You can work at 16 in Freestone County. The hour limits below are federal and identical everywhere. What is different here is who is actually hiring, and at 16 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 16 more of that list is open to you, though hazardous-occupation rules still rule out power-driven machinery, most construction and anything involving a commercial driver.
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 16
- No federal limit on hours. You can work any number of hours, any time of day.
- Your state may still set limits while school is in session — check the link below.
- The restriction that remains is on hazardous work, not on time.
What you can do at 16
- any non-hazardous job, unlimited hours
- registered apprenticeship — you are a paid employee from day one, not a student with a bill
- Job Corps — free training, housing, meals and a stipend, residential
- warehouse, hospitality, healthcare support, IT support
- certified trades training through a community college while still in high school
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.
- Registered apprenticeships — a wage from day one: apprenticeship.gov.
- Job Corps — free training, housing and meals, 16–24: jobcorps.gov.
- 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 16 años no hay límite federal de horas. Los aprendizajes registrados te pagan desde el primer día, y Job Corps ofrece entrenamiento, vivienda y comida gratis.
Las reglas exactas de tu estado están en el Departamento de Trabajo.