Nearly one in three Americans are turning to side hustles to make ends meet as essential costs rise. New research from Omnisend finds 28% of Americans have taken on a side hustle, with 49% starting in the past year. A separate ZipRecruiter survey estimates even more, saying 35% have an alternate income stream.
ZipRecruiter Economist Nicole Bachaud says people are using side hustles to build a financial cushion because they fear layoffs in a weak job market.
E-commerce has become the most popular way to make extra cash, with 46% of side hustlers selling or reselling products online. Of those, 39% say they make more than $1,000 each month. Freelance work is also common, with 31% of side hustlers taking that route, while 21% do social media content creation or run a blog.
Interestingly, high earners are most likely to have a side hustle. The ZipRecruiter survey found that about 45% of those earning more than $150,000 do supplemental work, compared to about 31% of workers earning less than $25,000.
Life coaches make the most per hour at $150 on average, according to a BestBrokers analysis. Content creators for brands make an average of $40 per hour, and affiliate marketers make an average of $37.50 per hour. E-commerce freelancers, photographers, T-shirt designers, and tutors all make upward of $30 per hour.