Side hustling has become a staple of American culture.<\/p>\n
Whether it’s to finance voluntary purchases, pay off debts or boost savings, a number of U.S. adults have taken on second jobs in addition to their full-time occupation.<\/p>\n
According to Bankrate\u2019s new Side Hustle Survey<\/a>, though, the number of Americans with a side hustle is down this year. In the 2025 edition of the poll, 27% of U.S. adults said they had a side hustle — down from 36% last year<\/a>. The 2025 percentage is the lowest since 2017, according to Bankrate.<\/p>\n While the number has dropped this year, experts believe side hustling could bounce back quickly.<\/p>\n “A strong job market and a cooling inflation rate are the biggest reasons why fewer people are side hustling this year,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. “But employment trends are weakening and price growth might pick up due to tariffs, so there\u2019s a good chance side hustling will be back on the rise next year.”<\/p>\n The study revealed that younger generations are more likely to have side hustles — 34% of Gen Z responders had a side job, compared to 31% of millennials, 23% of Gen X and 22% of baby boomers.<\/p>\n Parents of children (34%) are also working second jobs more often, especially compared parents of adults (23%) and non-parents (28%).<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAfter earning her master\u2019s degree, Nicole, a mother of two living in Los Angeles, realized that her full time job wouldn\u2019t be enough to pay off her student debt, to cover her expenses and to start a family. She decided to revisit one of her childhood past times as an alternative to maintain her finances.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n