During adolescence, individuals develop societal views and foster aspirations for future careers. This study investigated a sample of Latinx and White youth (N = 151) in rural Midwestern meatpacking communities in the USA to identify how their work hope is associated with system justification beliefs (beliefs in a just America, class inequality, and educational meritocracy). The study also explored how race moderates the relationship between work hope and system justification beliefs. Results revealed that work hope is associated with their societal views in both Latinx and White youth; however, the direction and the degree of the relationships differ between Latinx and White youth. Implications for youth career development and future research are discussed.