Today, the ranks of those facing financial strain is on the rise. Opportunity Nation’s 2013 Opportunity Index found that 49 states saw an increase in the percentage of their population living below the federal poverty line, while 45 reported a drop in median household income.

With “Most Innovative Cities,” CNNMoney set out to highlight creative solutions to urban problems that improve the quality of life and economic opportunities for the people who live there.

Youth unemployment could have serious impacts on the quality of the nation’s labor force and the financial health of an entire generation, business and political leaders said during a forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Symonds says Arizona is an ideal laboratory because the state ranks 46th nationally on an "opportunity index" (as measured by http://opportunityindex.org/opportunity-index-rankings/measurement), with nearly 18 percent of the youth identified as "disconnected."

Even if you find your perfect opportunity spot, and even if you can swing the relocation, you might not be able to afford it.

Volunteering can cut a young person’s chance of being out of school and out of a job in half, a new study shows.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:September 29, 2014 NEW DATA SHOWS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEERING LINKED TO LOWER RATES OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL AND OUT-OF-WORK YOUTH, GREATER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY High volunteerism rates are...

It's hardly news that many millennials are having a hard time finding work, even with a college education. So then perhaps its disappointing, but not surprising, to learn that almost 6 million Americans ages 16 to 24 are neither employed or in school.