The gig economy has seen the world of work transform significantly, with the typical 9-5 job being pushed out to allow for flexible, independent side hustles to become the new way of earning a living.
From pet-sitters and private tutors to delivery drivers and home chefs, the gig economy has grown dramatically over the last two decades, transforming the world of work and breaking out of the 9-5 rut.
The increasing popularity of side hustles has seen financial opportunity and independence offered to anyone that wants to try a new style of working and earn some extra money.
But which US states are driving the gig economy and which roles are the most popular and best-paid? Here are some findings:
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Florida is driving the gig economy with the state holding the highest number of people applying for gig roles at a staggering 55,762 applications
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California ranks as the second leading state with 45,615 applications and New York third with 37,597
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Delivery driving is crowned the most popular gig job, with the number of applications reaching 105,314
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General freelancing features as the top category for 28 states. It is the second most popular overall with 95,866 applications.
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For animal lovers, pet-sitting is the third most popular gig job in the US receiving 21,620 applications
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Massage therapy is the most profitable gig category in the US with an average hourly rate of £27.84. General freelancing, home-cooking and teaching are other gig categories that can earn you over $20 per hour.
AppJobs have analyzed US gig applications data to reveal America’s ultimate side hustle.
Here are the top 5 states driving the gig economy with the most applications
|
Rank |
State |
No. of applications |
|
1 |
Florida |
55,762 |
|
2 |
California |
45,615 |
|
3 |
New York |
37,597 |
|
4 |
Texas |
34,161 |
|
5 |
Pennsylvania |
13,308 |
The southernmost state, Florida, takes the crown as the leading state of the gig economy, with the area seeing an impressive 55,782 gig applications, over four times the figures in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
Of the people applying for a gig job in Florida, nearly half have been aimed at delivery driver roles (28,676), highlighting the accessibility of this gig category to many people, with the main, key requirement for this role being a driver’s license.
The state with the highest population, California, sits in second place with 45,615 gig applications and New York in third with 37,597.
More work needs to be done across the US overall in terms of driving the gig economy, with over 20 of the states analyzed holding less than 5,000 applications, including North Carolina with just 4,354, despite being the ninth most populous state.
The most popular gig categories
Delivery driving takes the top spot as the most popular gig category Americans are applying for, with 105,314 applications.
“The gig economy is a great opportunity to explore your passion, whether that’s caring for animals through pet sitting or tutoring others. It’s also a great way to explore ways of earning money that you’ll enjoy, out of the typical 9-5 job,” Iwona Polog, Head of Growth from AppJobs.
Varying from delivering groceries and take-aways to furniture, delivery driving gig work allows Americans to earn an average of $17.10 per hour in their spare time.
The second most popular gig category is general freelancing with 95,866 applications, which covers a breadth of interests from completing surveys to being an online fashion stylist.
Its popularity is reflected across most states as it comes out as the leading gig category in the majority of states analysed, including Texas and Ohio.
The top 5 best-earning gig jobs
Massage therapy is the best-earning gig category with an impressive hourly rate of $27.84, double the earnings of cleaning, which earns $11.29 per hour and pet-sitting which earns $13.17.
Freelancing sits at the second-best paid gig category with an hourly rate of $25.33 and delivery driving reaches 5th place.
The gig categories that require more skill and qualifications are positioned as some of the best-paid roles, with home-cooking and teaching having an hourly rate of over $20.
(Infographic published in partnership with AppJobs – A platform that provides hundreds of app-based part-time, weekend and student jobs and gigs all over the world from New York and Auckland to Sydney and Miami).
