The labor-force participation rate for teenagers fell to 40.6 percent last year from 43.8 percent in 2008, according to the Census data. The percentage of teens not enrolled in school or working increased to 5.6, from 5.3 the previous year.
Teenage Unemployment
The unemployment rate for teenagers in October 2009 climbed to 27.6 percent, the highest since record-keeping began in 1948, according to the Labor Department.
"This unemployment rate among youth and new entrants into the labor market may have a longer-term effect depending on how the recovery goes for that age group," Singer said.
For Americans a few years older, the recession may have had an impact on one area outside of work: marriage. An analysis of the Census data by the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington-based research organization, found that for the first time in more than 100 years of record-keeping, the proportion of unmarried Americans aged 25-34 was higher than those who are married.
The American Community Survey data are used to help determine the annual distribution of more than $400 billion in federal and state funds, the bureau said.