Youth in the United States face different realities and life outcomes depending on variables as disparate as the zip code that they were born in, to whether or not they attend a city or county school. City schools are located in more urban centers while county schools are typically in the suburbs connected to the outskirts of these cities or in smaller towns.

Often times, whether or not a person is successful in the United States is reliant as much on whether or not they were born within the right circumstances as it is upon their innate ability. This is a reality faced by many youth around the world, but the hypocrisy is amplified within the United States because of the relative financial wealth of the country and, subsequently, the collective efforts by government and society to try and mitigate the consequences of a system that can make or break a person based off of many factors outside of their control.

According to official Census U.S. poverty measures, 11.6 million children (or 1 in 7) - which would equate to 16 % of all kids in the United States - were living in poverty in 2020. This total has increased by more than one million children since 2019 and is likely even higher due to the last effects of the COVID pandemic. Poverty levels vary across the United States, with Mississippi having the highest percentage at nearly 30 % of its children in poverty. These poverty rates are disproportionately high for children of color. Nationwide, Black (28 %), Indigenous peoples of America (25 %) and Latino (23 %) youth are more likely to grow up poor when compared to their non-Hispanic white (10 %) and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (9 %) peers.

As a result, many youth in the United States, especially those who grow up in lower-income urban or rural communities will often be focused on trying to break familial cycles of poverty and avoiding a criminal justice system that disproportionately affects poor young people, Black young people, and young people of color. Education can often be seen as a way to break these cycles and to have a decent career. Alternatively, some youth in these demographics may not be so concerned with school and may be more focused on jobs that they have outside of school so that they can make money for themselves and their families. For those youth who grow up in higher-income communities, being college-bound and trying to get into the best university possible is instilled from late middle school to early high school and onward. Youth in higher-income schools and communities will often try to get good grades, be very involved in extracurricular activities, volunteering, and leadership positions in order to be competitive for their college applications.