4 Side Hustles That Could Help You Become Upper Middle Class in 2025
Written by
Cara Danielle Brown
Edited by
Angela Corry
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Comfortably maintaining a middle-class lifestyle working a job you enjoy but wish you could bring in more money? If your company lacks the funds to offer you a raise and you’re dead set on your kids having braces, a side hustle may be an appealing option.
But can a side hustle take you from middle to upper middle class?
While online surveys and dog-walking won’t exactly have you rolling in the dough, the right side hustles can be extremely lucrative… if you know what they are.
According to a recent study from GOBankingRates, Americans need to make between $106,092 and $149,160 (depending on where they live) to be considered upper middle class – -that’s a 40 to 50% increase in annual household income from a standard middle-class distinction.
Here are four side hustles that could help get you there in 2025.
AI Automation Consulting
Ed Huang, side hustle and finance expert at SideHustles.com, explained that many businesses nowadays are trying to leverage AI tools but have absolutely no clue where to start.
“If you can master using AI automation — such as using ChatGPT for customer service, creating automated workflows with Zapier or streaming business processes with AI analytics — you could easily make loads of money off of consulting,” stated Huang, who estimated earnings anywhere from $5,000 – $25,000 per month.
The skill is so in demand in such a fast-growing industry that Huang argued it could even morph into one’s main gig, if desired.
Social Media Management
Many young people are fairly proficient with Instagram and TikTok nowadays, so why not monetize those skills? Businesses need assistance creating engaging posts, replying to comments and increasing follower count, but often lack the bandwidth, technological expertise or “hip factor” to do it themselves.
“If you love scrolling, know how to write a good caption or enjoy playing with Canva to make graphics, you can absolutely become a social media manager,” stated Kerry Komarov, creative business strategist at Kerry Komarov, LLC. “Most social media managers charge between $500 – $2,000 per client per month, and with just 3 – 5 clients, that’s $2,000 – $10,000 extra per month.”
Plus, much of the work can be batched or scheduled, making it feasible to do alongside a full-time gig.
Digital Course Sales
Nicole Ray, founder of Let’s Make Life Great, explained that selling digital courses has become increasingly popular lately, especially amongst aspiring entrepreneurs who need only create the content once and just resell it in perpetuity. Earnings can vary depending on one’s niche and marketing efforts. But, according to Ray, course creators can make anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000 every month on platforms like ThriveCart, Kajabi and Teachable.
Georgi Todorov, founder of Create & Grow, went a step further, stating some digital courses lose steam over time because original authors lose interest in maintaining or marketing them. He advised purchasing the rights from previous authors, repurposing the material and selling it anew.
“The best side projects produce income flow that keeps increasing without sacrificing more time,” stated Todorov, making this hustle unbeatable.
Web Design
Think you need a computer science degree to become a web designer? Think again. According to Komarov, an eye for aesthetics, an enjoyment of problem solving and some basic computer skills are all that are required for web design (a separate set of skills than web development that involves building a site’s structure and functionality).
When it comes to web design, “thanks to website builders like WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace, you don’t even need to know how to code,” stated Komarov. “Small business owners are always looking for someone to design sleek, functional websites. A simple website project can go for $1,000 – $5,000, and if you take on just 2 – 3 clients a month, that’s $3,000 – $10,000 extra in your pocket.”
And that sounds like a ticket to the upper middle class.
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