Which Metros Offer the Highest Cross-Category Pay Benchmark

This table compares the 10 highest and lowest standardized side-work pay benchmarks among the 30 major U.S. metros studied. The benchmark is the median hourly wage across eight selected BLS occupation groups associated with common types of side work. Annual values assume 10 hours of work per week for 48 weeks, or 480 hours per year.

The cross-category benchmark is the median of eight selected BLS occupation groups: creative and media, professional services, tech and digital, sales and real estate, local services and care, food and events, home and repair services, and transport and delivery. Management and owners and office and administrative support are excluded from this metro-level benchmark.
Annual pay is calculated as the cross-category hourly benchmark × 10 hours per week × 48 weeks, equivalent to 480 hours per year.
BLS OEWS measures wages paid to employees and excludes self-employed workers. The results show what comparable types of work pay locally, not the observed earnings of self-employed side-hustle operators.
 See more in methodology.