Disadvantaged Youth and Adults

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires states to use data on disadvantaged Youth and Adults in their sub-state allocation formulas. A disadvantaged Youth is defined as "an individual who is age 16 through 21 who received an income, or is a member of a family that received a total family income that, in relation to family size, does not exceed the higher of the poverty line, or 70 percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL)." The definition of a disadvantaged Adult is similar; but, per WIOA Section 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(I), the age restriction is 22 to 72. WIOA requires college students and members of the Armed Forces to be excluded from the number of disadvantaged Youth and Adults to the extent practicable. The LLSIL is an income level determined annually by the Secretary based on the most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary.

The data sets below are special tabulations of American Community Survey data obtained by ETA from the Census Bureau based on the five-year moving average using data collected between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020. This data became available for states to use in their sub-state WIOA allocation formulas starting in Program Year (PY) 2023. ETA anticipates updating the data every five years and will notify states via a Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) when the data has been revised or updated.

Most states will need data in Table 6 (which meets the basic definition of disadvantaged Youth and Adults) of the County (050) data section. Some states may need additional data at the County-Subdivision level (060) and County - or State-Place levels (155 and 160) in order to develop data sets for their states' local areas.

  • Kentucky, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will need data in Table 8 because these three states have designated local areas served by Rural Concentrated Employment Program (RCEP) grant recipients, and those RCEP local areas use the higher of the number of disadvantaged Youth or Adults in such area or the number of individuals in the appropriate age range with an income below a low-income level calculated based on the low-income level definition in WIOA Sections 127(b)(2)(E) and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(VII). Table 8 contains the number of individuals below these calculated income levels, and is available at various geographic levels (050, 060, 155, and 160).
  • Arizona and New Mexico will need county-level American Indian Area / Alaska Native Area / Hawaiian Homeland Areas (270) data to determine Navajo Nation grant allocation amounts.

Note: Tables 4 and 5 are available upon request through your regional office.

TEGL 01-23 for more information. 

National (010) Data

All National - Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL)
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force

State (040) Data

All State - Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force

County (050) Data

All County - Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force
Table 8 - Persons living in KY, MN, and WI below specified state income levels. 

County - Subdivision (060) Data (including functioning minor civil divisions such as District, Precinct, and Township) 

All County - Subdivision Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force
Table 8 - Persons living in KY, MN, and WI below specified state income levels.

County - Place (155) Data

All County - Place Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force
Table 8 - Persons living in KY, MN, and WI below specified state income levels.

State - Place (160) Data

All State - Place Level Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force
Table 8 - Persons living in KY, MN, and WI below specified state income levels.

State - Level American Indian Area / Alaska Native Area / Hawaiian Homeland Areas (INA) (260) Data

All State - Level INA Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force

County - Level American Indian Area / Alaska Native Area / Hawaiian Homeland Areas (INA) (270) Data

All County - Level INA Tables
Table 1a - Total Persons
Table 1b - Total Persons in the Poverty Universe
Table 2 - Persons in Poverty
Table 3 - Persons Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 4 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL
Table 5 - Persons in Poverty Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force
Table 6 - Persons in Poverty or Earning Less Than 70% of LLSIL Excluding Those on Active Duty and College Students Not in the Labor Force (Definition of Disadvantaged Youth or Adult)
Table 7 - Persons in the Civilian Labor Force