The Scoop on Summer Jobs

“What are you doing this summer?”

It’s the big question on the last day of school. Between responses like family vacation, summer camp, and lounging at the pool, you’ll also likely hear, “I’m getting a summer job.” That’s because the number of teens with summer jobs is on the rise.

In 2024, about 5.7 million teens ages 16 to 19 had a summer job—the highest since 2007. “Summer is a great time when having a job won’t crowd out the other things young people need to spend their time on,” says Alicia Sasser Modestino. She’s an economics professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sandra, a 14-year-old from New Jersey, is planning on getting a job this summer. She wants to hang out with her friends, but “a lot of the stuff we do needs money,” she says. To fund trips to places like Chipotle and the mall, Sandra hopes to land a job as an assistant at the dance studio she attends.

Making money is the most obvious reason to get a summer job. “The reward of a paycheck is awesome,” says Louann Millar, leader of student banking at Wells Fargo. “It’s a tangible result of your hard work, talent, and time.” But a paycheck isn’t the only upside. Read on for tips and tools for finding your next summer job.

“What are you doing this summer?”

It's the big question on the last day of school. Some people might be going on vacation or off to summer camp. Others may plan to hang out at the pool. But you may also hear, "I'm getting a summer job." That's because the more and more teens are working for the summer.

In 2024, about 5.7 million teens ages 16 to 19 had a summer job. That’s the highest number since 2007. "Summer is a great time when having a job won't crowd out the other things young people need to spend their time on," says Alicia Sasser Modestino. She's an economics professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Sandra is a 14-year-old from New Jersey. She’s planning on getting a job this summer. She wants to hang out with her friends, of course. But "a lot of the stuff we do needs money," she says. Sandra wants to earn money she can spend at Chipotle and the mall. So she hopes to work as an assistant at the dance studio she attends. 

Making money is the most obvious reason to get a summer job. "The reward of a paycheck is awesome," says Louann Millar. She runs the student banking program at Wells Fargo. "It's a tangible result of your hard work, talent, and time." But a paycheck isn't the only plus. Read on for tips and tools for your next summer job.

In addition to money, summer jobs give you something that can be even more valuable: experience. When you apply for jobs in the future, the experience you get this summer shows potential employers that you have the skills they’re looking for. Sandra has her eye on this benefit. Working at the dance studio this summer “will help me get other jobs in the future because I’ve had that experience,” she says.

Summer jobs make you money. But they can also give you something even more valuable: experience. When you apply for jobs in the future, potential employers will want to know what skills you have. Summer jobs can help you build those skills. That’s a big reason Sandra wants to work at the dance studio. It "will help me get other jobs in the future because I've had that experience," she says.

Another upside is that a summer job is, by definition, a short-term thing. It lets you test-drive a job to see if you like it . . . or hate it. “If it wasn’t the greatest job for you, that’s OK—you’ll go back to school at the end,” says Sasser Modestino. Next summer, you can try out a completely different job!

Another plus? A summer job is a short-term thing. You can test out a job to see if you like it or hate it. "If it wasn't the greatest job for you, that's okay,” says Sasser Modestino. “You'll go back to school at the end." Next summer, you can try out a completely different job!

Following your interests is one of the best ways to start your job search, says Sasser Modestino. Do you like pets? Maybe working at an animal shelter is for you. If you’re a whiz in the kitchen, you could find a job at a restaurant. And if you often help classmates with their homework, a tutoring center might be a perfect fit.

You could also look for a job somewhere you already spend a lot of time, like Sandra does at her dance studio. After deciding she wanted a summer job, it was a no-brainer to see if the studio had any openings this summer. Sandra loves to dance and already has a relationship with her teachers. She’d even worked for them the summer before at a dance camp!

Still stumped? Check in with your hometown. Cities like Boston, New York, Honolulu, and more have youth employment programs that help match teens older than 14 with jobs. These programs often come with additional support to help you nail your first job.

Once you have a list of options, start applying! According to Sasser Modestino, “The earlier you start looking and the earlier you start applying, the earlier you’ll land a job.” She suggests applying to at least five jobs. If you get more than one offer, you may even be able to use that to negotiate better hours or higher pay! And it’s OK to “be a little choosy and pick something that aligns with your passions,” she says. “It might build into a career.”

How do you start your job search? Follow your interests, says Sasser Modestino. Do you like pets? Maybe working at an animal shelter is for you. Are you a whiz in the kitchen? You could find a job at a restaurant. Do you like helping classmates with their homework? A tutoring center might be the perfect place to work.

You could also look for a job somewhere you already spend a lot of time. That’s what Sandra did. As soon as she decided she wanted a summer job, she checked if the dance studio had any openings. Sandra loves to dance. She already has a relationship with her teachers. She'd even worked for them the summer before at a dance camp!

Still not sure? Check in with your hometown. Cities like Boston, New York, Honolulu, and more have youth employment programs. These services help match teens older than 14 with jobs. And they often include support to help you succeed at your first job.

Once you have a list of options, start applying! "The earlier you start looking and the earlier you start applying, the earlier you'll land a job," says Sasser Modestino. She suggests applying to at least five jobs. That improves your chances of being offered one. And if you get more than one offer, that’s even better! You may be able to negotiate better hours or higher pay. It's okay to "be a little choosy and pick something that aligns with your passions," says Sasser Modestino. "It might build into a career."

But when you get your first paycheck, you may be surprised to see it’s for less than your hourly wage multiplied by the number of hours you worked. That’s because a percentage of your pay is taken out for different taxes. These taxes go to the government to pay for services that help everyone, such as fighting fires, road and bridge maintenance, and education.

For Sandra, a paycheck is about more than money. “It’s a sign of maturity,” she says. Earning her own income means she doesn’t have to rely on her parents to buy her the things she wants. It’s also good practice for the future, when she’ll be responsible for her own needs!

Still, you may be surprised when you get your first paycheck. You may have calculated your hourly wage multiplied by the number of hours you worked. But the paycheck is for less. That's because some of your pay is taken out for taxes. These go to the government to pay for services that help everyone. Taxes fund firefighting, road maintenance, education, and more.

For Sandra, a paycheck is about more than money. "It's a sign of maturity," she says. Earning her own income gives her independence. It means she doesn't have to rely on her parents to buy her the things she wants. It's also good practice for the future, when she'll be responsible for her own needs!