This paper discusses the future labor market prospects of youth in light of demographic trends and projections. The relationship between demography and the youth labor market is reviewed, and explanations for the persistent differential labor market status of white and nonwhite youth are analyzed. The paper concludes by proposing a set of policy initiatives designed to alleviate the disproportionate amount of labor market distress borne by New York City minority youth. Among the major findings are: (1) Projected declines in the absolute number of youth do not necessarily employ improved future labor market circumstances for minority youth. (2) Nationally, the number of nonwhite youth will decline much slower than the number of white youth, and in New York City, the proportion of nonwhite working-age teens and young adults will grow markedly over the next decade and a half. (3) Over the last fifteen years, the nation's youth unemployment problem has increasingly become a minority, particularly black, problem. (4) The rise in the minimum wage does not account for the rise in black youth unemployment--in fact, relative to private sector wages, the minimum wage has fallen. (5) Youth employment policy must recognize the varying needs and heterogeneity of the population in need. A 49-item reference list is appended. (KH)