Startling+Information!

There are many startling facts about teen runawys that people don't necessarily know about. The more people know about what causes teens to runaway and what generally happens to them after they are out of the comfort and care of adults, the better one is prepared to help a teen if they are faced in this particular situation.

1. Between 1.6 and 2.8 million teens run away each year nationwide [|National Runaway Switchboard]

2. 63% of runaways are females while 37% of runaways are male [|Think Quest]

3. The main cause of teenage runaway is due to "other" issues such as pregnancy, educational/legal issues leading with 33.9% over any other issue [|Teen Runaway]

4. Roughly 2,475 calls come from Ohio regarding teen runaway. This includes family/friends calling regarding runaway loved ones as well as actual runaway teens calling for help [|National Runaway Switchboard]

5. Assaults, illness or suicide will take the lives of 5,000 runaway youth each year [|Runaways]

6. 50% of runaway youth age 16 or older reported having dropped out of school, having been expelled or having been suspended [|Runaway Statistics]

7. Somewhere between 20%-40% (depending on where you live) will become involved in high risk behavior including drug use, prostitution, pornography, or starvation on the streets [|Runaway Prevention]

8. Financial problems at home can result in teen runaways, either because their families can't support them, or because they were under too much pressure to contribute at home and felt like they couldn't handle it [|Teen Runaways]

9. Most teens run away to escape intolerable conditions at home. Drug and alcohol abuse is often present [|Teenage Runaways]

10. As of 2005, 50% of those who runaway, spend 1-3 days away from home, 20% spend 4-7 days away, 13% spend 1-4 weeks away, 8% spend 1-2 months away, 4% spend 2-6 months away, and 5% spend 6 or more months away from home [|Teen Runaways]