The Most Popular Side Gig in 30 Major Cities — How Much Can You Earn?

Americans have been turning to various side hustles as life gets more expensive due to stubborn inflation raising daily expenses. A recent MarketWatch study found that 54% of Americans had picked up a side gig in the last year to supplement their income as they struggle with the higher cost of living. The kind of side hustle that someone turns to will depend on where they live and what’s popular near them. 

A recent study conducted by Creative Fabrica shared the top side hustles across major cities in America by analyzing Google search trends. GOBankingRates looked up the average earnings for the area on career websites, like ZipRecruiter and Indeed, to provide an earnings estimate for the popular side gigs in these cities. The pay will vary based on the location, how many hours you’re able to put in and the reviews that you get. The hourly wage is used, as everyone has a different amount of time that they can devote to a side gig, depending on their schedule and flexibility. 

It’s worth pointing out that a side hustle like survey taking was the most popular in eight cities, despite not having a proven track record of being lucrative. For example, the potential earnings on a survey website like Swagbucks are $1 to $5 per day, while on the Branded Surveys platform, you can earn $1 to $3 per survey.

Here are the most popular side gigs in the 30 major cities and how much you can expect to earn from each side gig.

• Average estimated earnings: $19.16 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $20.69 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $21.76 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $36.23 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $24.43 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $27.18 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $18.58 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $21.12 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $22.08 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $22.01 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $62 per hour across the country

• Average estimated earnings: $24.29 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $28.23 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $20.36 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey

• Average estimated earnings: $40.29 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $16.92 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $21.01 per hour across the country

• Average estimated earnings: $15.09 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $23.93 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $16.47 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $15.04 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $18.98 per hour

• Average estimated earnings: $1 to $3 per survey