30 Best High Paying Jobs for Teens

Many things make being a teenager great. Teenagers today are expected to go out and get a job, although they are not old enough to vote and don’t have much money. 

Although there are opportunities for a teenager to fall into a rut, there are also ample opportunities for a teenager to succeed.

For teens planning to enter college or hoping to step into high-paying careers, trying to earn extra pocket money working retail or as a waiter or waitress is not unusual. However, jobs in these areas are not as common as once; many people now work at home or have their tasks automated. 

Why might teenagers seek high-paying jobs?

Having a high-paying job as a teen will allow you to contribute towards college costs, and this will instill in you the tenacity and confidence needed for successful careers. 

Jobs for teens that pay above-average salaries can provide the experience needed to get into well-paid jobs later in your career.

Therefore, high-paying jobs on your CV show you have put effort, initiative, and time into job hunting and training yourself, and have tenacity, confidence, and stamina for real-world work. 

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What Is The Average Pay For Working Teenagers?

There are no specific guidelines for how much a teenager would earn while working. The average pay for working teenagers varies and depends greatly on the area and field of work.

Basically, the federal minimum wage of $10 per hour guides employees who have teenagers working for them. So, a teenager who earns the minimum wage would take home approximately $300 weekly if he works 30 hours a week.

The average pay just for working teenagers? Is $10.03/hour.

What Types Of High Paying Jobs Can Teenagers Do?

Teenagers can do any job that does not require degree certifications. Most high paying jobs for teenagers do not require experience. They simply learn on the job.

Considering that most teenagers are still in high school, they must take up jobs that won’t clash with their study hours.

Even without any experience, teenagers can get high paying jobs. Also, they might consider taking up jobs in line with their choice of career. For instance, if a teen wants to be a chef in the future, applying for kitchen assistant roles is ideal.

According to moneyprodigy.com, these three types of jobs are some of the jobs available working teenagers consider:

  • Summer jobs that allow them to spend time outdoors
  • Jobs that will teach them interpersonal skills for future office jobs
  • Technical jobs allow them to use what they’ve recently learned in school

30 Best High Paying Jobs for Teens

1. Web Designer

Average salary: $18 per hour 

Web designers and developers design and build websites for clients. Web designers work with clients to ensure that the content, flow, and presentation of a website reflect and support the business.

By building their sites, teens can gain experience on web development projects quickly. Teens can also use free online training resources to build skills or work on simple sites using platforms such as Squarespace or WordPress.

They can offer to build mock websites for friends or family, or approach local businesses to offer help with a website. 

2. Graphic Designer

Entry salary: $15 per hour 

Creating graphics requires some artistic flair, technical know-how, and usually some expensive tools and software. However, there are now plenty of free graphic design training resources and cloud-based software packages, so there is no barrier to teens training themselves online.

Graphics designers create logos, banners, web and social media content for companies or individuals to support their brands and marketing campaigns. A graphic designer’s main role is to create consistent, clear, and inviting visuals for a company. 

3. Pet Sitting

Average salary: $12 to $15 per hour 

There is high demand for pet sitters and pet owners want to know their pets are in trustworthy hands. Many owners are content to leave their animals alone for a whole day, but others would prefer their pets have company.

Pet sitters take responsibility for keeping pets company while their owners are at work or away by visiting and staying in the house for a few hours. The pet-sitting profession has grown in recent years, and there are several ways to gain experience and work towards becoming an established business.

Having some experience looking after particular animals would be beneficial but there is no formal training required to become a professional pet sitter.  

4. Babysitting

Average salary: $12 to $16 per hour,  

Babysitting provides an ideal opportunity and space to study while earning extra money. Babysitters are hired by families to supervise children in the evening or on weekends while parents are out.

Although it is inconsistent work, once you have been hired by a family and they are happy with you, they will usually use you again and refer you to other families. This means, with dedication, you can earn well by building up a roster of regular babysitting work.  

5. Dog Walking

Average salary: $12 per hour-long walk 

Dog walking is a potentially lucrative business, as people who own multiple dogs can need the services of dog walkers several times a day.

Most pet owners will only regard someone as trustworthy and reliable if this person has experience working with animals and is willing to work for little pay.

Dog walkers will usually be given a key to the owner’s house if they are going to take a pet out for at least an hour each day.  

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6. House Sitting

Average salary: $25 to $45 per day 

House sitters are paid to water plants, take care of pets, and keep an eye on the security of a property while the owners are away.

These workers may live in the house for days at a time, giving the property owner peace of mind.

The practice is highly paid because owners can save money on kennel fees or reduced security while they are away, and they feel safer knowing someone is looking after their home if it contains valuables or might be vulnerable to burglary. 

This is one of the high paying jobs for teens.

7. Landscape Gardening

Average salary: $12 to $18 per hour 

Opportunities for teens interested in landscaping include working for landscaping companies. Landscaping is a physically demanding career, requiring attention to detail and respect for clients’ property.

Landscapers earn high wages because of the physical exertion required by their work, which can involve shifting soil and earth, mowing lawns, building garden decking or outbuildings, and planting beds and seeds.

Clients who hire landscape professionals are usually proud of their homes and gardens; they want someone who will work on their garden maintenance without dirtying their property or disturbing their day-to-day lives. 

8. Construction Assistant

Average salary: $15 per hour 

Although some construction worksites set age limits on operating machinery and driving vehicles, they still provide opportunities for teens to earn good hourly wages assisting workers on the site.

Teen responsibilities on construction sites can include loading-trucks, directing cars and trucks into and out of the site, and moving piles of earth or other materials. 

9. Golf Caddy 

Average salary: $11 to $15 per hour 

Golf caddies are well-paid, considering their work is mainly manual and involves long hours. They are often high school students taking on the job of a caddy to earn money to fund their studies.

The job only demands that you have a passion for sport and a good understanding of golf. 

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10. Lifeguard

Average salary: $11 to $18 per hour 

For teens who love to swim, lifeguarding can be a great way to make money. After undergoing training, lifeguards are in high demand, and hours are usually consistent and mostly fit into evenings or weekends.

While on duty, lifeguards often have the opportunity to coach young swimmers, gaining valuable experience that could lead to a career in sports coaching or teaching. 

11. Tutoring

Average salary: $20 to $40 per hour 

Students who excel in their studies can earn money as a tutor– because parents want their children to do well in school, and will pay for this to happen.

Demand for tutors is higher than ever now that many middle schools are closed in 2020, leading some parents to hire tutors to catch up with missed learning. 

12. Paid Online Surveys

Teen Opinion offers rewards for sharing your thoughts on brands, products, and services. Answer simple surveys and get paid via gift cards. How Much Can You Earn? Earning potential is up to you. 50-100$ per month 

13. Video Editor

If you have a knack for editing videos and a creative eye, you could use your skills to make an income online. Products have gone digital, but there is still demand for editors who can take raw footage and make it look polished and engaging.

How Much Can You Earn? $75-$150 per hour. How to Get Started? Practice makes perfect! Take a course or learn the ropes by editing videos for friends, family, or businesses. 

14. Youth Sports Referee

$25 to $50 per game 

You can earn extra income as a youth sports referee if you’re at least 12 years old. You typically will work from 30 minutes to 2 hours per game, and games can last for only a few minutes or up to 3 hours.

Whichever sport you officiate, you will need to wear a uniform, carry flags and a card-on-a-string, keep track of the time, and have a whistle (in some cases). 

15. Camp Counselor

$7.73 to $12.74 per hour  

You can work as a camp counselor in the summer or during special events and enjoy living expenses, food, and fun activities while earning a wage above the minimum. 

16. Hotel Housekeeper

$12+ per hour 

If you like cleaning and doing laundry, you could make money as a hotel housekeeper or maid. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, housekeepers that work for hotels earn an average of $12.19 per hour without tips.

Other places to work as a housekeeper include hospitals, nursing care facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. These pay $11.80 to $13.90 per hour on average. 

This is one of the high paying jobs for teens.

17. Food Delivery

$8 to $21+ per hour 

Food delivery drivers earn a median hourly wage of $14.28, according to PayScale. Of course, that is the average rate, and it can be higher for some workers and lower for others. 

18. House Painter

$13.84 to $19+ per hour 

If you don’t mind manual labor, working for a home painting company over the summer and on weekends pays well. PayScale reports that painters with less than one year of experience earn an average of $13.84 per hour. 

19. Mover

$12 to $16+ per hour 

Teenagers who are strong and careful enough to safely transport large objects and work with them carefully can make an average of $13.58 working for a moving company.

This job is best for teenagers aged 18 or 19 since many companies have age restrictions. 

Read: WHO IS THE HIGHEST PAID SALESMAN? TOP 10 HIGHEST PAID CAR SALESMEN

20. Cashier

National average salary: $10.55 per hour 

A cashier’s primary duty is to ring up customers’ purchases and complete the check-out process. This includes collecting payment, validating coupons or gift cards, checking for price accuracy, and bagging items. 

21. Actor

National average salary: $11.00 per hour 

Actors study the script, learn their lines and take direction from directors. If you enjoy acting, take part in school or local theater productions to gain more experience and build a resume before pursuing paid acting roles. 

22. Sales associate

National average salary: $11.06 per hour 

The job of a sales associate is to help customers who come into your store. You should ask customers if they need any help and make sure the store is neat, clean and that there are no messy shelves or racks.

You should also check if any customers have questions about products or prices. 

23. Server 

National average salary: $11.42 per hour 

The primary duties of servers are taking orders from customers, communicating orders to the kitchen, and delivering prepared food to customers. Servers also clear tables and reset them for new diners. At the end of their shift, servers may help clean up the restaurant. 

24. Retail merchandiser

National average salary: $12.72 per hour 

A retail merchandiser is a salesperson that works for a manufacturing company and acts as an interface between the manufacturer and a retailer.

Their duties include maintaining optimum stock levels, placing signage in stores and pricing products, and creating strategies for the sales of their brand in retailers. They also train employees in these tasks. 

25. Automotive technician

National average salary: $19.55 per hour 

An automotive technician is responsible for repairing, maintaining, and inspecting cars. The person in this position must also perform routine maintenance and diagnostic tests, test-drive vehicles, and maintain accurate customer records.

This can be a great job to pursue if you have experience working on cars in your spare time. 

This is one of the high paying jobs for teens.

26. Library assistant

National hourly pay: $13.28 

The position of library assistant will see you helping members of the public find books. Other tasks you might be asked to complete include helping librarians compile inventory lists and shelving books used for archival purposes. 

Read: Who Are The Highest Paid Mystery Shoppers? | 15 Best Companies In 2023  

27. Barista

Baristas work in coffee shops to earn $12.59 per hour by greeting customers, preparing and serving beverages (non-alcoholic), and keeping the shop clean. 

28. Kennel assistant

National hourly pay: $10.54 

You’ll feed, bathe, and medicate animals in a variety of shelters and clinics. These positions often have very limited human interactions—except when you’re speaking to clients. 

29. Package sorters

Also known as parcel processors, sort and scan parcels for delivery. The median hourly wage for this position is $14.66. 

30. Movie theater workers

Make around $9.00 an hour for tasks like ticket sales, running the snack bar, or cleaning up after guests leave. Discounted or free movie tickets are also a perk. 

Frequently asked questions about 30 best high paying jobs for teens

Can you be 14 and work at McDonald’s?

You must be 14 years of age or older to work as a Crew Member at McDonald’s. Starting Wage for 18 years and older: up to $13/HR. 

Can a 14-year-old work at Starbucks?

To work for Starbucks you must be at least 16 years old (except for Montana where the minimum age is 14 years old). Retail positions you can apply for at Starbucks are Baristas and Shift Supervisors. Starbucks also offers few internships, and they offer them to existing employees before the general public. 

At what age can you work at Dunkin?

To work at Dunkin’ Donuts you must be at least 16 years old. Possible positions are porter, crew members, counter help, cashier, shift leader/supervisor, assistant store manager, or even restaurant manager. Each store has a different requirement for each position. 

What age does Claire hire?

You must be 16 years of age or older to be eligible for hire as Sales Associate at Claire’s. 

Conclusion

Now that we’ve given you some tips for finding a job for teens, it’s time to finish off! We hope the article was useful and that you find something interesting in there.

The best ways to find jobs for teens are through Google and job sites like Indeed.com and Snag.com.

With the jobs listed on these sites, you can search for a “teen summer” or “remote work” job, or use keywords like “teen” and “remote” if you want to find jobs for teens online. 

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