4 in-demand side hustles for 2025: One can pay $200 per hour

More than a third (36%) of Americans have a side hustle outside of their main moneymaking gig, according to a June 2024 Bankrate survey of 2,332 US adults. Gen Zers lead the pack, with nearly half (48%) of them having a side hustle.  

If you're one of those already earning that extra money and are looking for new sources of revenue — or if you're new to the game and want to start a side hustle for the first time, 2025 could offer some good opportunities.

Here are four side hustles to consider that experts say will be in demand.

Template graphic designer

Businesses increasingly find their consumers online via their websites or social media. For those artsy side hustlers who want to lean into their graphic design abilities, consider creating graphic templates for websites and social media and selling them on sites like Canva and Etsy.

For local and small businesses, "whether it's blogging or Tiktok or Instagram or LinkedIn or YouTube or their website," says Angelique Rewers, CEO of small business consulting firm BoldHaus, "the amount of graphic templates that are needed given the volume of content that people are creating and pushing out into the world today is insane." Buying templates that are easy to use makes that process much swifter.

Prices vary depending on the template and number of offerings within a package. One social media template package on Etsy is going for $72. Note that Etsy charges 20 cents per listing uploaded plus a 6.5% transaction fee based on the price of your item.

AI content creator

Similarly, small business owners need help creating the written content on their social media platforms. That's where AI content creators come in.

They take the business's content, "whether a video of me presenting at a conference, or a YouTube video that I've done, or a media interview that I've been quoted in, or blog articles that I've written," says Rewers, "and take all of my existing content and start running it through AI tools like Jasper, Claude, ChatGPT and creating a mountain of new, fresh content" to use across social media accounts, LinkedIn, newsletters, etc.

You don't have to be a professional wordsmith to do this kind of work, says Rewers, because these tools can help ensure correct grammar and cohesive sentences.

Get familiar with the tools Rewers listed and offer your services on sites like Fiverr, Upwork and LinkedIn. AI content creators on Upwork are charging as much as $200 per hour.

Podcast assistant

Podcasts are on the rise. As many as 141 million Americans are projected to listen to podcasts in 2025, up from 135.4 million in 2024, according to eMarketer. And those making them need help.

As such, "being a podcast assistant is a huge opportunity," says Rewers. Podcast assistant can mean finding and booking guests, editing recordings of shows, publicizing using various social media platforms. This role can also be called podcast manager, podcast producer or podcast editor, if they focus on that technical component.

As of the last few years, "most podcasters are starting with video," says Nicaila Okome, host of the "Side Hustle Pro" podcast. They now post their shows on sites like YouTube to add a visual element. Many need help editing their videos now as well.

Depending on how you'd like to help, post your podcast skills on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, LinkedIn and on relevant Facebook groups for podcast creators. One podcast producer is charging up to $500 per project on Fiverr.

Short-term rental manager

The short-term rental market is expected to grow 11.4% between 2025 and 2030, according to Grand View Research. That includes rentals on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.

"One thing that's really going to be big next year is the opportunity for folks who want to help manage those rentals," says Rewers, "whether they want it to be a remote opportunity, meaning they can do it from anywhere, or they want a side hustle that they can do locally."

These managers handle booking and communication with guests, for example, or scheduling any maintenance the place needs like cleaners or plumbers.

Try reaching out to people renting out their properties directly and offering your services, or going on local Facebook or Nextdoor groups to spread the word that you're interested in managing short-term rentals.

Payment varies. "Here in South Florida, we're seeing folks do it on a percentage basis of what they're booking," says Rewers, adding that they're also seeing neighbors pay "as much as $35 an hour for someone to stop by to check on the plumber."

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