Most Popular Side Hustles Taking The USA By Storm
side hustles that are earning some serious cash — and those that have fallen by the wayside
It seems everyone’s starting up a side hustle these days to earn a bit of extra cash.
But which side gigs are people actually interested in?
2024 Side Hustles : data via Google, Employment Zines, and Forbes
Dropshipping — 157k
Uber driver — 134k
Handyman — 103k
Influencer — 77k
Pet Sitting — 31k
YouTube Channel — 27k
Tutoring — 25k
Dog Walking — 18k
Freelancing — 15k
Babysitting — 12k
Transcribing — 3.1k
Blogging — 15k
Self-Publishing — 4.3k
House cleaning — 4.4k
Rent out home/Airbnb — 8.1k
Podcasting — 3k
E-commerce Reselling — 2k
Amazon job — 6.1k
Photography — 1.5k
All numbers in thousands (e.g. 1.8 = 1.8k)
Digital Nomad and Music didn’t chart but they could be under freelancing.
Why The USA’s Mad For Dropshipping
Dropshipping tops the list in the USA by over 50,000 searches. This popularity reflects just how advantageous starting up a dropshipping business can be; dropshipping significantly reduces overheads by outsourcing storage and logistics, while having no need to store all their inventory means business owners can sell a much wider range of products.
Why is photography so unpopular?
Again, photography is at the bottom of the pile. While more popular in the USA than in the UK, it still ranks lower than any other side hustle Americans are getting excited about.
As well as being a skill-dependent field with high start-up costs, the huge number of competitors in the industry means it’s hard to stand out from the crowd and turn a profit.
The advent of modern smartphones with ever-evolving camera quality also means potential clients are eschewing professional photography in favor of their own phones, making it still harder to earn any cash side hustling as a photographer.
Australia: The Only Country With Four Unpopular Side Hustles
In Australia, Uber drivers are King! This is likely due to the ease of signing up for Uber and the flexible working hours they offer, which makes Uber an easy side hustle to fit in around any other job.
Unlike in the other countries, four side hustles share last place: podcasting, E-commerce reselling, photography, and Amazon jobs.
People might be put off the idea of photography, E-commerce, and podcasting as they are all markets with high competition.
Amazon jobs, especially as warehouse workers or delivery drivers, often demand long hours and come with stressful working conditions which might make them unappealing.
Online marketing
My daughter sells online clothing via POSH and some months she makes up to $1,000 and other months a $100 with returns. The hustle requires a lot of driving to source material and a photography setup. However, POSH like other online resellers in exchange for a commission offer a free platform. And to date, do not issue a 1099.
According to a CNBC article more than half of Gen Zers think they ‘can easily make a career in influencing,’ says branding expert.
Some 53% of Gen Zers believe becoming an influencer is a reputable career choice, and a similar share would quit their current jobs if they could become an influencer if it was enough to pay for their lifestyle. Three in 10 young people would even pay to become an influencer.
The №1 thing driving Gen Z’s interest in influencing as a career is the ability to make money, followed closely by being able to work flexibly and doing fun work.
Do you have a side hustle?