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State Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced Legislative Bill 935, saying his goal is to let county leaders set wages that make sense for the local economy and local cost of living.
The states with the most working teenagers
Labor force participation for teens declined a lot since the 1970s
Researchers have identified several explanations for why recent generations of teenagers are working less than their predecessors. One of the primary factors is that young people face more time pressure from school, which has made it difficult to work during the school year. In the summer, extended school years and programs for remediation or enrichment similarly pose obstacles to working. Additionally, employers today offer fewer of the low-level positions for which teens are qualified, and teenagers face more competition for these roles from older workers and immigrants.
One additional factor in teen employment is the minimum wage. Because teens have fewer specialized skills and less work experience, employers usually pay them at lower levels than older and more experienced workers. The federal minimum hourly wage has been set at $7.25 since 2009, but more than half of states have introduced minimum wages above that standard. Recent years have also seen nationwide campaigns to raise wages to $15 per hour or more. In jurisdictions where minimum wages are higher, there is some correlation with lower teen employment, as employers looking to save on labor costs may decline to hire younger workers. As a result, further increases to minimum wage standards would benefit the teens who do work but could also lead to declines in teen employment overall.
State level data shows that wages are not the only factor that determines teen employment. For example, Utah and Mississippi both have the lowest possible minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Utah leads the nation with a 53.2% labor force participation rate for teenagers, while Mississippi has the second-lowest rate at 25.5%. In general, most of the states with the highest teen labor force participation are found in the Midwest and Mountain West, which may be a product of demographic, economic, or cultural factors in those states.
Utah, Kansas and Wisconsin have the highest teen labor force participation rates
Data on teen labor force participation, teen population, part-time and full-time workers and the teen unemployment rate are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Minimum wage statistics were compiled from state government websites. To identify the states with the most working teenagers, researchers at Self Financial ranked states based on their teen labor force participation rates for 2020—defined as the total number of teenagers aged 16–19 in the labor force divided by the total, noninstitutionalized population aged 16–19.
Here are the states with the most working teenagers.
15. Delaware
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 41.6%
- Total teens in the labor force: 19,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 46,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 31.3%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 68.8%
- Teen unemployment rate: 20.9%
- State minimum wage: $9.25
14. Oregon
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 42.6%
- Total teens in the labor force: 90,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 212,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 38.9%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 61.1%
- Teen unemployment rate: 20.0%
- State minimum wage: $12.75
13. North Dakota
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 43.1%
- Total teens in the labor force: 14,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 34,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 30.8%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 69.2%
- Teen unemployment rate: 10.1%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
12. Colorado
Photo Credit: Sopotnicki / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 43.2%
- Total teens in the labor force: 129,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 299,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 29.4%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 70.6%
- Teen unemployment rate: 15.7%
- State minimum wage: $12.32
11. Wyoming
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 45.2%
- Total teens in the labor force: 13,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 29,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 27.3%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 72.7%
- Teen unemployment rate: 11.9%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
10. Montana
Photo Credit: Mihai Andritoiu / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 45.3%
- Total teens in the labor force: 23,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 51,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 31.6%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 68.4%
- Teen unemployment rate: 14.6%
- State minimum wage: $8.75
9. Ohio
Photo Credit: Zack Frank / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 45.4%
- Total teens in the labor force: 288,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 634,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 27.9%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 72.1%
- Teen unemployment rate: 19.0%
- State minimum wage: $8.80
8. Nebraska
Photo Credit: Jonathannsegal / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 45.4%
- Total teens in the labor force: 46,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 100,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 31.7%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 68.3%
- Teen unemployment rate: 10.0%
- State minimum wage: $9.00
7. Idaho
Photo Credit: Charles Knowles / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 46.3%
- Total teens in the labor force: 42,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 90,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 31.4%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 68.6%
- Teen unemployment rate: 15.5%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
6. New Hampshire
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 48.1%
- Total teens in the labor force: 30,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 63,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 26.9%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 73.1%
- Teen unemployment rate: 14.0%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
5. Iowa
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- Teen labor force participation rate: 48.3%
- Total teens in the labor force: 78,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 161,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 30.0%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 70.0%
- Teen unemployment rate: 10.2%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
4. Minnesota
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- Teen labor force participation rate: 49.2%
- Total teens in the labor force: 137,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 279,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 24.6%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 75.4%
- Teen unemployment rate: 13.6%
- State minimum wage: $10.08
3. Wisconsin
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 51.9%
- Total teens in the labor force: 153,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 295,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 27.9%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 72.1%
- Teen unemployment rate: 10.8%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
2. Kansas
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 52.8%
- Total teens in the labor force: 81,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 153,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 24.3%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 75.7%
- Teen unemployment rate: 13.6%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
1. Utah
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Teen labor force participation rate: 53.2%
- Total teens in the labor force: 102,000
- Total civilian noninstitutionalized population 16–19: 192,000
- Percentage of teen workers that are full-time: 28.3%
- Percentage of teen workers that are part-time: 71.7%
- Teen unemployment rate: 9.8%
- State minimum wage: $7.25
