U.S. Teen Summer Employment Rises to 35.5% in 2026 as 6.2 Million Hold Jobs

1 articles · Updated · businessjournaldaily.com · Aug 25

35.5% of Americans ages 16 to 19 worked for pay in June and July 2026, up from 33.8% last summer and reversing three years of slippage.
6.2 million teens were employed on average over those two months—about 19,500 more than a year earlier—even though fewer teens were actively seeking work and the summer market had been expected to be weak.
2 million teens, or 32% of those working, held jobs in accommodation and food services, while 1.3 million, or 21%, worked in retail; transportation jobs also climbed to 701,000 from 539,000.
48% of 18- and 19-year-olds had summer jobs versus 24% of 16- and 17-year-olds, and White teens' 39% employment rate remained above Hispanic teens' 28%, Black teens' 27% and Asian teens' 21%.
The rebound still leaves teen summer work far below the 58% peak in 1978 and below the more-than-half levels common through 2000, amid fewer entry-level jobs and more summer classes, volunteering and unpaid internships.