US Teen Summer Employment Holds at 35.5% in 2026 as 6.2 Million Worked
Updated
Updated · WGR550 · Aug 20
US Teen Summer Employment Holds at 35.5% in 2026 as 6.2 Million Worked
3 articles · Updated · WGR550 · Aug 20
Summary
35.5% of Americans ages 16 to 19 held summer jobs in 2026, Pew said, a low share by historical standards but slightly above 2025 as June-July employment averaged 6.2 million teens.
29.6% marked the modern low in 2011 and again in 2020, after declines tied to the dot-com bust, the Great Recession and pandemic shutdowns that hit stores and fast-food outlets.
Accommodation and food services employed more than half of working teens this summer, while retail accounted for 21% and could post its first increase in share since 2020 if August holds.
39% of White teens worked this summer, compared with 28% of Hispanic teens, 27% of Black teens and 21% of Asian teens; employment for 18- and 19-year-olds was nearly 50%.
Pew and outside analysts tied the long-run decline to fewer low-skill entry jobs, more summer classes and enrichment programs, and hiring frictions from inflation, wage pressures and more complex online applications.