You can work at 14 in Freestone County. The hour limits below are federal and identical everywhere. What is different here is who is actually hiring, and at 14 that matters more than the rules, because you cannot drive to a job two counties away.
Who hires in Freestone County
The USDA classifies Freestone County as mining and energy-dependent, so the employers here are mostly field services, transport, and the contractors around them. At your age the ones that can hire you are the non-hazardous jobs on that list — front of house, stocking, cleaning, clerical. Ask anyway; a manager who knows the rules will tell you which role fits.
How far the job market reaches
The Census puts Freestone County in the Mexia, TX commuting zone — the federal measure of where people who live here actually work. If nothing in Freestone County fits, that is the area worth asking across, and it is the area your WIOA youth office already covers.
What federal law allows at 14
- Only outside school hours.
- Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week.
- Up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week.
- Between 7am and 7pm — extended to 9pm from June 1 through Labor Day.
What you can do at 14
- retail and grocery — cashier, bagging, stocking, price marking
- restaurants — host, busser, serving counter, kitchen work that is not cooking over open flame
- office and clerical work of any kind
- lifeguarding at 15 with certification, at traditional pools and water parks
- creative and computer work — video, design, data entry
- yard work, car washing by hand, and errands
The part almost nobody is told
Federal law funds paid work experience, tutoring and job training for young people starting at age 14 and running to 24. It is called the WIOA youth program, every county in the country is covered by a board that runs it, and the money is already appropriated whether or not anyone claims it.
Find the office covering your ZIP at CareerOneStop and say your age and "the WIOA youth program". That sentence is the whole password.
Where the openings actually are
- Your local workforce board — paid work experience through WIOA, ages 14–24: find your office.
- Your state's exact rules — the U.S. Department of Labor keeps the table: state child labor laws.
- Federal rules in full — YouthRules! from the Wage and Hour Division.
En español
Hay dinero federal para jóvenes de 14 a 24 años. El programa juvenil de WIOA paga experiencia laboral, tutoría y entrenamiento. Busca la oficina de tu código postal en CareerOneStop y di tu edad y "el programa juvenil de WIOA".
A los 14 años puedes trabajar legalmente fuera del horario escolar, hasta 3 horas en días de clase y 18 horas por semana escolar.
Las reglas exactas de tu estado están en el Departamento de Trabajo.