Americans have long embraced side hustles: Nearly eight in 10 middle-class workers have one main job, but four in 10 say they also have an additional gig to supplement their main source of income.
The embrace of side hustles spans the generations. Among workers in their 20s, 58% have some sort of side hustle. The figure is roughly 44% for those in their 30s; 36% in their 40s; 26% in their 50s; 22% in their 60s; and 18% for those age 70 and older.
These numbers come from the Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies report, “Retirement Throughout the Ages: The American Middle Class.” The report defines the middle class as people with an annual household income between $50,000 and $199,999. By that definition, the middle class represents 56% of the U.S. adult general population.
One reason for the embrace of side hustles is the money eases the strain of paying bills. A side hustle is part of the household safety net in case you lose your job. Income generated by a side hustle can help you and your family make it through a spell of unemployment.
Minneapolis-based Target’s recent decision to eliminate some 8% of its global corporate staff highlighted the risk of layoff. Those jobs losses will add up to about 1,000 people and some 800 eliminated positions. Minnesota Paving and Materials in Rogers is closing several of its facilities in the state, and nearly 300 workers will lose their jobs. Layoffs and discharges in Minnesota so far in 2025 have totaled some 217,000, which is 10.2% higher than during the same period last year.
The draw of side hustles usually goes beyond practical considerations, however. Side hustles are an outlet for innovation, entrepreneurship and creative expression. The moonlighting business is as much about purpose as it is about financial survival.
To be sure, like everything else worth doing, side hustles come with trade-offs. Balancing multiple jobs means less downtime, more stress and a blurring of boundaries between work and life. Time is already the scarce resource for most workers and their families before taking side hustles into account.
Yet in an economy that feels precarious for many people much of the time, side hustles reflect the need at any age for a measure of control, creativity and meaning. The personal finances of extra income and layoff hedging are welcome, too.
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