BLOOMINGTON - Sixteen-year-old Cody Schenkel landed the first summer job he applied for - making him a rarity today. About half his friends don't have summer jobs at all. "I got pretty lucky. A lot of my friends tried places but didn't get hired," said Schenkel, of Downs.

He's even luckier when you look at national statistics.

Little more than one in three U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 have jobs this summer, according to the Boston-based Center for Labor Market Studies. If you are black, Hispanic, 16 and under or poor - your chances of finding a job are even lower, said Joe McLaughlin, a researcher at the Northeastern University center.

"The Midwest has always been a good spot for teen jobs," McLaughlin said, but adding that the number of Illinois teens with summer jobs still dropped to less than half in 2007.

For every teen like Schenkel, who got a job at Kickapoo Creek Nursery and Prochnow Landscaping, owner Jerry Prochnow turned down more than a dozen others.

He hired four teens from about 50 wanting a job.

"I feel sorry for them," said Prochnow of the unemployed teens.

The students he hires usually stay through high school and college earning about $8.50 an hour, working about 50 hours a week.

Only three of his summer hires are under 18. Younger teens aren't allowed to operate equipment like mowers because of insurance restrictions.

Many chain stores also prefer teens over 18, making it tougher for 16- and 17-year-olds to get jobs.

Jon Bettisch of Downs, who turns 20 this week, applied for several jobs in retail and food service before he landed the job at the Bloomington landscaping business last fall.

"I like this job and I'm keeping it," said Bettisch, a Heartland Community College student.

His 16-year-old co-worker Curtis Prochnow of Downs admitted his job chances were better because the boss is his uncle.

Other popular summer teen jobs include working at pools, golf courses and day camps, but competition can still be tough. The Bloomington Parks and Recreation department hired 360 people from 980 applications it received this year.

"That's pretty normal for us," said Josh Walters, a human resources representative for the city.

Nikki Julian, manager of Carl's Ice Cream in Bloomington, gets at least five job applications a week.

But she hired two fewer students this year, preferring instead to increase the hours of current employees.

"It's not quite as busy this year," Julian said of business. She attributes that in part to rising milk and transportation costs which have forced her to increase prices to customers.

While it's harder to get a job in the Twin Cities this year than last, it is still easier than in most communities. Traditionally, Bloomington and Champaign have a better employment rate, said Mitch Daniels, a labor market economist with Illinois Department of Employment Security in Springfield.

While "Help wanted" signs are rare in some communities, they can still be spotted in the Twin Cities, he said.

But not every teen wants a summer job. Some, actively involved theater and sports camps make that their summer priority.

Others don't have transportation or would prefer one more summer around the pool.

Four friends from Lincoln, playing volleyball in Normal recently, are probably a typical picture of teen employment: half have jobs.

Doug Knollenberg, 17, applied at McDonald's and Wal-Mart but doesn't have a job yet. "I'm making it a priority," he said. He wants to earn money to take out his girlfriend Diana Kastendick, 16.

She said she'd like to get a job but her parents weren't in favor.

Their friend, Erica Wise, 17, has had the same job for a year. "I wanted to prove I could do it," she said of waitressing at Guzzardo's Italian Villa in Lincoln. She said can earn about $100 in tips during some six-hour shifts.

Lori Knollenberg envies her friend.

"I really want a full-time job," said the 19 year-old. "The job market in Lincoln isn't very good."

She works one night at week at Halie's Restaurant, earning $4.50 an hour, but seldom gets tips. She's been trying since April to find something full-time.

"I need money," said the Lincoln College student.

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The numbers

• Nationally, last summer the job market for teens was the worst on record since World War II as the seasonally adjusted employment rate for teens plummeted to 34.5 percent. The trend continues.

• If teen job rates had stayed at the 2000 levels, 1.9 million more teens across the nation would be working this summer, buying more things, and boosting the economy.

• The percentage of Illinois teens with summer jobs fell from 59 percent in 2000 to 46 percent last year - the seventh biggest drop in the nation.

• Three times as many people, almost 1,000, applied for summer jobs with the City of Bloomington as were hired this year, which is fairly common.

SOURCES: Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts; City of Bloomington.