40+ Summer Youth Employment Programs for High School students in 2026
TL;DR
Summer youth employment programs are run and paid for by governments, not companies, and that single fact explains almost everything about them. Most are funded by a city or county, so you usually have to live there to apply, and your postcode will rule you in or out faster than your resume ever could. Pay is real, running from about $12 an hour in Albuquerque to $23 an hour on San Francisco's Project Pull, though several programs cap your total hours rather than your weeks. Deadlines are early, often February to April for a June start, and a few cities allocate places by lottery rather than merit, so applying early matters more than applying perfectly. If your own city runs nothing, or you have missed the window, Ladder Internships is remote and has no residency requirement, with your choice of field making it a great opportunity to consider!
Summer youth employment programs, usually shortened to SYEP, place high schoolers in paid or credit-bearing work with a government agency, school district, or state office rather than a private company. What varies most is not the subject matter, since most of these are general office and administrative roles, but who runs the program and how far your eligibility reaches. Below are 45 currently active programs, grouped by level of government: federal, state, city and municipal, and school district.
Who pays for these programs, and why does that decide whether you can apply?
This is the question worth answering first, because the funding source determines the eligibility rules, the pay, and whether the program exists in your area at all. It is also what makes summer youth employment different in kind from a corporate internship, where a company simply hires whoever it wants.
City and county programs run on local tax revenue, so they are closed to outsiders: Denver, Alexandria, Jersey City and Milwaukee are all funded by their own municipalities, which is why residency is non-negotiable. This is not bureaucratic awkwardness. A city cannot generally spend its residents' money employing another city's teenagers.
Federal money flows down through the states and carries its own rules: Much of what you will find locally is ultimately funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act youth formula program, which serves 14 to 24 year olds facing barriers to employment and requires local areas to spend a minimum share on actual work experience. That is why so many programs on this page screen on household income: the funding itself is targeted that way.
Who qualifies: age, income, and where you live
Three filters do nearly all the work here, and they are applied in that order by most programs.
Sixteen is the common floor, but fourteen opens more doors than you would expect: Denver, Alexandria and Richmond all accept 14-year-olds, and UnityPoint's junior volunteer route in Sioux City starts at 14 or even 7th grade. Federal law permits most non-agricultural work from 14 with restricted hours, and youth.gov's summary of the rules sets out what changes at 14, 16 and 18.
Household income is a genuine gate on a large share of this list: Chicago's Summer Business Institute sets it at $80,000, Denver asks for self-attested low income, and Alexandria and the Boston Private Industry Council both screen this way. If your family qualifies, your odds improve considerably, because the applicant pool shrinks.
Residency is usually stricter than either: Several school district programs require enrollment at one named school rather than residency in the area, which is narrower still. Broken Arrow additionally requires a driver's licence and a vehicle, and Capital One's partner-school model works the same way on the business side.
What work do you actually get, and what does it pay?
Unlike an internship you apply to by department, most summer youth employment programs assign you a placement. You generally do not choose.
The work is mostly general office, parks, recreation and public service: Expect administrative support at a city department, a parks or recreation assignment, a library or school district office, or a front-desk role. Jersey City's 2026 relaunch split 700 places across recreation, local businesses and government offices, which is a fair picture of the mix.
Pay is real but the hour cap matters more than the rate: Denver's 120-hour cap works out at roughly $2,194 for the summer regardless of how good the hourly rate sounds, and Milwaukee caps at 160 hours. Read the cap and the rate together, because a higher hourly figure on a shorter program can pay less overall.
A minority of programs let you pick a field, and those are worth targeting: Maui's STEMworks agriculture track covers marketing, accounting and data analysis. Fairfax County's capital programs role is Excel-based budget analysis of school construction. Santa Fe places students with hotels, engineering firms and city offices, and several interns have been hired permanently afterwards.
A city summer job or an internship: which should you apply for?
These get treated as interchangeable and they are not. The differences are worth understanding before you spend a February afternoon on the wrong application.
| Factor | Summer youth employment program | Internship |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | A city, county, state or federal agency | A company, nonprofit, university or lab |
| How you are selected | Often a lottery or first-come, sometimes income-screened | Competitive application, essays, sometimes interviews |
| Who can apply | Residents of that area, frequently income-qualifying | Usually open by interest rather than postcode |
| What you do | Assigned placement, general administrative or public service | Usually a stated department or project |
| What it pays | Almost always an hourly wage, hours capped | Ranges from a real wage to unpaid to paid tuition |
| Best when | You want guaranteed paid hours close to home | You want a specific field and a named reference |
A lottery is not a competition, and it changes your strategy: Denver and LaGuardia both allocate places by random draw. A stronger application does not improve your odds, so apply to several rather than polishing one.
You can do both, and the calendar allows it: Summer youth employment deadlines cluster in February and March, while many internships close in January. Applying to both is a genuine hedge rather than a scattergun.
How we selected these programs
Every program here was checked against the government or district page that administers it, so you can verify this year's dates directly. We weighed four things:
Verification against the official source: Pay, dates, eligibility and deadlines come from the administering body's own page. Where a figure is not published, we say so.
Open to current high school students: Programs restricted to college students are excluded, and where a program's own eligibility language is ambiguous on that point, the entry says so rather than guessing.
Grouped by who administers it: Because the administering body determines who can apply, the sections below follow the level of government rather than the type of work.
Scale and reliability: Programs that run every year with published place counts rank above one-off announcements, since you can plan around them.
| Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal programs | USDA Pathways, DOJ Pathways, Treasury HQ internship | GS-scale pay, or unpaid | Students anywhere in the US, since these carry no residency rule |
| State programs | New Mexico SEIP, Hawaii DOE, Vermont VYEP | Mostly paid, rates set by the state | Students in a state that runs its own statewide pipeline |
| School district programs | Santa Fe WBL, Appleton Youth Apprenticeship, West Fargo CTE | Paid, or credit-bearing | Students who want the placement built into their school year and transcript |
| City and municipal programs | NYC Ladders for Leaders, Project Pull SF, Jersey City JC Next | Paid, roughly $12 to $23 an hour | Students whose own city runs a summer jobs programme |
Federal programs
1. PNNL High School Business Intern Program
Location: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, in-person
Cost/Stipend: Not clearly published; some sources describe it as free to apply rather than explicitly paid, so confirm with PNNL before assuming it pays
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Academic-year track: up to 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, August through May; summer track: up to full-time, June through August
Application deadline: Academic year opens early February, closes June; summer opens early February, closes March
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors; elective high school credit available through work-based learning
PNNL's High School Business Intern Program pairs students with real PNNL business professionals, as opposed to the separate Research Intern track that pairs students with lab scientists, plus leadership-development activities, facility tours, and career workshops. Job postings for this specific track describe placements with a business mentor in a specified business area, distinct from the lab and field settings that trigger PNNL's 18-plus age requirement elsewhere, suggesting this track is likely open to sophomores and juniors, though PNNL's own page doesn't state that exemption outright.
Who it's best for: Students who want exposure to how a national laboratory runs its business operations, not its science, and are comfortable confirming pay details directly before applying.
2. U.S. Department of the Treasury Headquarters Student Internship Program
Location: Washington, DC, in-person
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Semester-based: Spring (January-May), Summer (May-August), Fall (September-December)
Application deadline: Spring applications around October, Summer around December, Fall around June
Eligibility: US citizens, currently enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school, college, or graduate program
Treasury's Headquarters Student Internship Program is a real but unpaid opportunity to work inside Treasury's Departmental Offices in Washington, DC. Applicants choose up to three offices from a list including Domestic Finance, Tax Policy, Economic Policy, and International Affairs, with duties commonly including collecting and analyzing policy data, researching academic literature, and writing reports. In-person presence in DC is required, a real barrier for most out-of-area high schoolers.
Who it's best for: DC-area students who want genuine federal policy exposure and can afford to work unpaid.
3. U.S. Department of Education Internship Opportunities
Location: Washington, DC
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: 8-10 weeks across Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer cycles; 20-40 hours a week term-time, full-time in summer
Application deadline: Varies by cycle; historically around July 15 for Fall, March 15 for Summer, October 1 for Spring
Eligibility: Age 16 or older, enrolled at least half-time at an accredited educational institution including high school
The Department of Education's Student Volunteer Trainee Program is the specific track open to high schoolers, distinct from ED's separate, better-known Pathways Internship Program, which is paid but restricted to college and graduate students. Volunteer interns work in Washington, DC on real education-policy and administration work, but receive no pay.
Who it's best for: DC-area students specifically interested in education policy who understand this is the unpaid volunteer track, not ED's paid Pathways program.
4. U.S. Department of Justice Pathways Internship Program
Location: Varies by DOJ component, including the Bureau of Prisons, the Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Office of the Inspector General, and US Attorney's Offices
Cost/Stipend: Paid through the Pathways track, up to 40 hours a week, earning sick and annual leave; a separate unpaid Volunteer track also exists
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by DOJ component
Dates: Varies by vacancy
Application deadline: Rolling, posted individually via USAJobs
Eligibility: Enrolled at least half-time at an accredited high school or higher institution, 2.5+ GPA with no grade below a C
The DOJ Pathways Internship Program is open from high school through graduate level, with individual DOJ components each posting their own paid vacancies on USAJobs. A separate, unpaid Volunteer Internship track also exists for students who don't land a paid Pathways slot; both give real exposure to legal research, case work, and federal law-enforcement operations.
Who it's best for: Students interested in law and federal law enforcement who want a real paid option, with an unpaid fallback if the paid track doesn't come through.
5. The Pathways Internship Program, USDA
Location: Various USDA sub-agencies nationwide, including the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Forest Service, and the Agricultural Marketing Service
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Year-round, with summer, fall, and spring cohorts
Application deadline: Rolling, posted per vacancy via USAJobs
Eligibility: Current degree-seeking high school, undergraduate, or graduate students
USDA's Pathways Internship Program is confirmed open to high schoolers, and unlike some other federal departments' Pathways tracks, it's actually paid. Individual USDA sub-agencies post their own vacancies; the Agricultural Marketing Service specifically runs a distinct Specialty Crops Inspection High School Student Intern Program in NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Houston.
Who it's best for: Students eligible for a paid federal internship as a high schooler, since most other agencies' "Pathways" programs turn out to be college-only despite similar branding.
State programs
6. New Mexico Public Education Department Summer Enrichment Internship Program
Location: Statewide New Mexico
Cost/Stipend: Paid, fully covered wages at no cost to students or employers; the nonprofit Education at Work is the employer of record
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10,000+ served since 2021, expanding to as many as 3,000 placements for 2026
Dates: 8 weeks, 20 hours a week, split between 14 hours on-site and 6 hours off-site skills training
Application deadline: Priority deadline March 31
Eligibility: Age 16 or older, or a valid work permit; New Mexico high school students
New Mexico's Summer Enrichment Internship Program, launched in 2021 with federal pandemic-relief funding and now backed by the state legislature, places high schoolers in real paid internships across government, tribal, and community placements statewide, spanning banking, agriculture, and healthcare. The program is expanding for 2026 to as many as 3,000 placements in high-demand fields identified by the state's Department of Workforce Solutions.
Who it's best for: New Mexico students who want a large, well-funded, statewide program with real breadth across industries.
7. New Mexico State Personnel Office Student Internship Program
Location: Various New Mexico state agencies statewide, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe
Cost/Stipend: Paid; the rate varies by position and agency
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Summer; length varies by internship type
Application deadline: Rolling, posted on careers.share.nm.gov
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in a high school curriculum or GED/HiSET program, or a high school graduate or GED/HiSET completer within the last 2 years
The New Mexico State Personnel Office's Student Internship Program places high schoolers into real paid roles across 15-plus state agencies, decentralized and posted individually on the state's careers portal, so pay and duties vary by specific placement. Each intern works with a dedicated mentor and completes a capstone project.
Who it's best for: New Mexico students who want to browse individual state-agency postings directly rather than a single centralized program.
8. Wyoming Legislative Service Office High School Internship Program
Location: State Capitol, Cheyenne, WY, during legislative session
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; some financial aid may be available; the college track can earn academic credit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Length of the legislative session, either the roughly 8-week Budget Session (January-March) or the General Session
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Primarily community college and University of Wyoming students, though high schoolers do participate
The Wyoming Legislative Service Office runs its internship program mainly for college students, who earn academic credit assisting legislators with research and constituent correspondence. High school students do participate too, confirmed by a March 2026 House session that specifically recognized a current high school intern, but this is unpaid and structured primarily around the college-credit track.
Who it's best for: Wyoming high schoolers who want real legislative experience and understand they're joining a program built primarily for college students.
9. State of Wyoming Administration & Information Internship Program
Location: Cheyenne, WY, at various state agencies
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Varies by agency and internship
Application deadline: Rolling, varies by agency vacancy
Eligibility: Wyoming's program materials describe eligibility as any full-time student enrolled at a college, university, or vocational-technical school, with no published confirmation that high schoolers qualify
The State of Wyoming's Department of Administration & Information coordinates unpaid internship and externship placements across state agencies. Unlike the Wyoming Legislative Service Office program above, its own program language doesn't establish that high schoolers can apply, so contact the Department's Human Resources Division to confirm before counting on it.
Who it's best for: Wyoming students willing to contact the Department's HR Division first, since high school eligibility isn't established in writing.
10. Hawaiʻi State Department of Education Summer Student Internships
Location: Statewide Hawaiʻi
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately competitive, an estimated 60-90 students
Dates: Summer track runs June through July; a School Year track is also available
Application deadline: The 2026 cycle opened March 30
Eligibility: At least 16 years old; the School Year track requires junior or senior standing, the Summer track sophomore or junior standing, at a HIDOE high school or Community School for Adults
HIDOE's Summer Student Internships place Hawaiʻi high schoolers in paid summer roles, traditionally with government and school-system sites. Act 251, passed in 2026, appropriated $1.8 million to expand the program into private-sector placements beyond government and school sites.
Who it's best for: Hawaiʻi students who want to catch this program right as it expands into private-sector placements, not just government roles.
11. Vermont Youth Employment Program, Vermont Department of Labor
Location: Statewide Vermont
Cost/Stipend: Paid work experience
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Varies, with summer and year-round components
Application deadline: Rolling, varies by regional program
Eligibility: A WIOA-funded program targeting youth ages 14-24 who face specific barriers to employment, generally fitting at least one category: deficient basic literacy, school dropout, homeless or foster youth, pregnant or parenting, justice-involved, or a disability requiring added assistance
VYEP is an umbrella term covering all of Vermont's state and federal youth workforce programs, run by the Vermont Department of Labor, not one single discrete internship. This is not a general open-to-all-high-schoolers program. The specific Summer Youth Employment Program component was rebranded EmployVT: Youth Career Connector in 2025, so that's the name to search for the summer-specific track directly.
Who it's best for: Vermont students who face a specific documented barrier to employment, not general high schoolers looking for a typical summer job.
School district programs
12. West Fargo Public Schools Summer CTE Cooperative Work Experience
Location: West Fargo, ND
Cost/Stipend: Paid by the host employer; wage varies by placement
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited to the first 15 students to sign up
Dates: Through August 15; students complete either 75 hours for 0.5 credit or 150 hours for 1 credit
Application deadline: The 2026 cycle registration closed May 8
Eligibility: Age 16 or older, already completed 1 credit in the relevant CTE pathway, approved by a CTE instructor
This program belongs to West Fargo Public Schools, not the neighboring Fargo Public Schools, whose summer school offers only traditional academic courses with no equivalent CTE placement. West Fargo's Cooperative Work Experience lets students already enrolled in a Business CTE pathway earn real school credit for a genuine job at a local business, supervised jointly by the employer and a CTE teacher.
Who it's best for: West Fargo students already partway through a Business CTE pathway who want school credit for a real, paid job.
13. Santa Fe Public Schools Work-Based Learning Program
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $14/hour, city-funded through American Rescue Plan Act funds
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 22+ students in early cohorts, growing; now in its fifth summer as of a March 2026 announcement
Dates: Two cohorts a year, summer and school-year
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Santa Fe Public Schools juniors and seniors
Santa Fe's Work-Based Learning Program, grown out of the "LevelUp!" pilot with local hotels, places juniors and seniors in real paid internships across the city's top employers, including hotels, city government offices, and engineering firms. Before placement, students complete an Employability Skills Bootcamp and a mock interview event, and several interns have been hired into permanent jobs after their internship ended.
Who it's best for: Santa Fe students who want a real shot at a permanent job offer, not just a summer-only placement.
14. Tulsa Public Schools Internship Framework
Location: Tulsa, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by placement; this is a connector framework, not one single paid program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not applicable
Dates: Ongoing, decentralized
Application deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: Grades 9-12, with some middle school offerings; Oklahoma's Individual Career Academic Plan is mandatory statewide starting in 9th grade
Tulsa Public Schools' internship access runs through Oklahoma's statewide, mandatory Individual Career Academic Plan framework, which every 9th grader completes and which tracks toward internships, apprenticeships, and career-tech coursework through graduation. TPS offers 46 career-tech courses at 21 sites, and four schools have embedded Tulsa Tech programs on-site, with Edison Preparatory's track specifically focused on business management and administrative support.
Who it's best for: Tulsa students at Edison Preparatory or a similar embedded Tulsa Tech site who specifically want the business-management track.
15. Shawnee Public Schools ICAP Internships
Location: Shawnee, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by specific placement; this is a statewide framework, not one discrete paid program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: School-year, tied to the Individual Career Academic Plan process
Application deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: Oklahoma 9th-12th graders, with ICAP beginning mandatorily in 9th grade
Like every Oklahoma district in this list, Shawnee's internship access runs through the state's mandatory Individual Career Academic Plan process. A 2017 state law requires every 9th grader to build a four-year ICAP tracking toward postsecondary and career goals, with internships, job shadows, and career-tech coursework as core components, and ICAP completion is a graduation requirement noted on transcripts. Specific placements, pay, and duration are set locally, so details should be confirmed directly with the district's College and Career Readiness office.
Who it's best for: Shawnee students working through their required ICAP who want to confirm current local placement options directly with the district.
16. Moore Public Schools Career & Technical Internships
Location: Moore, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by specific placement; part of the same statewide ICAP framework
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small; about 5-6 spots a year for the senior-year Tech internship track specifically
Dates: A multi-year CTE pathway culminating in a senior-year internship
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Oklahoma 9th-12th graders under the mandatory ICAP process
Moore's internship access runs through the same statewide ICAP framework as the other Oklahoma districts in this list, with placements, pay, and duration set locally through the district's career-tech partnerships. The senior-year Tech internship track specifically is a small, competitive slice of the broader multi-year CTE pathway.
Who it's best for: Moore students who've followed the CTE pathway since 9th grade and want one of the limited senior-year Tech internship spots.
17. Broken Arrow Public Schools Career Pathways
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by specific placement; part of the same statewide ICAP framework
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20+ partnering local businesses; the district's stated goal is for every graduating student to complete one placement
Dates: School-year; requires a valid driver's license and a vehicle
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Oklahoma 9th-12th graders under the mandatory ICAP process
Broken Arrow's Career Pathways program runs through the same statewide ICAP framework as the other Oklahoma districts here, but stands out for its explicit goal that every graduating student complete a placement, backed by 20-plus partnering local businesses. Students need a valid driver's license and vehicle to participate.
Who it's best for: Broken Arrow students with their own transportation who want the district's most ambitiously scaled placement goal.
18. Lawton Public Schools Student Internships
Location: Lawton, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by specific placement; part of the same statewide ICAP framework
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed; related mentoring events run separately, such as a 3-day cohort of 20 sophomores
Dates: School-year
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Oklahoma 9th-12th graders under the mandatory ICAP process
Lawton's internship access also runs through the statewide ICAP framework, with a notable added feature: a separate multi-day mentoring program for sophomores that runs alongside the internship pathway, giving younger students an earlier on-ramp before they reach internship-eligible years.
Who it's best for: Lawton sophomores who want an early mentoring on-ramp before they're old enough for the internship placements themselves.
19. Edmond Public Schools Work-Based Learning Internship
Location: Edmond, OK
Cost/Stipend: Varies by specific placement; part of the same statewide ICAP framework
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Summer, fall, and spring internships offered, at least for the Foundation track
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Oklahoma 9th-12th graders under the mandatory ICAP process
Edmond's Work-Based Learning Internship also runs through the statewide ICAP framework, but offers placements across three separate seasonal windows (summer, fall, and spring) rather than concentrating around just one, giving students more flexibility in when they complete their required hours.
Who it's best for: Edmond students who want to spread their required work-based learning hours across the school year rather than doing it all in one summer.
20. Appleton Area School District Youth Apprenticeship
Location: Appleton, WI
Cost/Stipend: Paid; wages set by the host employer under Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: A 1-2 year program
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Appleton's Youth Apprenticeship is the local delivery of Wisconsin's statewide Youth Apprenticeship initiative, established in 1991 and run by the state Department of Workforce Development. Students choose from 16 statewide program areas, including business, finance, and marketing tracks, combining paid on-the-job training with related coursework, coordinated locally by an Appleton district-level coordinator.
Who it's best for: Appleton juniors and seniors ready for a genuine 1-2 year commitment to paid, credentialed apprenticeship training rather than a single summer.
City and municipal programs
This is by far the largest section, and that's expected: most Summer Youth Employment Programs are run at the city or county level, funded and administered locally rather than through a state or federal office.
21. NYC Ladders for Leaders
Location: New York City, all 5 boroughs
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $15+ an hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; exact cohort size not stated
Dates: 6 weeks, 25-40 hours a week, in summer
Application deadline: Typically opens in February, closes around March or April
Eligibility: Ages 16-24, NYC residents, high school and college students; a 3.0 GPA and some prior work experience are expected, plus 30 hours of pre-employment training
Ladders for Leaders is the competitive, employer-paid internship tier within NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program, the nation's largest summer jobs program, running since 1963. It places NYC residents into real paid internships at corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies across all five boroughs, delivered through partner organizations like PENCIL.
Who it's best for: NYC students with some prior work experience and a strong GPA who want the most competitive, resume-building tier of the city's SYEP system.
22. Port of Seattle High School Internship Program
Location: Port of Seattle facilities, including Sea-Tac Airport and Pier 69, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 90-100 positions a year in recent cycles
Dates: 8-9 weeks in summer, with a separate 10-week fall/winter cycle
Application deadline: Summer program around March through May; fall/winter around November
Eligibility: Ages 16-18, US work-authorized
The Port of Seattle's program places students into departments across aviation operations, maritime operations, governance, and environmental jobs, learning real corporate business skills like project management and process improvement alongside mentorship and facility tours. It's part of the Port's broader effort to build a diverse local talent pipeline.
Who it's best for: Seattle-area students interested in aviation or maritime business operations specifically, not just generic office work.
23. Boston Private Industry Council Internship Program
Location: Boston, MA, with placements citywide
Cost/Stipend: Paid, employer-paid, over 6-7 weeks
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 2,600 jobs and internships created annually, through nearly 70 employer partners
Dates: 6-7 weeks, July through August
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Boston Public Schools students specifically
The Boston Private Industry Council runs Boston Public Schools' pipeline into private-sector summer internships, with career specialists in all 31 BPS high schools, securing hiring commitments from major employers including Massachusetts General Hospital and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which PIC also delivers separately as the Fed's TIP program.
Who it's best for: Boston Public Schools students who want access to major private employers like Mass General and John Hancock through their own school's career specialist.
24. Denver Youth Employment Program
Location: Denver, CO
Cost/Stipend: Paid, up to 120 hours, recently around $2,194 in potential earnings
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 375 eligible Denver youth citywide
Dates: Summer, lottery-based selection
Application deadline: Closes by May
Eligibility: Ages 14-21, Denver residents, currently enrolled in school, US work-eligible, self-attested low-income
Denver's program, delivered by Denver Public Schools with the city's Workforce Development office, places income-eligible youth in 120-hour paid work experiences with local organizations and city agencies. Selection is lottery-based and doesn't guarantee placement; the city separately runs a Mayor's YouthWorks Initiative for youth who already have their own job offer.
Who it's best for: Income-eligible Denver students willing to take a lottery chance, since this program doesn't guarantee placement the way an application-based program would.
25. City of Jackson Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program
Location: Jackson, MS
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: 6-8 weeks in summer
Application deadline: Late February through early March
Eligibility: Jackson, MS residents ages 16-24, must turn 16 by early March
Jackson's program, run by the city's Department of Human and Cultural Services, places residents into paid summer roles across public and private-sector employers, building work-ethic and life skills alongside direct career exposure, with in-person interviews before placement.
Who it's best for: Jackson residents who want a straightforward city-run summer job with an in-person interview process.
26. Gulfport Mayor's Youth Council
Location: Gulfport, MS
Cost/Stipend: Free; this is an unpaid civic role, not a paid job
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 students selected competitively per year
Dates: A school-year commitment
Application deadline: Late September or October, applications open in August
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors residing in or attending school in Gulfport
This is a civic-leadership body, not a paid job or work-based internship. Members advise the city on youth-relevant policy and network with other Mississippi youth councils, gaining direct exposure to municipal government, but there's no wage attached.
Who it's best for: Gulfport students interested in civic leadership and policy specifically, not students looking for paid summer work.
27. City of Alexandria Summer Youth Employment Program
Location: Alexandria, VA
Cost/Stipend: Paid, about $12/hour, up to 30 hours a week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 170 youth in recent cycles, across 55-90 participating businesses
Dates: 6 weeks, late June through early August
Application deadline: Mid-December through end of January
Eligibility: Alexandria residents ages 14-21, middle or high school students, income-qualifying
Alexandria's program, branded TeensWork!, places income-eligible residents in real paid work placements at government agencies, nonprofits, and some private employers, with each participant paired with a dedicated Youth Employment Counselor throughout.
Who it's best for: Income-eligible Alexandria students as young as 14 who want dedicated one-on-one counselor support throughout the placement.
28. City of Richmond, VA Youth Works RVA
Location: Richmond, VA
Cost/Stipend: Paid, work-based learning placements
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 450 youth a year
Dates: Summer, up to 25 hours a week
Application deadline: Opens March 1
Eligibility: Richmond, VA residents ages 14-19, currently enrolled in school; Richmond city school enrollment required for grades 8-12
Richmond's Youth Engagement Services, formerly the Mayor's Youth Academy, runs Youth Works RVA, splitting programming by age: a Counselors in Training track for 14-16 year-olds and a Summer Work Experience track for 16-19 year-olds. A separate, unrelated "YouthWORKS" program runs in Richmond, California, so check you're looking at the Virginia program.
Who it's best for: Richmond, VA students, especially younger ones (14-16) who want the Counselors in Training on-ramp before they're old enough for the paid Summer Work Experience track.
29. City of Jersey City JC Next
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $17/hour on the Urban Enterprise Zone-funded track, 25 hours a week; Recreation and Youth Development roles run 40 hours a week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 700 total positions in the 2026 launch: 250 Recreation and Youth Development, 250 UEZ-business placements, about 200 private and government roles
Dates: July 6 through August 21 for the UEZ track
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Jersey City residents ages 15-24
JC Next, launched in May 2026 by Mayor James Solomon, is a major expansion of Jersey City's youth-employment offerings, replacing the older Jersey City Summer Internship Program and JC Youth Works brand, now offering 700 paid positions across three distinct tracks.
Who it's best for: Jersey City residents who want to catch this program right at its 2026 relaunch, when the number of available positions nearly doubled.
30. Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation Youth Employment Program
Location: Port Arthur, TX
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $18-20/hour, up to 40 hours a week for 320 hours total
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 11-13 positions a year
Dates: 8 weeks, beginning early June
Application deadline: The 2026 cycle notice is currently posted
Eligibility: Port Arthur residents; incoming graduating seniors or recent graduates; CTE program enrollment and instructor referral preferred
This small, selective program places graduating seniors and recent Port Arthur graduates into real paid internships with local businesses and city departments, including robotics manufacturing and the Port Arthur Health Department. Hourly pay recently rose from $13 to $18-20, and some graduates have been retained as full employees.
Who it's best for: Port Arthur seniors already in a CTE program who want a real shot at a permanent job offer afterward.
31. City of Round Rock Summer High School Internship Program
Location: Round Rock, TX
Cost/Stipend: Paid, starting at $16/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: A growing cohort, 8 interns in one recent year with a target of 15
Dates: Summer, a recent cohort ran about 12 weeks from May through September
Application deadline: Rolling, hiring starts around February
Eligibility: High school seniors, full-time enrolled, or undergraduate and graduate students
Round Rock's program places students across city departments including Finance, Human Resources, IT/GIS, and Communications & Marketing, contributing to real city projects like budget documents and marketing campaigns, backed by structured professional development from HR.
Who it's best for: Round Rock seniors who want to see several different municipal departments' business functions rather than one fixed role.
32. Project Pull, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $23/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: 8 weeks, 20 hours a week, Monday through Friday
Application deadline: Mid-February
Eligibility: Entering junior or senior year, or a college-bound freshman; must live or attend high school in SF; 2.75+ GPA; cannot be combined with another job or summer school
Founded in 1996, Project Pull pairs academically strong SF high schoolers with real City employee mentors, exploring careers in architecture, business, engineering, and science across City departments. The program requires full commitment and can't be combined with other work.
Who it's best for: SF students who can commit fully to this program alone, with no other summer job or coursework competing for their time.
33. City of Albuquerque Job Mentor Program
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Cost/Stipend: Paid, minimum wage, around $12/hour in a recent cycle, up to 25 hours a week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 131 interns across 52 sites in a recent summer, paying out $243,147 total in wages
Dates: The summer internship runs 7 weeks
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Ages 14-18; the school-based track requires enrollment at one of 15 partner Albuquerque Public Schools
Albuquerque's Job Mentor Program has two parts: a school-based elective course at partner APS high schools teaching career-readiness for credit, and a separate paid seven-week summer internship open to any Albuquerque teen. The program partners with local credit unions and Junior Achievement for financial literacy content.
Who it's best for: Albuquerque teens who want both a school-year credit-bearing course and a separate paid summer placement, not just one or the other.
34. Curry County High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Curry County, NM, in the Clovis area
Cost/Stipend: Paid, funded through Education at Work as part of the statewide SEIP
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Growing quickly, from 31 interns in 2021 to 98 in 2025, with a goal of 120+ for 2026
Dates: 8 weeks, up to 20 hours a week
Application deadline: 2026 priority deadline is March 31, 2026
Eligibility: Ages 16-18, through graduating seniors
Curry County's program is the local implementation of New Mexico's statewide Summer Enrichment Internship Program, placing local teens in paid roles with county government agencies and local businesses. Funding runs through the nonprofit Education at Work, making participation free for host businesses.
Who it's best for: Clovis-area students who want to be part of one of the state's fastest-growing local SEIP implementations.
35. Elevate Rapid City Internship Incentive
Location: Rapid City, SD
Cost/Stipend: Not applicable; this is an employer-side incentive, not a program students apply to directly
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not applicable
Dates: Not applicable, an ongoing employer incentive with no fixed session dates
Application deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: Not applicable; the program structure is an employer subsidy, not a student application
This isn't a City of Rapid City government program that students apply to. It's an incentive run by Elevate Rapid City, the region's economic development organization, that reimburses local employers for the cost of hiring interns. Students don't apply here directly; it works behind the scenes to make local businesses more willing to take on interns. Elevate Rapid City separately maintains a general Internship Guide resource for students looking for local placements.
Who it's best for: Not students directly. Rapid City-area employers considering hiring a student intern, who want reimbursement for doing so.
36. Inspire Sheboygan County High School Internship Program
Location: Sheboygan County, WI
Cost/Stipend: Varies by placement type; the Youth Co-op track specifically is paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Serves all public school districts in Sheboygan County plus 80 local businesses
Dates: Varies by placement type: Work Based Learning, Youth Co-ops, or a 90-hour semester-long Healthcare Service Internship
Application deadline: Mid-March for the summer track
Eligibility: Sheboygan County high school students, 16 or older
Inspire Wisconsin, a nonprofit, runs a regional connector platform for Sheboygan County, similar in structure to Oklahoma's ICAP model, rather than a single standardized internship. It facilitates several distinct placement types, including paid Youth Co-ops and unpaid Work-Based Learning for high school credit.
Who it's best for: Sheboygan County students who want to compare several different placement types (paid, credit-only, healthcare-specific) before choosing one.
37. City of Milwaukee Earn & Learn Summer Youth Internship Program
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 130 slots a year
Dates: 8 weeks, 20 hours a week, up to 160 hours total
Application deadline: Typically mid-March through early April
Eligibility: Milwaukee residents ages 16-19; priority given to juniors and seniors who haven't previously participated
Running since 2005, Milwaukee's program is administered by the Department of City Development with Employ Milwaukee and ManpowerGroup, part of a broader Earn & Learn initiative that has served 41,000-plus youth across Milwaukee County.
Who it's best for: Milwaukee juniors and seniors who haven't done this program before, since priority goes to first-time participants.
38. BGC Tri-County Teens 2 Work
Location: The Tri-County area, within the Boys & Girls Club footprint
Cost/Stipend: Paid; some placements are within the Club itself as Junior Staff, others with 26+ partner businesses
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Ongoing, year-round
Application deadline: Not applicable
Eligibility: Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area teen members, roughly ages 13-18
Teens 2 Work is Boys & Girls Club Tri-County's dedicated workforce-readiness program, supported by a specific Workforce Development Coordinator role and connected to the Club's broader Career Launch teen programming, helping members build job-readiness skills and find local work placements.
Who it's best for: Existing Boys & Girls Club Tri-County members who want year-round, ongoing job-placement support rather than a single fixed summer program.
39. Maui County Agriculture Business & Technology Internships, STEMworks
Location: Maui County, HI
Cost/Stipend: Paid, typically a stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 interns in the 2024 summer cohort, part of a larger 89-intern STEMworks program overall
Dates: 8 weeks in fall, 15 hours a week for 120 hours total; separate spring and summer sessions of 5-10 weeks also run
Application deadline: Varies by session; the Fall 2026 deadline is September 4
Eligibility: Grades 9-12 and undergraduates up to age 22, Maui County residents; STEMworks program students given placement preference
Run by the Maui Economic Development Board's STEMworks program, this internship places students with agriculture-sector employers, but the actual content leans toward business and technology, covering marketing, accounting, data analysis, and sustainability-business topics, not just farm labor.
Who it's best for: Maui students interested in the business side of agriculture, like marketing and accounting, not the field labor itself.
40. City of New Haven Student Intern Program
Location: New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: Varies by posting and cycle; some cycles have been explicitly unpaid-only, others described as possibly paid or for credit, so check the current posting
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Up to 19 hours a week during the school year; up to 35 hours a week during breaks
Application deadline: Rolling, per department posting
Eligibility: Age 16 or older, enrolled at an accredited high school, college, or university; preference to New Haven residents
New Haven posts student intern positions across city departments that are open to current high schoolers, not just college students, confirmed across multiple posting cycles from 2022 through 2026. Specific roles, pay, and duration vary by department and posting cycle.
Who it's best for: New Haven students willing to check the current posting's pay status directly, given real cycle-to-cycle inconsistency on this point.
41. LaGuardia Community College Summer Youth Employment Program
Location: New York City
Cost/Stipend: Paid, at the standard NYC SYEP wage
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 2,000-3,500 youth a summer, one of the largest SYEP providers in Queens; about 6,000 applicants compete for 3,500 spots
Dates: 6 weeks in summer
Application deadline: Around March 1
Eligibility: NYC residents ages 14-24, including college students living in NYC but attending college elsewhere
LaGuardia Community College has been a delivery provider for NYC's citywide SYEP since 1988, operating within the same overarching DYCD system as NYC Ladders for Leaders above, but as a different track and provider. Selection here is by random lottery rather than a merit-based competitive application.
Who it's best for: NYC students who'd rather take their chances in a lottery than compete in Ladders for Leaders' more selective application process.
42. City of North Las Vegas Internship Program
Location: North Las Vegas, NV
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed; rolling individual department postings
Dates: Varies by role and department
Application deadline: Rolling, per posting
Eligibility: Students; the application requires a current school schedule, suggesting eligibility spans current students broadly, not exclusively college-level
North Las Vegas posts individual internship roles by department, such as a recent Risk Management Intern posting, rather than running one unified program with fixed dates and pay, so specifics vary by whichever role is currently posted.
Who it's best for: North Las Vegas students willing to check the city's careers page directly for whatever specific department role is currently open.
43. YouthCity Summer Internship Program
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Cost/Stipend: Unclear; general YouthCity marketing describes the program as paid, but the specific track description on the city's own site describes it as unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: 6 weeks in summer
Application deadline: The 2026 cycle was no longer accepting applications as of this check
Eligibility: Salt Lake City high school students
YouthCity is run through Salt Lake City Corporation's Youth and Family Division and the Mayor's Office. Given that contradiction between the general marketing and the track page, ask YouthCity directly what this role pays before applying.
Who it's best for: SLC students prepared to confirm pay status directly before applying, given the unresolved discrepancy in the program's own materials.
44. Fairfax County Public Schools Capital Programs and Planning Business Management Internship
Location: Fairfax County, VA
Cost/Stipend: Not disclosed; the program includes professional development sponsored by Apple Federal Credit Union and Educate Fairfax
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Summer
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: FCPS high school students; preferred course connections include Accounting, Business Management, Advanced Accounting, and IB Business; qualifies for High-Quality Work-Based Learning credit
This FCPS track places students on the financial and business side of school renovation and construction projects, doing Excel-based analysis and basic accounting work within the district's Capital Programs and Planning office. It's one of several department tracks in FCPS's broader summer internship program, alongside the separately listed ERFC Investments track in the Finance document.
Who it's best for: FCPS students with an accounting or business-management course background who want to see how a school district manages its own construction budgets.
45. Oak Futures Youth Employment Program
Location: Des Moines, IA
Cost/Stipend: Paid, but capacity-limited
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 40-65 placements a summer depending on funding; 1,000+ served since the mid-1990s
Dates: Summer
Application deadline: Not disclosed
Eligibility: Ages 14-24, primarily from underrepresented or disenfranchised backgrounds
Oak Futures is run by Oakridge Neighborhood, a Des Moines nonprofit housing and human-services agency established in 1969. It's a genuine paid youth employment program, but real demand outstrips funded capacity, with a recent cycle seeing 170-plus applicants for just 40 funded spots.
Who it's best for: Des Moines students prepared for real competition for a limited number of funded spots, not a program that accepts everyone who applies.
Common Questions asked about summer youth employment programs
How much does SYEP pay?
There is no single SYEP rate, because each city sets its own. Across the programs below the range runs from roughly $12 an hour in Albuquerque and Alexandria up to $23 an hour on San Francisco's Project Pull, with New York City's Ladders for Leaders paying $15 and above. Most cap your total hours rather than your weeks, so Denver's 120-hour cap works out at around $2,194 for the summer. Check the cap alongside the rate, since a higher hourly figure on a shorter programme can pay less in total.
What is the youngest age you can join a summer youth employment program?
Fourteen for a minority of programs, and 16 for most. Denver, Alexandria and Richmond all accept 14-year-olds, though Richmond routes younger applicants into a Counselors in Training track rather than paid work experience. The 16 floor exists mostly because of state labour law and work permit rules rather than the programs themselves, and federal law restricts the hours 14 and 15-year-olds can work. If you are 14 or 15, look at your own city's programme first, since state and federal options skew older.
What counts as a qualified summer youth employment program?
Loosely, any government-funded programme that places young people in summer work, which is why this list spans four levels of government. Federally, the phrase has a narrower meaning tied to the Department of Labor's youth programs, which target 14 to 24 year olds facing documented barriers to employment. That is why Vermont's VYEP is not open to the general public while Denver's is. The practical test is whether the programme pays you or gives you credit, and which body administers it.
Do you have to live in the city to apply?
Almost always, yes, and this is the single biggest constraint on this page. City and county programmes are funded by local taxes and restricted to residents, sometimes to students at named schools within one district. State programmes widen this to state residents. Federal Pathways postings at USDA and the Department of Justice carry no residency rule at all, which makes them the obvious first stop if nothing local exists, alongside a remote option such as Ladder Internships.