BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A new survey finds Bellingham teens can earn a healthy paycheck from a summer job, but most are not working during their time off from school.

Employment website Cooljobs.com looked at teen summer employment and pay rates around the country.

Teens in Bellingham earn an average of $1,019 per month during the summer.

But just 14.5% of them are working during those months.

The national average is $880 per month with 18% joining the workforce.

Cooljobs reports that teen summer employment has been steadily dropping over recent decades as students focus more on school.

Higher minimum wages may also be increasing competition with older workers for entry-level jobs.