US: First jobs · 5 min read
What are the best summer jobs for teens in the US?
Where teen summer jobs are in the US (pools, camps, parks, retail, city youth programs), when hiring happens, typical 2026 pay and how to pick one that teaches you.
The short answer
The summer jobs that hire teens in volume are lifeguarding and swim instruction, day camps and summer programs, parks and recreation departments, amusement parks and water parks, grocery and retail, restaurants and ice cream shops, and city youth employment programs that place 14 to 24 year olds in paid six-week jobs. Hiring starts in March and April for most of them, and lifeguard certification classes fill by May. In July 2025, 21.1 million 16 to 24 year olds were working, with a quarter of them in leisure and hospitality. Pay in 2026 mostly runs $12 to $18 an hour, with lifeguards and camp staff at the top of that range in many cities.
Key takeaways
- Apply in March and April. By June the lifeguard, camp and parks jobs are gone; retail and food keep hiring.
- City summer youth employment programs (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and dozens more) pay minimum wage or above for six weeks and often take 14 year olds.
- Lifeguarding pays best for the age and the certification lasts two years. Many cities now pay $18 to $22 an hour because of shortages.
- Summer hours for 14 and 15 year olds are 8 a day and 40 a week until 9pm; 16 and up have no federal limit.
On this pageWhere the jobs are
Where the jobs are
| Job | Minimum age | Apply by | Typical pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeguard or swim instructor | 15 | April (certification by May) | $15 to $22 an hour |
| Day camp counselor | 16 (CIT roles from 14) | March to April | $13 to $18, or a weekly stipend |
| Parks and recreation | 14 to 16 depending on role | March to April | $12 to $17 |
| Amusement or water park | 15 or 16 | February to April | $14 to $17 plus bonus |
| City youth employment program | 14 | January to March (lottery) | Minimum wage or above, 20 to 25 hours a week |
| Grocery and retail | 14 to 16 | Any time | $12 to $17 |
| Restaurants and ice cream | 14 to 16 | Any time | $12 to $16 plus tips |
City youth employment programs
Most large US cities run a summer youth employment program that places teens and young adults in paid jobs at nonprofits, city agencies and local businesses for six or seven weeks, usually 20 to 25 hours a week at minimum wage or above. New York's is the largest in the country with roughly 100,000 places; Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore and many smaller cities run their own. Applications typically open between January and March and places are often allocated by lottery, so apply the week they open. These programs handle work permits and are built for first-time workers.
Choosing one that leaves something behind
- A certification you keep: lifeguard, CPR, food handler, ServSafe. Each one makes next summer's job search shorter.
- Responsibility you can describe: handling cash, opening or closing, training someone, keeping kids safe.
- A reference who'll answer the phone: a camp director or pool manager who saw you every day beats a corporate HR line.
- A look at a field: a hospital volunteer program or a vet clinic job teaches you more about whether you want that work than any website.
The rules that still apply in summer
At 14 and 15, summer means 8 hours a day, 40 a week, between 7am and 9pm from June 1 through Labor Day, and the same list of allowed jobs. At 16 and 17 federal law sets no limit, but many states cap summer hours or keep a curfew. Work permits are still needed where your state requires them, and school district offices often run a summer window to issue them. Pay is the state minimum or higher, and the $4.25 youth wage can only be used for your first 90 days.
Illustrative example: certification first
A 15 year old takes a Red Cross lifeguard course over spring break for about $300. In May the county pool hires her at $18 an hour, forty hours a week, with a schedule that ends at 6pm. She earns around $7,000 over the summer, has a certification good for two years, and the next spring the aquatics director calls her before the job is posted.
Questions people ask
- When should I apply for a summer job?
- March and April for parks, pools, camps and amusement parks, which build their summer rosters early. Lifeguard certification classes should be booked by April. City youth programs usually open applications between January and March with lotteries in spring. Retail and restaurants hire continuously, so May and June still work there.
- What's a good summer job for a 14 year old?
- City youth employment programs are the best first stop because they're designed for 14 year olds and handle the permit. Otherwise: camp counselor-in-training roles, golf course and park jobs, grocery bagging, and small business help. Lifeguarding opens at 15. Babysitting, lawn care and dog walking are always open and pay as well as anything else at 14.
- How much do summer jobs pay teens in 2026?
- Mostly $12 to $18 an hour. Lifeguards are often $16 to $22 in cities with shortages. Camp counselors are sometimes paid as a weekly stipend that works out lower per hour but includes meals. Amusement parks commonly pay $14 to $17 with end-of-season bonuses. Minimum wage where you live is the floor.
- Will a summer job hurt my chances of college?
- The opposite. Admissions officers and scholarship committees treat a real job as evidence of responsibility, and a summer job is a common essay topic for a reason. What hurts is a summer with nothing in it. Work, a class, a project or volunteering all count.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Employment and unemployment among youth, summer 2025 · US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- YouthRules! Young workers · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- State minimum wage laws · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.