The 10 cities in the US where summer jobs pay the best

Summer jobs for teenagers can be a great way to pocket some extra money as spending cash or savings for college. There are a number of what are thought of as traditional positions to fill, like babysitting and lawn care to caddying and lifeguarding or getting a job at a cinema, restaurant or store. Nowadays, there are plenty of summer jobs where teenagers can use their internet and tech savviness like testing videogames or transcribing audios.

It used to be that the majority of teenagers would get a job during the summer. However, around 2000 the participation rate of teenagers in the labor force plunged, dropping to around a third by 2011 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

However, the participation rate of teens is ticking up, especially since the covid-19 pandemic caused so much disruption in the labor market. Employees are in hot demand across the country with around 1.8 jobs per person without but currently seeking one.

So where can teenagers looking for a job over the summer expect to see the highest pay?

The 10 cities in the US where summer jobs pay the best

Cool Jobs checked out data from a range of sources to find the small, midsized and large metro areas that paid the most in relation to the cost of living. However, areas with higher pay generally meant lower teen participation in the workforce during the summer months.

It could be argued that higher wages are partly responsible for lower participation rates among teens as better pay attracts more adults to do the jobs that teenagers would’ve previously filled. But as mentioned, employers have been desperate to find workers, pushing them to offer perks for positions that normally have none.

Top ten large cities where summer jobs pay the highest

Top midsized cities where summer jobs pay the highest

Top small cities where summer jobs pay the highest