Teenagers work at an ice cream shop in Warwick, Rhode Island, on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
A summer job – whether scooping ice cream, busing tables or teaching campers to make lanyards – once was a rite of passage for American teens. But far fewer teens are working such jobs now than two or three decades ago.
Only 35.5% of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 …
