10 Fastest Growing Side Hustles Across The U.S. And Canada In 2025
As prices soar and the new administration continues making cuts, the economy is tightening, and technological advances are causing massive layoffs. With uncertainty looming, employees continue to grapple with high costs of living, leading the average consumer to take up side gigs to make ends meet. As Side hustles become one of the most lucrative ways to keep up with economic pressures, a new survey reveals the nation's fastest growing side hustles.
Statistics show that 71% of Americans are searching for secondary income sources through side hustles or second jobs with another employer. SideHustles.com analyzed Google search volume data from January 2022 to January 2025 to uncover the fastest growing side hustles across the U.S.
They examined search trends for 170 side hustle–related keywords across all 50 states and the 25 most populated cities. Only keywords showing a consistent upward trend over the three-year period were considered. They also ranked the top trending side hustles in each state and city using a difference-from-the-mean calculation.
The results show that American interest in AI-powered side hustles increased by 28% over the past year. The study also found that YouTube monetization ranked as the fastest-growing side hustle in six states, including New York, Illinois and Michigan. Here are the fastest-growing side hustles ranked by highest search growth from 2023 through 2024.
1. Mobile car wash service (276%)
2. Selling stock photos online (151%)
3. Crypto trading (122%)
4. Personal shopping service (100%)
5. Food delivery drive (87%)
6. Crypto trading strategies (84%)
7. Freelancing (80%)
8. Sustainable investing strategies (77%)
9. Selling digital products (75%)
1o. Online tutoring (54%)
Over the past year, mobile car wash service (+276%) is the fastest-growing side hustle in America, followed by selling stock photos (+151%) and crypto trading (+122%). In the top three most populated U.S. cities, digital entrepreneurship dominates side hustle trends. YouTube monetization is surging in New York and Chicago, while crypto trading leads in Los Angeles.
So, how do the experts interpret these data? Edward Huang, a career expert at SideHustles.com, points out that the trends reflect a shift toward convenience-driven services, where customers prefer professionals to come to them rather than visiting a traditional car wash. 'For entrepreneurs, mobile car washing presents a low-barrier, high-demand opportunity with flexible hours and minimal overhead costs," Huang explains.
I spoke by email with Mark Slack, another career expert at SideHustles.com, who told me this study shows that side hustles are no longer a trend—they're becoming a core method in which people are building financial freedom and security. 'If you're working full-time but still just getting by, this is your cue to get into where real demand is picking up," Slack says. 'That massive surge in mobile car wash demand? It's not about washing cars—it's about convenience, low overhead and the freedom to run a business on your terms, out of your own space."
He says in big cities, digital income is what he calls royalty. 'People are realizing you don't need to go viral to make real money from YouTube or selling pictures, templates or courses,' he continues. 'Those kinds of hustles can be hobby-level to start with and steady money-makers later on. Even a couple hundred dollars a month can change your finances, your decision-making and your sense of security.'
Another research team at Academized.com. surveyed 2,500 millennials (ages 26-41) and discovered a growing trend of polyworking in which this generation juggles multiple jobs and side hustles to improve financial stability, following their personal passions. Here are key findings from the survey:
According to experts, searches for side hustles are projected to increase by 441% over the next five years, many can be accessed from the comfort of your own home to earn extra income. Slack offers simple advice on how to take advantage of the fastest growing side hustles. "If you're an employee reading this, he advises, here's the play: "Identify something that's in your interest or skill set, block out a few hours a week and give it a solid try. If that's dog walking, reselling thrift store items or creating videos about what you already know—just start. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, just get on one that's already turning," he concludes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AMD Brushes Off China AI Sales Hit as Citi Calls Impact 'Largely Immaterial'
Aug 13 - Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) grabbed attention this week after reports revealed the chipmaker agreed to give the U.S. government 15% of its AI GPU sales in China in exchange for export licenses. While that sounds like a big deal, Citi analyst Christopher Danely says it's largely immaterial to AMD's bottom line. Danely points out that the agreement mainly impacts low-margin products like the MI308X, far less profitable than AMD's corporate average margin of nearly 54%. Instead, the real growth drivers remain AMD's mainstream AI GPUs, the MI355 and MI400, which are fueling AI sales forecasts of $6.2 billion in 2025 (up 23%) and $9.9 billion in 2026 (up 58%). Key customers fueling that growth include Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), and OpenAI. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with AMD. The analyst kept a Neutral rating on AMD with a $180 price target, noting the stock trades at a valuation slightly above its historical average. Rival Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) has also signed a similar China export deal. For now, Wall Street maintains a Moderate Buy rating on AMD, with analysts seeing around 5% upside potential from current levels. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
DOT launches faster, more secure system for airline complaints
The Department of Transportation announced an updated process for travelers to file air travel-related complaints. The agency said Wednesday, Aug. 13, that the change would make the resolution process more streamlined. According to the DOT, the complaint system previously relied on technology from the 1990s, which slowed the process for airlines and ticket agents to receive copies of the complaint and work toward its resolution. The new system, which users can access online, will automatically notify relevant parties once a complaint is filed. 'I'm committed to making USDOT work better for the American people. By modernizing our technology and getting rid of outdated legacy systems, we can better serve the traveling public and maximize efficiencies,' Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. The DOT said the new system also improves data and privacy protection for users. The agency recommends travelers try to resolve their issue directly with the airline or their travel agency before filing a consumer complaint. Consumer complaints help the DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OCAP) track industry trends and identify when enforcement action is needed for a particular problem. "For civil rights complaints, OACP will investigate every complaint that it receives and provide its findings to the consumer at the conclusion of the investigation," the agency's website explains. "For all other complaints, OACP is not able to respond to each complaint individually given the volume of complaints received. Although OACP does not respond to individual consumers who file complaints not involving civil rights, OACP will review and analyze non-civil rights related complaints from consumers when conducting targeted or sample reviews to determine airlines' and travel agencies' compliance with aviation consumer protection requirements."
Business Insider
8 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Mark Cuban says companies should be taxed more for buying back their own shares
In an X post on Tuesday, the billionaire investor said raising the federal tax on the practice would push companies to reinvest in their businesses and hit wealthy shareholders — including himself — the hardest. The "Shark Tank" star called it "a way to charge the biggest public companies more" while shifting incentives toward long-term growth. Stock buybacks, also called share repurchases, happen when a company buys back its stock from investors, often reducing the number of shares in circulation. This can boost earnings per share and, in turn, the stock price, benefiting remaining shareholders. Critics say the practice can prioritize short-term gains over long-term investment. American companies bought back $166 billion in shares in July — the highest July total on record — bringing the year-to-date tally to $926 billion, surpassing the previous year-to-date record set in 2022 by $108 billion, per data from stock market research firm Birinyi Associates. The US has had a 1% tax on stock repurchases on publicly traded corporations since the Inflation Reduction Act, which took effect on January 1, 2023. Cuban said that a higher tax could encourage firms to use the cash to expand or pay dividends to shareholders, which he said would be tax-free for many Americans. "Married households making under 94k pay no taxes on it," Cuban wrote. "If I own it. I pay full taxes." In a follow-up X post, Cuban suggested exempting companies from the higher tax if they distributed repurchased shares to all employees, from interns to the CEO, based on each worker's share of total annual cash earnings. He said this would be a "baby step" toward reducing income inequality and boosting workers' net worth. A market correction could encourage more buybacks Citi predicted in a March note that there would be $1 trillion in buybacks for the year, up 11% from about $900 billion in 2024. The bank said market declines could spur more repurchases, as companies seize the chance to buy their shares at discounted levels. Citi said large firms like Apple, Alphabet, Nvidia, Wells Fargo, and Visa repurchased roughly $190 billion in stock last year alone. Citi's forecast came before a series of market warnings from Wall Street strategists. Analysts at BTIG, Evercore ISI, Stifel, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo have all flagged the potential for a correction in the S&P 500 in the coming months. They cited stretched valuations, seasonal weakness in August and September, and uncertainty over tariffs' economic impact.
