Virgin Islands (U.S.)

**No significant new data or events in the last 60 days (mid-June to mid-August 2026) materially shift the baseline youth instability picture for the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).** Youth unemployment figures remain in line with or slightly above the provided male 15-24 baseline of 20.6% (2025), with no fresh ILO, World Bank, or local government releases updating male-specific or youth (15-24) rates. General economic indicators show mixed but not destabilizing trends, including ongoing power infrastructure challenges offset by tourism connectivity gains and active youth employment programs.[[1]](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SLUEM1524ZSVIR)[[2]](https://tradingeconomics.com/virgin-islands-u-s-/unemployment-youth-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-ages-15-24-wb-data.html)

### 1. Youth/Male Unemployment Data Releases
- No new official releases from USVI VIDOL, U.S. BLS (beyond routine summaries), ILO, or World Bank on youth (15-24) or male unemployment in the last 60 days. Pre-existing modeled/estimated figures include:
  - FRED (World Bank-sourced): Youth unemployment rate (15-24, total) at 24.196% for 2025 (up from 23.049% in 2024).[[1]](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SLUEM1524ZSVIR)
  - Trading Economics (World Bank/ILO-linked): 25.3% youth total (15-24) reported for 2024 (as of July 2026 update).[[2]](https://tradingeconomics.com/virgin-islands-u-s-/unemployment-youth-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-ages-15-24-wb-data.html)
- Broader unemployment context: Territory-wide rates cited around 9.5% in recent discussions (down from post-hurricane highs of 18%), with 2025 overall unemployment at ~11.4%. A June 16, 2026, KIDS COUNT USVI data release highlighted general unemployment declining to ~4% in 2024 (from ~6% in 2019), alongside rising incomes and graduation rates (70.9% to 81%), but this is not youth- or male-specific.[[3]](https://www.vi.gov/kids-count-data-confirms-virgin-islands-families-are-seeing-real-progress-under-bryan-roach-administration/)[[3]](https://www.vi.gov/kids-count-data-confirms-virgin-islands-families-are-seeing-real-progress-under-bryan-roach-administration/)
- VIDOL continues routine UI tax rate adjustments (e.g., 2026 average contribution rate finalized at 4.04% effective Jan. 1, 2026) and operates youth-focused programs, but no fresh statistical bulletins.[[4]](https://www.vidol.gov/news/vidol-announces-2026-unemployment-insurance-tax-rates/)

These figures do not indicate a sharp deterioration or improvement from the baseline.

### 2. Political, Security, or Economic Events Affecting Young Men (18-35)
- **No protests, coup attempts, militia activity, or currency crises** (USVI uses the USD). No reports of recruitment or unrest targeting young men.
- **Economic/infrastructure notes**: A widespread power outage affected St. Thomas and St. John starting around June 1, 2026, with cascading issues and public frustration noted by Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach; this poses ongoing economic and quality-of-life pressures but is not framed as youth-specific instability.[[5]](https://stthomassource.com/content/2026/06/01/roach-praises-tourism-strides-despite-infrastructure-stumbles/)
- Positive development: United Airlines announced (June 1, 2026) new nonstop service from St. Croix (STX) to Newark/New York (EWR) starting October 31, 2026—expected to boost tourism and related job opportunities.[[6]](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-airlines-announces-new-nonstop-service-linking-st-croix-us-virgin-islands-to-newarknew-york-302786357.html)
- VIDOL’s 2026 Summer Youth Work Experience Program (SYWEP, for ages 14-25) saw strong early applications earlier in the year; a closing ceremony was referenced in recent social media (around late July/early August 2026 timeframe), providing paid work-based learning—supportive for youth employment pathways.[[7]](https://www.facebook.com/USVIDOL/videos/sywep-closing-ceremony-2026/2074943583098771/)

### 3. NGO or Academic Reports on Youth Situation (2025)
- The main recent item is the June 16, 2026, KIDS COUNT USVI data release (government-highlighted), emphasizing broader family/youth progress via lower general unemployment, higher graduation rates, and income gains since 2019. No dedicated 2025 NGO or academic reports on USVI youth instability, employment, or related risks were identified in searches.[[3]](https://www.vi.gov/kids-count-data-confirms-virgin-islands-families-are-seeing-real-progress-under-bryan-roach-administration/)
- World Bank and ILO data remain older (e.g., modeled estimates or 2022 figures); no 2025/2026-specific youth-focused publications flagged.

### 4. Internet/Mobile Infrastructure Changes
- No shutdowns, major coverage losses, or disruptive rollouts reported in the last 60 days.
- Ongoing/prior initiatives include FirstNet public-safety broadband (USVI opted in years earlier, with 2025 speed/coverage boosts noted for first responders alongside Puerto Rico). General broadband availability continues via multiple providers with no acute changes highlighted.[[8]](https://www.firstnet.com/community/news/firstnet-and-liberty-increase-speeds-puerto-rico-usvi.html)

**Overall assessment**: The baseline (male youth unemployment 20.6% in 2025; fuse score 58.9/100) holds without major updates or destabilizing events. Modest positives include sustained youth work programs and new air connectivity; persistent challenges center on power reliability. Continued monitoring of VIDOL releases and local economic indicators (e.g., tourism impacts) is recommended, as USVI data is limited and often modeled or lagged.

**BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) – Virgin Islands Economy at a Glance and related series**  
- https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.vi.htm (and https://www.bls.gov/data/)  
- API: Yes (public BLS Data API for series like LAU, CES, QCEW, OES)  
- Update frequency: Monthly/quarterly (employment, unemployment, wages)  
- Auth: None (free public access)[[1]](https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.vi.htm)[[1]](https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.vi.htm)

**Virgin Islands Department of Labor (VIDOL) – Labor Statistics**  
- https://www.vidol.gov/labor-statistics/ (and https://www.vidolviews.org/)  
- API: No (primarily reports, claims data, and monthly employment statistics; some PDF/Excel downloads)  
- Update frequency: Monthly (unemployment insurance claims, employment surveys)  
- Auth: None (free)[[2]](https://www.vidol.gov/labor-statistics/)

**Federal Reserve Bank of New York – U.S. Virgin Islands Regional Profile**  
- https://www.newyorkfed.org/regional-economy/profiles/us-virginislands  
- API: No (interactive data tables and charts; some downloadable summaries)  
- Update frequency: Periodic/annual (employment, GDP proxies, demographics)  
- Auth: None (free)[[3]](https://www.newyorkfed.org/regional-economy/profiles/us-virginislands)

**FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) – Virgin Islands-specific series**  
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/ (search SLUEM1524ZSVIR and related)  
- API: Yes (FRED API)  
- Update frequency: Annual/periodic (youth unemployment, other economic indicators)  
- Auth: None (free registration for API)[[4]](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SLUEM1524ZSVIR)

**ECLAC/CEPALSTAT (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean)**  
- https://statistics.cepal.org/portal/cepalstat/index.html?lang=en  
- API: Partial (data portal with downloads; limited or no dedicated USVI series as it focuses on independent LAC countries)  
- Update frequency: Annual/periodic  
- Auth: None (free)[[5]](https://www.cepal.org/en/data-and-statistics)

**Global Voices – US Virgin Islands RSS feeds**  
- https://globalvoices.org/feeds/ (country-specific feeds including US Virgin Islands)  
- API: No (RSS feeds available)  
- Update frequency: As published (news coverage)  
- Auth: None (free)[[6]](https://globalvoices.org/feeds/)

**Virgin Islands Daily News**  
- https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/  
- API: No (standard news site; check for RSS or use general aggregators)  
- Update frequency: Daily (local news)  
- Auth: None (free)[[7]](https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/)

**Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) – Virgin Islands (U.S.) datasets**  
- https://data.humdata.org/ (search Virgin Islands poverty or related)  
- API: Partial (CKAN API for datasets; many are derived or static downloads)  
- Update frequency: Varies (poverty, vulnerability indicators)  
- Auth: None (free)[[8]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/world-bank-poverty-indicators-for-virgin-islands-u-s)

**Notes**: As a U.S. territory, Virgin Islands (U.S.) data is primarily covered by U.S. federal sources (BLS/FRED) rather than a fully independent national statistics bureau or central bank. No dedicated public API was identified for VIDOL raw data. Regional LAC databases like ECLAC have limited or no specific USVI coverage. News and NGO sources are mostly for qualitative/contextual monitoring rather than structured indicators. All listed sources are publicly accessible without paid tiers.