15 Highest Paying Jobs for 16-Year-Olds (2021 Update) (2023)

Finding well-paying jobs for 16-year-olds is quite easy these days. While you might have limited options due to age and lack of experience, some of the jobs that employ teens can pay as high as $30 an hour or more.

Most of the jobs that pay well for 16-year-olds do not require much experience. Considering the fact that you might still be in high school, you will need to be as flexible as possible if you wish to land yourself a well-paying job.

Being flexible gives you the room to find as many job opportunities as possible. That said, it’s vital to note that 16-year-olds are restricted from doing jobs that have been declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor.

However, there are partial exemptions for 16-year olds apprentices and student-learners to perform otherwise prohibited hazardous jobs.

If you’re seventeen or eighteen, make sure to also check these 17 high-paying jobs for 18-year-olds and if you’re below that then these are the high-paying jobs for 14-year-olds.

Highest Paying Jobs for 16-Year-Olds in 2021

We have gathered 15 high-paying jobs for 16-year-olds to help you get started on your journey. As earlier mentioned, a few of these jobs can pay as high as $30/hr.

1. Lifeguard

According to the American Red Cross, you must be at least 15 years to be certified as a lifeguard. It is one of the highest-paying jobs for 15-year-olds, and as a 16-year-old you can also enjoy decent pay doing what you love.

This is one of the highest-paying jobs for 16-year-olds where you can earn up to $15/hr. Your duties will include supervising kids, facilitating play activities, preparing meals, and organizing mealtimes and snacks for them.

While many states haven’t set any education qualification to become a daycare assistant, having a high school diploma will increase your chances of getting a job.

You can find daycare assistant jobs in schools, child daycare facilities, religious organizations, or at homes. This job is perfect for teens who genuinely love children and love to spend fun time with them.

3. Dog walking

Dog walking is one of the high-paying jobs for 16-year-olds. You can do part-time or full-time depending on your schedule and availability. Your task will be to take a dog for a walk on behalf of the owner.

The mean hourly pay of dog walkers in the U.S. is $14.97. In case your employer will be away for some time or is not able to care for the dogs him/herself, your role may be elevated to pet sitting.

4. Petsitter

You can also become a pet sitter and help pet owners who are looking for pet sitting services. Most of them do not have the time to do it themselves while others are not in a position to, maybe due to illness or injuries.

Pet owners with exotic pets will pay more for your services because exotic pets need specialized care and more attention. To boost your pay, you can offer complementary services such as pet grooming.

According to PayScale, the average pay of dog sitters is $12.99 an hour with the highest earners getting more than $29/hr.

5. Babysitter

If you love spending fun times with kids then this is the perfect job for you. You can do babysitting duties part-time or full-time. Your role will be to care for someone’s baby/babies when the parent is not around.

Some of your roles include ensuring the child is safe, preparing meals and snacks, playing games with the child, changing diapers, helping with homework, getting children to bed on time, and bathing & dressing young babies.

This is one of the easiest jobs for teens (unless you don’t like being around children) and you can work on your own schedule. According to salary data from care.com, babysitters earn an average of $13.44 an hour. This means an 8-hour shift will earn you more than $100/day.

To increase your wages as a babysitter, consider getting Red Cross certification and more experience. If you love children these are the high-paying careers working with children.

6. Lawn mower

Another job for teens is mowing lawns, trimming hedges, raking leaves, watering trees, and keeping yards clean. You do not need a degree to perform any of these tasks but the skills to operate lawn mowing machines, weed whackers, and other landscaping tools will be necessary.

The average pay per lawn depends on lawn size, location, and other additional tasks. You can earn anywhere between $40 and $70 per lawn. For those who charge per hour, the mean hourly pay is $14 with the top paid lawnmowers earning more than $18.5 an hour.

12. Retail merchandiser

A retail merchandiser is an employee of a manufacturing company who works in a store that sells the company’s products. They act as a link between the manufacture and the retailer.

As a retail merchandiser, your duties will include making sure the store is fully stocked, pricing company products, ensuring proper signage placement, and implementing effective sales strategies for the company.

The mean hourly pay of retail merchandisers in the United States is $12.36 while the top-earners get more than $15/hr.

13. Youth sports referee

Another fun job you can do as a 16-year-old is being a youth sports referee. Your role is to oversee games between sports teams in a youth league, usually at the high school level.

You will officiate the game from start to finish, ensure all players adhere to the rules of the game, award fouls & penalties when necessary, and make other necessary game calls.

You can earn between $20 and $50 per game when officiating youth league games and anywhere between $50 and $100 per game when officiating high school games.

14. Delivery driver

As a delivery driver, your job is to deliver orders to customers, which can be retail or fast food orders. You will review the orders before and after delivery, accept payments, provide customer service, handle customer complaints, and maintain documentation related to the deliveries such as delivery notes and receipts.

According toZipRecruiter, delivery drivers earn a mean hourly pay of $14 while the top-paid drivers can earn as high as $21.88 an hour. Some customers will also leave you money tips, and depending on how many deliveries you make, there’s a high likelihood the amount you earn on tips will be more than your official pay.

15. Warehouse packer

While it may not be a fancy job, this is one of the highest-paying jobs for 16-year-olds with little to no experience. You will work in a warehouse to prepare products for packaging and shipment.

The nationalaverage pay of warehouse packers in the United States is $12/hr with the top paying more than $15 an hour.

Final thoughts

Although we have highlighted fifteen of the highest paying jobs for 16-year-olds in the United States, there are other jobs you can do if you’re a teenager. Almost all the jobs in this list require little to no experience and you can learn the ropes of the job on the job.