Why Is the Mental Health of the Youngest American Workers in Decline?

The worsening mental health of young workers drives what appeared to be the disappearance of the age-related U-shape in wellbeing and the hump-shape in illbeing over the last decade. Using repeat cross-sectional data, we show that, whilst illbeing remains hump-shaped among non-workers in the United States, it declines in age among workers. This is true across all US states and has been the case for some time. These patterns are apparent in our analyses of two large US datasets with long time runs – the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 1993–2025 and the National Health Interview Survey of 1997–2024. The mental health of workers and non-workers has been declining but it has been deteriorating most quickly among young workers, leading to a steepening in the age gradient of mental illbeing for workers. This age profile in worker wellbeing and illbeing are mirrored in age differences in reported working conditions in the American Job Quality Survey of 2025: six measures of job quality rise with age. Declines in mental health are most pronounced among the youngest workers ages 18–22 who are likely drawn from lower socio-economic classes and report the greatest difficulties making ends meet.

JEL codes: I31; J28