20 Side Gigs That Rival Full-Time Wages, Earning Up To $4K Monthly

Forbes

22-05-2025

Experts are advising that side gigs are not a luxury anymore. American workers worry daily about losing their jobs as the economy tightens and technological advances cause massive layoffs. If you're a full-time employee, side gigs are becoming a necessity for extra income to make ends meet and as an insurance policy in case your job ends unexpectedly.
The American workforce has learned they can call their own shots, have more flexibility and make more money working online with quick cash side gigs. Side gigs are becoming the new normal because workers are tired of the stress and uncertainty of their jobs. They're seeking the autonomy of being in charge of their own fate, instead of leaving that to corporate America that they can no longer trust to have their interests at heart.
There are all types of side gigs that you can choose from. You can work from home online for some that do not require experience. Others take you into the community. Some are supplements for full-time workers, while other side gigs can be full-time pursuits that rival full-time wages like some of the ones listed below.
Many gig jobs are those that AI can't handle like spotting bias, checking content or giving feedback. One platform behind this trend, Sapien, has 800,000 users across 100+ countries. They've completed over 75 million tasks for clients like Lenovo, Alibaba, MidJourney, and the UN.
According to Rowan Stone, Sapien's CEO, 'If we can find a way to tap into that knowledge and reward people fairly for it, gig work won't just improve; it'll fundamentally change how we think about work, technology and value creation.'
Stone explains that Sapiens is not your typical gig working platform. They do things differently; we use token-ized incentives and an on-chain reputation system to enure the highest possible data quality,' Stone explains. 'Contributors stake both tokens and reputation as collateral against the quality of their work, which means everyone is incentive aligned to deliver great data. More rep = more responsibility, and importantly, higher income potential via both advanced tasks and peer-QC (users validating the work of other users). Ensuring everyone has real skin in the game has been the single biggest unlock for Sapien since we launched 1.5 years ago.'
The researchers at Topture calculated the hourly rate and estimated monthly income of 22 of the most popular side gigs. They researched the typical lowest and highest hourly rates using publicly available sources such as job boards, freelancer platforms and market rate reports. These values were used to establish a realistic earning range for each job.
They assumed a consistent workload of 20 hours per week to reflect part-time engagement alongside full-time employment. Using this rate and workload, they projected monthly income estimates by multiplying the average hourly rate by 20 hours per week and then by 4.33 (average weeks per month).
Average hourly rate was calculated as the midpoint between the high and low estimates. They used Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner to analyze public interest in each side hustle. Each data point is divided by the total number of searches within the US to measure relative popularity. This ensures that more populous states don't automatically rank higher due to higher total search volume.
The resulting values are then scaled from 0 to 100, based on the keyword's proportion to all searches in the US.
Note: identical interest scores across states do not indicate equal search volume, but rather similar relative interest. They used this normalized state-level data to identify the top three states with the highest interest in each side hustle. The same approach was used to calculate the overall Side Hustle Popularity Ranking.
Most of these gig jobs rival full-time incomes, bring in thousands of dollars monthly, require little to no formal education--just a practical skill and a few focused hours each week--and have the flexibility to be done remotely at home. Here are 20 of the most popular side hustles with average monthly/yearly salaries and brief job descriptions.
1. Voiceover work ($4,500/$54,000). A voiceover side hustler provides voice recordings for a variety of media.
2. Selling Digital Products ($3,100/$37,200). This side gig involves creating and selling items like templates or e-books online.
3. E-Commerce Seller ($2,050/$24,600). E-commerce side jobs include selling handmade or vintage items online through platforms like Etsy.
4. Handyman Services ($1,750/$21,000). This side gig allows you to perform minor repairs and maintenance tasks.
5. Photography ($1,400/$16,800). In this gig job, you're paid to capture images for events, portraits or commercial use.
6. Freelance Copyrighting ($1,270/$15,240). Copyright freelancers write marketing materials, articles or website content for customers on the side.
7. Graphic Design ($1,000/$12,000). In a graphic designer side hustle, you would create visual content for businesses like logos and marketing materials.
8. Lawn Care ($950/$11,400). Side hustles of this type would involve you mowing lawns and maintaining gardens.
9. Online Tutoring ($690/$8,280). Online tutors who side hustle help students with subjects like reading or math, some online and some face-to-face.
10. Social Media Management ($650/$7,800). In a social media manager side hustle, you would manage and grow social media presence for clients.
11.Task-Based Work ($650/$7,800). This gig job involves completing various tasks such as furniture assembly or moving help.
12. Proofreading ($610/$7,320). Proofreader side hustlers are in the business of reviewing and correcting written content for errors.
13. Car Sharing ($540/$6,480). As a gig job car sharer, you must have a valid driver's license which allows you to rent out your personal vehicle.
14. Bookkeeping ($460/$5,500). Bookkeeper side hustlers must have accounting knowledge to manage financial records usually for small businesses.
15. Virtual Assistant ($450/$5,400). Virtual assistant side hustlers provide administrative support remotely, which can include technological aid such as email management.
16. Rideshare Driver ($450/$5,400). Ridesharers have a side gig that uses their personal vehicles to provide transportation services to clients.
17. Delivery Driver ($400/$4,800). Delivery drivers have side gigs in which they make deliveries to customers such as restaurant food or groceries.
18. Notary Public ($400/$4,800). To side hustle as a notary public, you must have a state certification that allows you to witness and authenticate legal documents.
19. Pet Sitting/Dog Walking ($350/$4,200). This side hustle requires a love for animals and involves taking care of pets while the owners are away.
20. Online Surveys ($160/$1,920). As a side job responding to online surveys, you need no experience, just the willingness to participate in online market research surveys.
'Some of these side hustles can rival full-time wages," Benny Rehwald, founder of Topture, points out. 'Voiceover work or digital product sales can bring in thousands a month once the skills are in place. What stands out is how many of them require little to no formal education, just a practical skill and a few focused hours each week.'
Rehwald says the fact that many can be done entirely from home makes them even more accessible, especially for people balancing full-time work, family or health. 'Income from side gigs has become more than just a backup plan,' he concludes. "For many, it's a key part of long-term financial strategy.