The best jobs for teens, by age

The honest answer to "best jobs for teens" depends almost entirely on one number: your age. US labor law draws hard lines at 14 and 16, so this guide is organized the same way — what is actually available to you at 13–15, what opens up at 16–17, and the self-directed work that ignores the lines altogether.

First, the rules that shape everything

Ages 13–15: the self-directed years

Formal employers mostly cannot or will not hire you yet, so the best jobs at this age are the ones you run yourself — which happen to build more skill than any first shift job anyway.

• Babysitting. Typically $12–$18/hr at this age. Two or three trusting families is a steadier income than most 15-year-olds with a "real job" have. A babysitting or CPR course helps parents say yes.
• Yard work and snow shoveling. Often $20–$40 per yard or driveway. Pay-per-job, so a motivated Saturday beats a week of allowance.
• Pet sitting and dog walking. Typically $10–$20 per walk or visit, through neighbors rather than apps (which mostly require 18).
• Tutoring younger kids. Typically $10–$20/hr. Being two grades ahead is qualification enough for middle-school math help.
• Making short videos. Paid per approved video in UGC programs — details below. Age rules for the platforms themselves apply (13+ with the usual account requirements).

Ages 16–17: the doors open

At 16 the federal hour caps disappear and most employers will hire you. The classic lineup: retail and grocery (typically $12–$16/hr), food service ($12–$15/hr plus sometimes tips), lifeguarding ($13–$20/hr, certification required), and hosting or bussing at restaurants ($12–$16/hr plus tip-outs). Youth sports refereeing is the sleeper — typically $20–$35 per game, weekends only, and leagues are perpetually short of referees.

The self-directed options do not expire at 16, either — they get better, because you can now drive to jobs and charge closer to adult rates for babysitting and tutoring.

The option that works at any age in this range

Making short videos is the one line on this list where being a teenager is an advantage rather than an obstacle — you already speak the format natively — and the program we run pays for it on these terms.

How the Write It creator program works

Applications and new submissions are paused. The new workflow starts with an unpublished draft, then approval to post. A reviewer checks the public video against the approved draft before verifying views.

Submit a draft and wait for approval before publishing. Standard videos earn $2 per 1,000 verified views, plus a $10 bonus only after exceeding 1,000 views within 7 days of posting. Total pay, including the bonus, is capped at $800 per video. AI videos and slideshows earn $0.10 per 1,000 verified views with no bonus, capped at $500 per video. View pay covers the first 14 days after posting. Only approved published videos earn cash.

For example, a standard video with 5,000 verified views in its first week earns $20: $10 in view pay and the $10 bonus. An AI video or slideshow with the same views earns $0.50. Both are subject to review.

Earlier submissions keep their recorded rates, thresholds, caps and payment windows. The new rules apply only to new submissions.

How to choose, whatever your age

1. 1Protect school first. The law caps 14–15-year-olds at 18 school-week hours for a reason. If a job cannot flex during exams, it is the wrong job at any age.
2. 2Prefer per-job pay over per-hour pay. Lawns, games refereed, videos approved — work that pays per unit rewards hustle and never schedules you on a test night.
3. 3Keep one thing that compounds. A regular tutoring client, a growing posting habit, a list of lawn customers — one asset that is bigger in June than in January.