California: State of Our Children 2000
How Adolescents Are Faring Today, October 2000

California State of Our Children 2000
This 64-page companion to the California Report Card focuses on a number of teen issues.
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Introduction
California is in the middle of a decade of change, during which our adolescent population (youth ages 10 to 17) will increase by 36 percent to nearly five million (4.7) total by 2005. This growth rate is 2.2 times greater than that of California's overall population and three times greater than the nation's overall population. Our adolescent population will be more diverse than ever before, with 7% African American, 12% Asian/Pacific Islander, 42% Latino and 38% white. Read more below.

How Adolescents Are Fairing Today
The California: The State of Our Children shows that in a number of areas, California's young people are doing better today compared to several years ago. Teens are more likely to complete high school, less likely to be unemployed and less likely to become parents at an early age. But, compared to teens in other states, California teens are more likely to live in families who struggle economically and they are less likely to have health coverage. The state also incarcerates young people at a rate higher than that of nearly every other state.