No items found.

The United States of Side Hustles

The hottest gigs for moonlighters, state by state

by
Chloe Bryan
Updated 
February 13, 2024
Icon check
Reviewed by
No items found.

The United States of Side Hustles

The hottest gigs for moonlighters, state by state

by
Chloe Bryan
Updated 
August 27, 2024
Icon check
Reviewed by

Budgets are tight these days, and people are doing what they can to make ends meet — even if they’re already employed full time. 

According to a recent survey from Bankrate, nearly two in five Americans have a side hustle, which means they do freelance or contract work in addition to their W-2 job. But we wanted to break that trend down even further. What are the most popular side hustles in the U.S.? And what about in each state?

To find answers, we looked at a sample of approximately 2,200 Keeper users who have both W-2 and 1099 income. Why these users? These are the side hustlers, e.g. the same users who:

  • Have an employer — that’s who sent them the W-2, and
  • Are self-employed — that’s why they got the 1099 (or multiple 1099s!)

We then took a closer look at those folks by state. Here are our findings.

Delivery apps reign supreme…

Our sample is composed of Keeper users in 44 states, plus Washington D.C. In all of those states but one, the top side hustle is DoorDash, Instacart, GrubHub, or Uber. (That includes both the ride-hailing service and Uber’s delivery services.)

Driving for DoorDash was the most popular side hustle in the U.S., with 21 states calling it No. 1. Next was driving for Uber — it was No. 1 in 15 states. In third place was driving for Instacart, which took the crown in four states, plus Washington D.C. And in fourth place: GrubHub, which was No. 1 in Delaware and Oregon.

…except in Iowa

The lone exception among the states is Iowa, in which driving for a delivery or ride-hailing service is not the most popular side hustle. Instead, the content subscription service OnlyFans took the No. 1 spot. (DoorDash still came in second place, though.)

Curious about the top side hustle in your state? Take a look at the map below.

The top 10 side hustles in the U.S.

Nationally, the story was similar: Driving for ride-hailing and delivery apps were the most popular side hustles, with OnlyFans and the dog-walking and pet care app Wag! also making appearances.

Here are the 10 most popular side hustles among Keeper users at large, along with the median annual income for each gig. Note that while DoorDash is the most popular option, it’s not the most lucrative per year — that distinction goes to OnlyFans.

Side Hustle Median Annual Earnings
1. DoorDash $2,636.00
2. Uber $2,092.00
3. Instacart $3,445.00
4. OnlyFans $4,995.00
5. GrubHub $3,085.00
6. AmazonFlex $3,229.00
7. Lyft $1,551.00
8. Walmart $3,677.00
9. Shipt $2,540.50
10. Wag! $1,756.00

Want to start a side hustle?

Even if you’re already gainfully employed, a side hustle can offer a little extra room to plan for the future. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to get started, whether you choose one of the above options or do a different type of work entirely. Even navigating a non-compete from your W-2 employer is less daunting than it used to be.

Keeper can help with one of the most crucial parts of running your own business: self-employment taxes. Throughout the year, you can use Keeper to track your deductible business expenses, which means you’ll stress less and save more at tax time. You can even file your taxes right on the app.

Company Contact Country
Alfreds Futterkiste Maria Anders Germany
Centro comercial Moctezuma Francisco Chang Mexico
Ernst Handel Roland Mendel Austria

Pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Iaculis nunc sed augue lacus viverra vitae congue eu. Commodo viverra maecenas accumsan lacus. Purus sit amet luctus venenatis lectus magna fringilla urna porttitor.

Chloe Bryan

GlobalTwitter

Chloe was a staff writer at Keeper and a writer, editor, and journalist. She previously reported on internet culture and lifestyle trends for Mashable, where she also led the shopping section. In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing poetry, traveling, watching the Mets, and hanging out with her dog Pete.