Diverging Fortunes For Older And Younger Teens In U.S. Summer Job Market

Depending on how old they are, U.S. teens are having a very different summer job experience in Summer 2026.

For older teens, Age 18 and 19, the job scene is fairly good. The seasonally adjusted number of teens for this portion of the working teen demographic appears to be fairly steady, if not increasing.

But younger teens, Age 16 and 17, are increasingly finding themselves on the outside of the summer job market. In July 2026, the seasonally adjusted number of younger teens counted as having jobs fell to its lowest level since July 2020. Falling from 1,856,000 in June 2026 to 1,771,000 in July, the decrease continues a long-running downward trend that dates back to January 2023.

In addition, the percentage of younger teens who are employed with respect to the population of 16 and 17-year-olds in the U.S. dropped below 20% for the first time since July 2020 as well. Just 19.7% of Americans Age 16-17 had jobs in July 2026.

The following pair of charts shows the seasonally adjusted employment numbers and employment-to-population percentages for younger teens (Age 16-17), older teens (Age 18-19) and the combined population of working teens (Age 16-19) from January 2021 through July 2026.

July 2026 is also a month in which Americans unexpectedly lost jobs. Among industries that are most likely to employ teens, notable declines were seen in the retail, leisure, and hospitality sectors of the economy.

Reference

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor Force Statistics (Current Population Survey - CPS). [Online Database]. Accessed: 9 August 2026.