Jobs for 15-year-olds

15-year-olds are eligible for more job opportunities due to more relaxed labor laws. While certain restrictions still apply, there are many avenues for 15-year-olds to earn money. In this guide, we explore what jobs hire at 15, expected earnings, and some creative job ideas a 15-year-old can pursue independently.

In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the legal age to work at 14 for non-agricultural jobs, with strict limitations on the types of work and hours for those under 16. The number of jobs that hire at 15 greatly increases compared to what is available to younger teens. However, limits on workable hours and a safe work environment still apply.

Key Takeaways

The number of jobs that hire at 15 increases compared to what is available to younger teens.
There are many available jobs for 15-year-olds in the retail and food service industries, as well as many seasonal jobs that hire at 15.
Job board websites like indeed.com and snagajob.com can be helpful places to find local listings.

💪 Jobs That Hire at 15

Here's a list of jobs that hire at 15. Many will pay between $8 and $12 per hour, with some going as high as $15 per hour, well above the national minimum wage of $7.25.

🛍️ Retail Jobs

Certain retail stores may hire 15-year-olds for roles such as cashiers or stock clerks. These positions provide a professional setting and teach customer service skills. Stores like Target, Walmart, and local boutiques often hire teens, especially during busy seasons like holidays.

🛒 Grocery Stores

Grocery stores often hire teens for various roles, including bagging groceries, stocking shelves, and assisting customers. These jobs can offer steady income and help teens develop responsibility and teamwork skills.

🍔 Food Service Jobs

Restaurants and fast food chains frequently hire 15-year-olds as bussers, hostesses, dishwashers, and crew members. Chains like McDonald's, Burger King, and Chick-fil-A are known for hiring young teens.

🎢 Amusement Parks or Water Parks

Seasonal jobs at amusement parks, water parks, and recreational facilities are popular among teens. Positions might include ride operators, ticket takers, and concession stand workers. These jobs can be particularly appealing during summer breaks and offer a fun, dynamic work environment.

🏕️ Camp Counselor

Many camps hire teens as junior counselors or assistants. This job involves supervising younger children, leading activities, and ensuring campers' safety. It’s a great way to develop leadership skills.

🛟 Lifeguard

With proper certification, 15-year-olds can work as lifeguards at local pools, beaches, and water parks. This job is especially popular during the summer and teaches responsibility and lifesaving skills.

🏛️ Community Centers and Libraries

Community centers, libraries, and parks departments often have openings for teens in various roles, including camp counselors, lifeguards (with proper certification), and library assistants. These jobs can be rewarding and provide a sense of contributing to the community.

🛎️ Family Businesses

Teens can often work for family-owned businesses, assisting with tasks such as filing, stocking shelves, or customer service. This allows them to gain work experience in a safe, familiar environment.

🚜 Farms

Agricultural work is sometimes exempt from standard labor laws, allowing teens to work on family farms. They might help with planting, harvesting, or caring for animals, learning valuable skills and a strong work ethic. At 15, some teens may even be able to drive some farm trucks and other equipment.

💡 Job Ideas for 15-year-olds

The following is a list of jobs for 15-year-olds that they could get outside of the traditional workforce. These jobs come from friends, family, and neighbors, and are still great options for a 15-year-old. These are great options for young entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses.

🍼 Babysitting

Babysitting is a classic job for young teens. Many families need responsible individuals to watch their children for a few hours, typically in the evenings or weekends. Young babysitters can find jobs through family, friends, or neighbors. Sometimes parents need a place to drop-off a young child off for a minute, or simply have someone stay with a sleeping baby while they run some errands. You can offer to watch children in your home or their home, depending on the need at the time.

A babysitter can typically earn between $5 and $10 per hour (and sometimes per child). Rates can vary based on the number of children, the ages of the children, and the responsibilities involved.

If you want to stand out among other babysitters (and maybe even make a few extra bucks), you could even go the extra mile and clean up the while while you’re there. Doing the dishes, cleaning counters, or sweeping up, is a great way to go above and beyond.

🐶 Pet Services

There are tons of jobs for 15-year-olds in pet services. And for animal lovers, this is a great way to earn money.

Bathing / Grooming Dogs - Dogs get smelly and it can be a lot of work to wash and brush them. You can offer bathing and grooming services once a month. Depending on the size, and amount of hair of the dog, you could offer between $5 - $20 to wash and brush a dog.

Walking Dogs - It’s important for dogs to get exercise, however, sometimes people aren’t able to take them on walks as often as they’d like. Depending on the size of the dog. You could offer to take dogs on walks for between $5 - $10 per dog, per day.

Picking up Dog 💩 - It’s a smelly job, and somebody’s got to do it. People love their pets but don’t necessarily love picking up after them. Offer to clean people's yards for $5 - $10 per week based on the size and number of dogs they might have.

Changing litter boxes - Similar to cleaning up after dogs, you could offer to empty out litter boxes once a week for $5 - $10.

Pet Sitting - It can be difficult to find someone to take care of a pet while people are away. Offering a reliable pet-sitting service could be a great source of income. Let your neighbors know that you’re available to either watch their pets in your home, or in their home.

🏡 Yard Work

Yard services is another area with tons of great jobs available for 15-year-olds, especially during the Spring and Summer. It’s a great way to get outside.

Pulling Weeds - It’s a lot of work to maintain gardens and flowerbeds. Weeds never stop growing. Depending on the size of the garden or flowerbeds, you can offer to pull weeds once a week for between $5 - $20

Mowing Lawns - Similar to weeds, grass never stops growing and needs to be maintained weekly to look nice. Depending on the size of the yard, you could offer to mow lawns for $10 - $20 per week.

Raking Leaves - This is a short-term seasonal job, however, it’s something that many people need and can take a lot of effort. An easy way to charge for this one is $5 per large garbage bag full of leaves.

Shoveling Snow - Another seasonal job, but keeping driveways and sidewalks clear of snow can be a lot of work. Depending on the size of the driveway or sidewalk, you could charge between $1 - $20 to shovel each time it snows.

🏠 House Work

Teens can offer cleaning services to family friends and neighbors. Tasks might include vacuuming, dusting, washing dishes, and other household chores. This job teaches attention to detail and time management.

House cleaners can earn $10 to $20 per hour. Rates depend on the scope of work and the agreement with the homeowner.

Indoor Services - This might include vacuuming, dusting, sweeping and mopping, cleaning the bathroom, etc. There are a lot of chores that constantly need to be done in a home. You could offer to do any or all of these starting at $5 - $10 per chore depending on the size of house and number of rooms.

Trash - A unique service you could offer is taking trash bins out to the curb on trash day and making sure they’re put back after they’ve been emptied. This is something that has to happen each week and is easy to forget. You could charge $5 per week to take bins to the curb and return them.

🚗 Car Services

Car Washing - You can set up a car wash station in their driveway or offer mobile services to wash cars at customers' homes. You could charge between $5 and $20 per car based on the size of the car and how dirty it is.

Car Detailing - Detailing a car is just washing the inside. It's a bit more difficult and time consuming because you have to be detail oriented. You want to make it look amazing. You could charge between $10 and $30 per car based on the size of the car and how dirty it is.

Summary

From retail and food service jobs to creative entrepreneurial ventures, jobs available to 15-year-olds increase quite dramatically. Although some restrictions still apply, there are may jobs that hire at 15 and will pay more than the national minimum wage. Job board websites like indeed.com and snagajob.com can be helpful places to find local listings.