Where Side-Hustle Pay Has the Greatest Value After Local Prices

This table compares the purchasing-power value of the standardized side-work pay benchmark across the 30 major U.S. metros studied. Estimated annual pay assumes 10 hours of work per week for 48 weeks. The amount is then adjusted using each metro’s 2023 BEA Regional Price Parity to show what that pay is worth in national-average-price terms.

Estimated annual pay is calculated from the metro’s typical hourly pay across eight selected BLS occupation groups, using 10 hours per week for 48 weeks, or 480 hours annually.
Regional Price Parity measures local consumer prices relative to the U.S. average of 100. Values below 100 increase the adjusted amount, while values above 100 reduce it.
Places gained or lost equals nominal pay rank minus cost-adjusted rank. A positive number means the metro rises after local prices are applied; a negative number means it falls.
BLS OEWS measures employee wages and excludes self-employed workers. These figures show what comparable types of work pay locally, not the observed income of side-hustle operators.
Displayed dollar amounts and RPP values are rounded for presentation. Rankings and rank changes were calculated using the underlying unrounded figures.
 See more in methodology.