These Are the 20 Cities Where You Can Make Bank Over Summer Break

At long last, finals are over. But, for some students, making the most of summer break means more than simply lounging by the pool — it means making extra cash! After all, college ain’t cheap.

To that point, the College Board estimates that the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2016-17 school year was $9,650 for in-state students at public colleges, and $24,930 for out-of-state students attending public universities.

Woof.

So, given those hefty price tags, wouldn’t it be nice to return to campus in the fall with a little extra money in your pocket?

To help you out, Care.com data analysts looked at our internal data on part-time summer care jobs in 20 major U.S. cities to identify two important things:

• How easy — or hard — it’d be to find a job in your area; and,
• 
  How much money you could make in different types of jobs.
  

Specifically, we looked at data for the following types of part-time summer care jobs:

• Babysitting
• Nannying
• Home Organizing
• Dog-Walking
• Senior Transportation
• Tutoring
• Pet-Sitting

Our data shows that if you’re in the market for a part-time summer job this year, you’ll have the best chance of getting hired if you live in Honolulu.

But, although this tropical U.S. city clinched the No. 1 spot on our “Ease of Finding a Job Rank,” it didn’t take the top spot in the “making bank” department. That award goes to San Jose, whose tutors make more money overall than any other part-time workers in any other city — at a whopping $4,867 for 12 weeks worth of work.

As for the type of care job with the biggest payout? That honor goes to — drumroll, please — pet sitting!

Our numbers show that, on average, pet sitters make $18.24 an hour during the summer months. That’s an average of $4,377.60 for working 20 hours a week for 12 weeks. Not too shabby!

Coming in second place for the best job to make bank this summer is tutoring. After all, education never stops. Tutors who work 20 hours a week during the summer months make a median hourly rate of $17.85 — which adds up to $4,284 over the course of the summer. Cha-ching!

Now, the third best job to fatten your wallet this summer may be one you hadn’t considered: senior transportation.

Perhaps your elderly next-door neighbor needs a ride to the doctor for her 8 a.m. appointment? Or maybe she needs to go to the grocery store, but is unable to drive herself. Across the country, we found that people who took on senior transportation part-time pocketed $4,144.93 for 12 weeks. There are so many ways that you can step up to help out someone in need, all while making a few extra bucks on the side!  

The Full Data Set

Take a look at the data table below to see each of the 20 cities’ “Ease of Finding a Job” ranks, their going rate per type of job, and the total amount of bank you could make there:

How You Can Use Care.com to Make Bank This Summer

Have we piqued your interest yet? 

Thanks to your extra summer cash, you’ll be able to ditch the cup o’ noodles and stop stressing about that upcoming tuition payment. But don’t wait too long to search for the perfect position — summer jobs fill up fast. And whether your city’s on this list or not, there are a plethora of opportunities for you to make some extra money during the summer months.

Here’s how you can use Care.com to make that happen:

1) Create a Profile on Care.com

Make sure your location is set to where you’ll be over summer break, whether it’s home or someplace else. Be sure to add a professional picture of yourself and talk about your love for a particular care job, such as tutoring or pet sitting.

2) Create Profiles for All of Your Care Interests

Are you a rockstar dog walker? Or maybe you’re a math whiz! Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn! Make sure you list any strengths you have that could really make you stand out as a candidate.

3) Update Your Availability

Be upfront and honest with yourself when it comes to deciding your job availability. People are looking to hire someone who shows up and is on time. Of course, things will inevitably pop up that will mess with your schedule, but make sure to contact the family or individual as soon as possible so that their schedule is not too terribly interrupted. It’s a huge turn off to employers if you say you are available when you really aren’t.

4) Respond

Keep your eyes peeled to the job board! If you see something you like, go for it! And if someone starts up a conversation, be sure to respond in a professional and timely manner. Promptness is key. (P.S. Always check for typos before hitting send.)

Methodology

This analysis uses 2016 Care.com jobs and applications data to determine the 20 cities where it is easiest to find a job in the summer. In each of these cities, analysts calculated the potential earnings in 7 different summer jobs by multiplying the average hourly rate offered by 20 hours worked per week for 12 weeks.