Teens, Employment, and the Minimum Wage
More than 104,000 teens (16- to 19-year-olds) work and actively contribute to the Massachusetts economy. As working teens, they learn job skills and gain experience and responsibility. Many working teens also play important roles in helping meet financial needs for not only their families but also for themselves, like paying for college. This brief looks at who teen workers are, their contributions to family income, how a sub-minimum wage could affect teen workers, and whether there have been adverse effects on teen employment from minimum wage increases.