young black people in the Bay Area who were neither working nor in school was the highest in Marin County in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available. 

Twenty percent of black 16- to 24-year-olds in Marin County were deemed “disconnected,” according to the Bay Area Equity Atlas, a repository of data focused on quantifying racial and economic inequality in the region. The share in Solano County was 17 percent.

Here’s how the counties rank by the percentage of young black people neither working nor in school.1. Marin County — 20% 2. Solano County — 17%3. Contra Costa County — 14%4. Alameda County — 11%5. Sonoma County — 11%6. Napa County — 10%7. San Francisco — 10%8. San Mateo County — 10%9. Santa Clara County — 9%[bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”1. Marin County” percent=”20″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”2. Solano County” percent=”17″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”3. Contra Costa County” percent=”14″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”4. Alameda County” percent=”11″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”5. Sonoma County” percent=”11″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”6. Napa County” percent=”10″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”7. San Francisco” percent=”10″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”8. San Mateo County” percent=”10″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”9. Santa Clara County” percent=”9″]“We have to inspire young people to re-engage,” said Anne Stanton, president and CEO of San Francisco-based Linked Learning Alliance, a group that aims to improve California’s high schools and prepare students for success in school, work and life. 

Stanton said helping young people learn computer programming is one way that has worked to reconnect them again with society. Career advancement academies have also been successful. They help underserved Californians, 18 to 30 years old, improve their skills in reading, math and writing so they can succeed in college and get a job that pays well.

SourceBay Area Equity AtlasLinked Learning Alliance

 

Keith Burbank is currently a fulltime reporter covering Alameda County and Oakland news for Bay City News. He has also worked on the Data Points project for Local News Matters, finding trends and stories about the region through data. In 2019, he was a California Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, producing a series about homeless deaths in Santa Clara County. He worked as a swing shift editor for the newswire for several years as well. Outside of journalism, Keith enjoys computer programming, math, economics and music.