Whether they’re delivering food late at night, selling handmade crafts online or creating social media content with the hopes of landing a brand deal, one in three Americans are working side-by-side to make ends meet as essential costs rise.
Side hustles and small business creation boomed after the start of the pandemic, as inflation increased and remote work returned time to workers that would otherwise have been spent commuting.
Years later, prices are rising again, and new research from Omnisend shows that 28% of Americans have moved aside. Nearly half of them – 49% – had started one in the past year, and about 54% said they started one “to earn extra money for bills or essentials.”
A separate ZipRecruiter survey estimates the share of Americans with side hustles is even higher, showing that 35% have an alternative income stream. After a year of historically weak job growth in 2025, ZipRecruiter economist Nicole Bachaud said people are counting on the extra hustle not only to cover essentials, but also to build a financial cushion as they fear layoffs in a job market that’s weak outside a few resilient sectors.
“The way the market was going last year, I think a lot of people were saying, ‘If I lose my job right now, it’s going to be really hard to find something else,'” Bachaud said. “Adding something on the side is really just setting yourself up for a ‘what if’ environment.”
Who has a side?
Side hustles are popular across all generations and income ranges.
Gen Z’s entrepreneurial mindset makes them the most likely to do so, but they’re not alone. Last year, a Bankrate survey found that 34% of Gen Z, 31% of Millennials, 23% of Gen
And they’re not just for people walking around.
In fact, high earners are the most likely to have a side hustle. The ZipRecruiter survey found that about 45% of people earning more than $150,000 do supplemental work, while about 31% of workers earning less than $25,000 and about 31% of workers earning between $25,000 and $50,000 do supplemental work.
“It’s the old adage: The more money you have, the easier it is to make money,” said Cory Contenga, head of Americas economics at LinkedIn. “For example, you are an AI engineer today and are working for a company. There is a lot of AI consulting work available for you. You are just sitting there waiting to get a job.”
What are the most popular side hustles?
E-commerce has emerged as the most popular way to earn extra cash, with people selling handmade goods, secondhand items, and various digital products on sites like eBay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace.
The Omnisend report found that about 46% of people sell or resell products online, 31% do freelance work and 21% create social media content or run a blog.
“People are going out less, especially if they have less money. They’re wearing their clothes less, wearing their shoes less – it’s easier to resell this stuff,” said Greg Zackowicz, an ecommerce consultant at Omnisend, adding that the popularity of resale markets leads him to believe Americans are asking, “How do I get money for minimal effort?”
E-commerce appears to be an answer. Among Omnisend survey respondents, nearly 39% of e-commerce side hustlers said they make more than $1,000 per month. This is compared to about 28% of freelancers, 26% of food delivery workers and 19% of content creators.
What are the most beneficial aspects?
Using income data from Upwork, BestBrokers analysis ranked popular side hustles based on their profitability and career potential.
It found that life coaches earn the most per hour – an average of $150 – but noted that “demand depends heavily on personal brand and reputation.” Content creators for brands are next on the list, earning an average of $40 per hour, though income is inconsistent in the beginning. While income depends on traffic and conversions, affiliate marketers earn an average of $37.50 per hour.
The analysis said e-commerce freelancers, photographers, T-shirt designers, influencer marketing freelancers, copywriters and tutors all earn more than $30 an hour on average. It found that photo editors, proofreaders, Canva designers, blog writers and digital artists earn more than $20 an hour on average.
Zakowicz said those who want to start a side hustle should remember three things: time is money, understanding your finances is important and being realistic doesn’t hurt.
“People don’t realize you have to focus on the next step,” he said. “That next step could be a cliff, and you have to be prepared to pack a parachute.”