![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SR_26.08.19_summer-job_featured.jpg\")
Teenagers work at an ice cream shop in Warwick, Rhode Island, on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Barry Chin\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/p>\nTeenagers work at an ice cream shop in Warwick, Rhode Island, on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Barry Chin\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A summer job \u2013 whether scooping ice cream, busing tables or teaching campers to make lanyards \u2013 once was a rite of passage for American teens. But far fewer teens are working such jobs now than two or three decades ago.<\/p>\n
Only 35.5% of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 have held a paying job for at least part of summer 2026, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal employment data. That employment rate, which averages figures for June and July, is up a bit from last summer\u2019s 33.8%. (Averages from 2025 and earlier include figures for August.)<\/p>\n
As recently as 2000, more than half of 16- to 19-year-olds worked for at least part of the summer. That had been the case most summers since 1948, which is as far back as the federal jobs data goes. At the peak in 1978, 58% of teens worked for at least part of the summer.<\/p>\n
Despite bump this year, teen summer employment remains well below historic highs<\/p>\n
% of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/strongdespite_bump_this_year_teen_summer_employment_remains_well_below_historic_highsstrong-342213-1.png\")
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Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Except for 2026, \u201csummer average\u201d is for June, July and August, and \u201crest of year average\u201d is for the other months. For 2026, \u201csummer average\u201d is for June and July only, and \u201crest of the year average\u201d is for January through May. Chart depicts three most recent recessions.<\/p>\n
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n
PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on X<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook<\/p>\n
Despite bump this year, teen summer employment remains well below historic highs<\/p>\n
% of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed<\/p>\n
YearSummer averageRest of year average194856.544.7194951.943.0195053.942.7195156.844.9195255.943.9195355.343.4195449.639.8195551.840.8195655.142.0195753.040.8195847.637.2195948.437.0196050.437.2196149.035.7196250.035.8196346.334.4196446.534.2196548.535.7196653.338.3196753.238.5196852.938.6196953.939.9197051.339.3197150.138.4197252.840.4197354.942.9197454.643.2197551.540.5197653.141.2197755.243.0197858.045.1197956.745.8198054.544.0198152.741.8198249.538.9198350.838.5198453.240.6198552.841.5198653.641.7198754.542.4198856.743.6198957.044.3199053.342.7199149.539.4199249.038.3199350.138.9199451.740.6199552.541.5199650.841.1199750.141.1199852.042.8199951.142.6200051.743.0200148.040.4200245.237.7200341.735.1200441.634.7200542.234.5200642.635.1200739.633.2200837.431.0200932.926.9201029.624.7201129.624.5201230.524.6201330.825.2201431.326.1201532.327.2201634.028.3201735.028.7201834.629.2201935.829.2202030.827.5202136.630.5202237.431.3202336.631.5202436.030.9202533.830.1202635.529.1<\/p>\n
Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Except for 2026, \u201csummer average\u201d is for June, July and August, and \u201crest of year average\u201d is for the other months. For 2026, \u201csummer average\u201d is for June and July only, and \u201crest of the year average\u201d is for January through May. Chart depicts three most recent recessions.<\/p>\n
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n
PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n
ChartData<\/p>\n
Download ImageShare<\/p>\n
But over the past quarter-century, teen summer employment has trended downward, especially after the dot-com bust and during the Great Recession. The low came during the summers of 2010 and 2011, when just 29.6% of teens \u2013 fewer than 5 million, on average \u2013 worked for pay.<\/p>\n
During the COVID-19 pandemic in summer 2020, the teen employment rate dropped to 30.8% as many of the stores, restaurants, tourist attractions and recreational facilities that typically hire teens for summer shifts were shuttered. Teen summer employment rebounded in 2021 and 2022<\/a> as pandemic restrictions eased, but it slipped again the following three summers.<\/p>\n Summer 2026 was expected to be a difficult job market<\/a> for teens, but the June and July data seems to show otherwise. Over those two months, an average of 6.2 million teens were working. That\u2019s about 19,500 more than the June-July 2025 average, even though fewer teens overall have been actively seeking work this summer.<\/p>\n Teen employment rises in the summer months, but less than it used to<\/p>\n % of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on X<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook<\/p>\n Teen employment rises in the summer months, but less than it used to<\/p>\n % of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed<\/p>\n Date for plottingMonth195619661976198619962006201620262000-01-01January40.136.038.839.139.034.027.028.22000-02-01February39.035.738.939.839.534.527.628.42000-03-01March39.135.739.941.239.834.727.929.62000-04-01April40.537.441.541.940.634.728.229.52000-05-01May42.937.843.243.543.036.029.130.02000-06-01June51.348.449.550.849.242.133.234.42000-07-01July57.756.056.656.754.044.936.136.52000-08-01August56.355.453.253.349.140.732.7\u20132000-09-01September45.739.541.542.442.434.528.7\u20132000-10-01October44.440.542.843.142.335.628.7\u20132000-11-01November42.640.942.042.141.435.628.5\u20132000-12-01December43.741.442.142.041.836.028.8\u2013<\/p>\n Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n ChartData<\/p>\n Download ImageShare<\/p>\n White teens continue to be more likely than teens of other racial and ethnic backgrounds to work in the summer, as well as during the rest of the year. So far this summer, 39% of White teens have been employed, compared with 28% of Hispanic teens, 27% of Black teens and 21% of Asian teens.<\/p>\n White U.S. teens are more likely to work during the summer \u2013 and the rest of the year \u2013 than other teens<\/p>\n % of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed, 2025-2026<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. October 2025 data is not available because of the government shutdown that month. White, Black and Asian teens include those who are Hispanic; Hispanics are of any race.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on X<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook<\/p>\n White U.S. teens are more likely to work during the summer \u2013 and the rest of the year \u2013 than other teens<\/p>\n % of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds who were employed, 2025-2026<\/p>\n DateWhiteHispanicBlackAsian2025-01-0132.426.321.315.12025-02-0133.228.223.314.32025-03-0133.628.823.419.02025-04-0133.727.521.918.72025-05-0133.527.523.521.32025-06-0137.629.226.319.22025-07-0138.829.726.922.62025-08-0135.028.023.018.02025-09-0132.126.825.716.32025-10-01\u2014\u2014\u2014\u20142025-11-0130.925.223.922.52025-12-0131.525.025.524.12026-01-0130.124.824.420.02026-02-0130.725.921.416.42026-03-0131.927.524.516.62026-04-0132.327.322.516.12026-05-0133.126.522.015.92026-06-0137.827.525.421.22026-07-0139.729.029.120.6<\/p>\n Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. October 2025 data is not available because of the government shutdown that month. White, Black and Asian teens include those who are Hispanic; Hispanics are of any race.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n ChartData<\/p>\n Download ImageShare<\/p>\n And older teens are considerably more likely to work than younger ones. The average employment rate for 18- and 19-year-olds so far this summer is 48%, compared with 24% for 16- and 17-year-olds. (The federal government doesn\u2019t report employment data for people younger than 16, since most of them can\u2019t or don\u2019t work.)<\/p>\n About this research<\/p>\n This Pew Research Center analysis explores trends in summer employment among U.S. teens.<\/p>\n Why did we do this?<\/p>\n Pew Research Center does high-quality research to help the public, the media and decision-makers understand important topics. This analysis adds to work we\u2019ve done on U.S. employment trends, including a 2022 post on teen summer jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n How did we do this?<\/p>\n We analyzed data from the federal\u00a0Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>. For this analysis, \u201cteens\u201d are defined as those ages 16 to 19, since American teens can\u2019t work many jobs until they turn 16, and labor laws generally restrict the hours younger teens can work at all.<\/p>\n To measure the teen employment rate, we used the\u00a0employment-population ratio<\/a>, which is the number of teens who are employed as a share of all teens. The BLS has compiled this data since 1948.<\/p>\n For each year except 2026, we averaged the monthly employment counts and employment-population ratios for June, July and August to create our main measures of teen summer employment. For this year, we averaged June and July data, which were the only summer months available at the time of writing. We used nonseasonally adjusted data to better see the seasonal spike in teen employment.<\/p>\n In addition, we analyzed unpublished BLS data on industry employment among 16- to 19-year-olds in the summer months from 2014 through July 2026, and occupational employment in the summer from 2020 through July 2026. We chose those starting points because data from earlier years isn\u2019t directly comparable, due to changes in how BLS classifies industry and occupational groups.<\/p>\n What jobs are teens working in the summer?<\/p>\n So far this summer, more than half of employed teens are working in two sectors of the economy. Accommodation and food services \u2013 hotels and motels, resorts, restaurants, snack shacks and the like \u2013 employed an average of 2 million teens (or 32% of all employed teens) across June and July.<\/p>\n And nearly 1.3 million teens are working in retail trade, representing 21% of all employed teens. If that continues in August, it will be the first increase in retail\u2019s share of teen summer jobs since 2020, when 24% of employed teens worked in retail. \u00a0<\/p>\n Hospitality and retail sectors are still the largest sources of teen summer jobs<\/p>\n % of employed U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds working in each industry (summer averages, 2014-2026)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Six largest industry employers as of summer 2026 are shown. Except for 2026, figures are averages for June, July and August. For 2026, averages are for June and July only.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on X<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook<\/p>\n Hospitality and retail sectors are still the largest sources of teen summer jobs<\/p>\n % of employed U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds working in each industry (summer averages, 2014-2026)<\/p>\n YearAccommodation and food servicesRetail tradeArts, entertainment and recreationHospitals and health servicesConstructionManagement, administrative and waste services201433.222.17.73.53.73.9201534.721.78.23.83.43.8201632.620.48.74.04.33.2201733.622.18.44.14.33.5201834.020.19.13.94.03.2201932.819.29.04.74.43.7202035.223.95.74.04.83.7202136.622.57.14.73.93.6202234.621.18.93.64.52.8202335.120.87.63.65.23.0202433.719.69.04.64.93.2202534.119.09.54.74.03.4202632.220.77.84.74.74.5<\/p>\n Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Six largest industry employers as of summer 2026 are shown. Except for 2026, figures are averages for June, July and August. For 2026, averages are for June and July only.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n ChartData<\/p>\n Download ImageShare<\/p>\n The share of teens in accommodation and food service has slipped a bit since summer 2021, when 37% of teens worked in that sector.<\/p>\n What jobs are U.S. teens working in summer 2026?<\/p>\n Employment by occupation among U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds (summer averages)<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Figures are averages for June and July 2026.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on X<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook<\/p>\n What jobs are U.S. teens working in summer 2026?<\/p>\n Employment by occupation among U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds (summer averages)<\/p>\n OccupationNumber (in thousands)GroupFood preparation and serving related1,529Food preparation and serving relatedSales and related1,104Sales and relatedTransportation and material moving701Transportation and material movingOffice and administrative support449Office and administrative supportPersonal care and service403Personal care and serviceBuilding and grounds cleaning and maintenance300Building and grounds cleaning and maintenanceConstruction and extraction258Construction and extractionProduction227ProductionProtective service203Protective serviceEducation, training and library173Education, training and libraryArts, design, entertainment, sports and media162Arts, design, entertainment, sports and mediaHealthcare support137Healthcare supportInstallation, maintenance and repair130Installation, maintenance and repairManagement103ManagementHealthcare practitioners and technical103Healthcare practitioners and technicalBusiness and financial operations74Business and financial operationsFarming, fishing and forestry59Farming, fishing, and forestryComputer and mathematical29Computer and mathematicalLife, physical and social sciences27Life, physical and social sciencesCommunity and social service27Community and social serviceArchitecture and engineering21Architecture and engineeringLegal4Legal<\/p>\n Note: Data is not seasonally adjusted. Figures are averages for June and July 2026.<\/p>\n Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/p>\n PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/p>\n ChartData<\/p>\n Download ImageShare<\/p>\n Given where most teens work in the summer, it makes sense that their two most common occupations are food preparation and serving (an average of 1.5 million teens across June and July 2026, or 25% of all employed teens) and sales (1.1 million, or 18%).<\/p>\n Parallelling the retail decline, the share of teens working in sales and related jobs steadily dropped between 2020 and 2025 before ticking up this summer. In summer 2020, 21% of teens worked the register.<\/p>\n So far this summer, more teens are working transportation and material moving jobs than in recent years: 701,000, on average, or 11% of all working teens, compared with 539,000 (9%) in summer 2025. And fewer teens are in office and administrative jobs: 449,000 (7%), compared with 563,000 (9%) in summer 2025.<\/p>\n Some job categories are dominated by one gender. For instance, just about all the teens working in construction and extraction jobs and in architecture and engineering occupations this summer are men. Women predominate in healthcare jobs; education, training and library jobs; and personal care and service jobs.<\/p>\n Why are fewer teens working summer jobs?<\/p>\n The long-term decline in teens working during the summer is part of a broader\u00a0drop in youth employment<\/a>. Economists have suggested multiple reasons<\/a> teen summer employment might be declining, including:<\/p>\n Job availability: There are fewer low-skill, entry-level jobs, such as sales clerks or office assistants, than in decades past.<\/p>\n Teens\u2019 availability: More schools are ending later in June and\/or starting before Labor Day<\/a> than in the past, and more students are taking high school or college classes<\/a> over the summer.<\/p>\n Other options: More teens are doing volunteer community service to fulfill graduation requirements or burnish their college applications. Some are also taking unpaid internships, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics\u00a0doesn\u2019t count as employment<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teenagers work at an ice cream shop in Warwick, Rhode Island, on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Barry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":819576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101],"class_list":["post-819575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=819575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/819576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=819575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=819575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=819575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/teen_employment_rises_in_the_summer_months_but_less_than_it_used_to-358525-1787148036.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/white_us_teens_are_more_likely_to_work_during_the_summer_and_the_rest_of_the_year_than_other_teens-3.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hospitality_and_retail_sectors_are_still_the_largest_sources_of_teen_summer_jobs-358544-1787148071.p.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/strongstrongwhat_jobs_are_us_teens_working_in_summer_2026strongstrong-358549-1787148088.png\")
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