The federal floor: 14 is the minimum age
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, "Children under 14 years of age may not be employed in non-agricultural occupations covered by the FLSA" (DOL Fact Sheet 43, revised December 2016). Where a state rule is stricter, it applies (DOL state child labor table, July 15, 2025).
A few kinds of work are open at any age because the FLSA does not cover them. DOL lists delivering newspapers, performing in radio, television, movie or theater productions, working in a business owned by your parents (except mining, manufacturing or hazardous jobs), and babysitting or "minor chores around a private home" (DOL elaws FLSA Advisor; Fact Sheet 43 says "casual baby-sitting"). So a 13 year old can babysit or rake leaves for a neighbor, but cannot be hired by a store.
Jobs a 14 or 15 year old may do
The permitted list is in 29 CFR 570.34 (eCFR, current as of October 15, 2026):
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| Allowed (29 CFR 570.34) | Examples in a real job |
|---|---|
| Office and clerical work, including office machines | Front desk |
| Cashiering, selling, modeling, art work, advertising, window trimming | Register, sales floor |
| Price marking, assembling orders, packing, shelving; bagging and carrying out orders | Stocker, bagger |
| Errand and delivery work by foot, bicycle, and public transportation | Not by car |
| Clean-up work with vacuum cleaners and floor waxers, and grounds maintenance without power mowers, cutters, trimmers or edgers | Cleaning crew |
| Kitchen work and serving food, including dishwashers, toasters, popcorn poppers, milk shake blenders, coffee grinders, warmers, and microwaves that only warm food up to 140 degrees | Dish room, bussing |
| Cooking on electric or gas grills with no open flame; deep fryers only if the basket lowers and lifts automatically | Flat-top grill |
| Cleaning fruits and vegetables; wrapping, labeling, weighing, pricing and stocking items away from freezers and meat coolers | Produce |
| Lifeguard at a traditional pool or water park at 15 (not 14), with Red Cross or similar certification, but not on elevated water slides | City pools |
| Gas station work limited to dispensing gas and oil and washing cars by hand | No pits, racks or lifts |
| Tutoring, teaching, programming, music, drawing and other creative work | Peer tutor |
Jobs that are off limits at 14 and 15
29 CFR 570.33 lists work that is off limits at 14 and 15. The ones that come up in teen job searches:
- Manufacturing, mining or processing, and any job on the hazardous list for 16 and 17 year olds.
- Operating, cleaning or repairing any power-driven machinery, "including but not limited to lawn mowers, golf carts, all-terrain vehicles, trimmers, cutters, weed-eaters, edgers, food slicers, food grinders, food choppers, food processors, food cutters, and food mixers."
- Driving a motor vehicle or working as a helper on one.
- Outside window washing from sills, and work on ladders or scaffolds.
- All baking, and all cooking except what 570.34 allows; work in freezers and meat coolers.
- Youth peddling: selling door to door or on street corners, including holding signs away from the employer's store.
- Loading and unloading trucks, railroad cars or conveyors; public messenger service.
- Transportation, warehousing, utilities and construction, except office or sales work away from the vehicles or the site.
A 15 year old can bus tables but not run the slicer, and stock the shelf but not unload the truck.
Hours: the limits that matter most
29 CFR 570.35(a) limits work for 14 and 15 year olds to these periods (eCFR, October 15, 2026):
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| Limit | Federal rule (29 CFR 570.35) |
|---|---|
| School day | "Not more than 3 hours in any 1 day when school is in session, including Fridays" |
| School week | "Not more than 18 hours in any 1 week when school is in session" |
| Non-school day | "Not more than 8 hours in any 1 day when school is not in session" |
| Non-school week | "Not more than 40 hours in any 1 week when school is not in session" |
| Time of day | "Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in any 1 day, except during the summer (June 1 through Labor Day) when the evening hour will be 9 p.m." |
| During school | Only "outside of school hours" |
"School is in session" means any week the local public school district where you live is in session; summer school does not count as school hours (570.35(b)). The limits relax for 14 and 15 year olds who have graduated, are excused from attendance after eighth grade, or are in an approved work-experience program (570.35(c)). Many states are stricter; see teen work hours by state.
Employers whose own pages say 14 or 15
Few national chains state an age below 16. On October 19, 2026 these did:
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| Employer | What the page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Publix | "We hire for select positions in our stores starting at 14 years old" | Careers FAQ, jobs.publix.com (September 10, 2025) |
| Wegmans | "The earliest age requirement for positions at Wegmans is 15 years old"; some departments higher | Careers FAQ, wegmans.com |
| Culver's | Varies by location and state; "in many cases" 14 to 16 | Careers FAQ, culvers.com |
| Six Flags parks, including Kings Island | "Some of our properties also hire 14- and 15-year-olds"; age is in each posting | jobs.sixflags.com/about-us |
| AMC Theatres | Offers often go to "persons between the ages of 14-17," with hours set by school work permits | Careers FAQ, amctheatres.com |
McDonald's and Chick-fil-A FAQs say each franchise owner sets the age (mcdonalds.com, March 3, 2021; chick-fil-a.com). Chipotle, Taco Bell and Dunkin' postings state 16. Full table: jobs that hire at 16.
City summer jobs programs that start at 14
The programs below state their ages on city pages.
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| City and program | Ages stated | What the city page says (viewed October 19, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| New York City, Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) | 14 to 24 | Paid summer work for "NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 24"; the 2026 deadline was March 13 (nyc.gov, DYCD) |
| Chicago, One Summer Chicago (now Chicago Youth Works) | 14 to 24 | Paid work "for the summer or year-round" for "ages 14 to 24" (chicagoyouthworks.org) |
| Los Angeles, Hire LA's Youth | 14 to 24 | "A starter job for youth ages 14-24"; Summer Night Lights pays the city minimum wage of $18.00 an hour (hirelayouth.com) |
| Boston, SuccessLink through futureBOS | 14 to 24; youth jobs 14 to 18 | Youth jobs pay $15 an hour, up to 25 hours a week in summer; the 2026 program ran June 23 to August 29 (boston.gov) |
| Philadelphia, Career Connected Learning PHL (formerly WorkReady summer) | 12 to 24 | "Philadelphia residents ages 12-24 can apply" for paid experiences with a stipend (phila.gov); WorkReady summer participants "can earn anywhere from $595 to $1,500" (pyninc.org) |
Each city requires residency and proof of age. Timing: summer jobs for teens.
Work permits and pay
Federal law does not require a work permit, but most states require an employment or age certificate under 16, issued by your school or the state labor department. State by state: work permits for minors by state.
Cashiers earned a median $15.81 an hour nationwide in May 2025, with the lowest 10% at $11.79 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Federal law allows a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days, unless a higher state or local minimum applies with no youth exception (DOL Fact Sheet 32, revised July 2008). See your first paycheck explained and pay benchmarks for hourly jobs.
Current openings
Start with retail jobs with no experience required and retail jobs, or by city: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. If a listing has no age line, ask before you apply.
More retail openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Open it, check the date, and confirm the minimum age on the employer's own site before you apply. A posting that asks a 14 year old to drive, use a slicer, or work past 7 p.m. on a school night is asking for something federal law does not allow. See how JobPin verifies listings.
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