Most Popular Side Hustles In The United States

We gathered and analyzed data from Google Trends, Indeed, Zip Recruiter, and other online sources in all 50 U.S. states to identify the most popular side hustle in each state. 

Check out the surprising results below. 

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According to data provided by Google Trends, interest in finding a side hustle peaked in 2023 when we look at data in the past 20 years:

This makes sense given the economic climate. Inflation has gone up, but the average American’s wages have stayed the same for decades. More Americans are struggling financially than ever before and need additional income via a side hustle to pay their bills. 

Rising Demands For Additional Income Sources

49% of adults have less savings compared to a year ago and 22% have no emergency savings at all, according to Bankrate’s 2023 Emergency Savings Report.  The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that more than a third have more credit card debt than cash reserves – the highest amount on record. 

In response to this harsh economic reality, 39% of Americans are working a side hustle in addition to their full-time job to pay their bills. Of those, younger generations are more likely to have one – 53% of Gen Z, 50% of millennials, and 40% of Gen X have a side hustle. 

Members of Gen Z are particularly stressed about not having enough money. Around 7 in 10 respondents said their current financial situation is “fair” or worse, while less than a third said they feel financially secure. 

Gen Z workers are particularly mistrustful of large businesses — just 34% trust that large businesses do what’s right.

This isn’t a surprise, as Gen Z was raised by parents who went through the 2008 financial crisis, watched Millennials graduate college and enter a depressed job market at the end of a recession, and many members of Gen Z experienced the economic standstill and mass layoffs caused by COVID.  

This distrust may explain their propensity to find a second source of income, as they don’t trust employers to keep them long-term or pay them adequately. 

Navigating The Side Hustle Economy

It’s not all doom and gloom, though – some side hustles can be surprisingly lucrative. Examples include an Oregon teacher who makes over $10,000 per month selling classroom worksheets, a college student who turned a dorm room side hustle into a $56 million business, and a 30-year-old who makes $22,000 a month working only two hours a day. While many are taking on side hustles out of necessity, there can be a life-changing upside for hard workers with a clever idea. 

But not all side hustles are created equal. Some are more popular than others, and earnings vary depending on the type of work and location. Our analysis found some interesting insights when we cross-referenced our findings by region, income level, and political preference. 

For starters, the most popular side hustle in America is virtual assistant, indicating the popularity of work-from-home jobs.

States with the highest level of interest for side hustle jobs in 2023 are Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah – which could mean that the western U.S. is feeling the economic impact the most.

States with the least interest in finding a side hustle are Florida, Vermont, and Maine – all of which are on the East Coast. 

States in the northeast – including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire – overwhelmingly prefer babysitting as a side hustle. These states have some of the highest costs of living in the U.S., and babysitting may be popular because many families have both parents working. 

Southern states overwhelmingly favor virtual assistants and DoorDash side hustles. 

We also found that states that voted Republican in the 2020 presidential election prefer DoorDash as a side hustle, while states that voted Democrat favor Uber driving. 

This discrepancy may be indicative of the rural-urban divide that tends to present in American politics – DoorDash is most helpful when you don’t want to drive a long distance to get something, while Uber is most helpful in urban environments where you’re less likely to own a car. 

Most profitable side hustles:

• DoorDash: $5,021 average monthly pay, according to Indeed
• Uber: $2,350 average monthly pay, according to ZipRecruiter
• Babysitter: $3,494 average monthly pay, according to Indeed
• Virtual Assistant: $5,285 average monthly pay, according to Indeed
• Online Tutor: $3,259 average monthly pay, according to ZipRecruiter

Remember that these are gross income rates, and don’t account for expenses or other factors. 

For example, DoorDash and Uber drivers have to pay for gas and car maintenance, and much home rental income goes toward mortgage payments, property taxes, and home repair.  

If you want to discover the most popular side hustles in your area, check out our breakdown of the top 3 side hustles in each state.

Implications of Study

Our study shows the American workforce is changing a lot, driven by a worse economic reality, the need for more money, and new ways of thinking about work and financial security.

Many Americans, especially younger people like Gen Z and Millennials, are working side jobs because of money problems like high debt, little to no savings, and low wages. 

Having more than one job is becoming a necessity for many to make ends meet, not just something fun to make extra money. For many people, the days of working one job to make ends meet are coming to an end. 

Additionally, younger workers are starting to trust traditional jobs less, leading them to create their own ways of making money. Stories of people making a lot of money from side jobs are inspiring others and showing that these jobs can be a lucrative source of income. 

Most Popular Side Hustle Jobs In Each US State