Side hustle statistics for 2023

Many Brits are earning additional income from side hustles like walking dogs, filling out surveys or selling handmade goods. We look at the latest side hustle statistics and trends across the UK, including how many people have them, the difference across the generations and the most popular options.

Quick overview

• 2 in 5 Brits (44%) have a side hustle in 2023.
• The average income from side hustles is £206 per week, or £10,701 per year.
• Three-quarters (76%) of generation Z have a side hustle, more than any other generation.
• The most popular side hustle is selling unwanted clothes online.

A side hustle is when you have a job or business in addition to your primary job that enables you to make extra money. For example, you could sell items online, do freelance work, drive people around in your car or do other odd jobs.

Side hustles provide an additional source of income, but can also give people the opportunity to try a new challenge or have fun doing something they enjoy. It’s like having a hobby, but you get paid for it! Some of us even choose to set up an extra business and, if you are serious about your side hustle, you may decide to open a dedicated business account.

How many people have a side hustle?

In 2023, 44% of Brits have at least one side hustle, according to our latest nationally representative survey. Around half (49%) of men in the UK have a side hustle, compared to 2 in 5 (40%) women.

Side hustles are becoming a popular way for Brits to earn extra cash during the cost of living crisis when many Brits are struggling to make ends meet or put money into savings.

Case study: The cost of living crisis has impacted Tracey's savings

Tracey Greyvenstein

Tracey is a Finder member from Abingdon who has been struggling to save due to the cost of living crisis. She tells us about her side hustles:

I already have 3 side hustles and am still battling to get by. I cook for the local squash club, I sell clothes on eBay, I enter competitions and I do online surveys for money.

I am not happy with how much I have saved. I have had to use some of it to pay for things like car insurance, tyres, MOTs, electricity bills and repairs.

What is the average side hustle income?

On average, Brits earn £206 from side hustles per week, which adds up to an extra £10,701 per year. The majority (57%) of people earn less than £100 a week from side hustles. An additional 40% of people earn between £100 and £1,000 a week from side hustles, but only 2% make more than £1,000 a week.

• Chart
• Table

The rise of the gen Z side hustle

Our survey found that approximately three-quarters (76%) of generation Z have a side hustle outside of their regular job, such as selling items online or creating content for TikTok. This is the highest percentage of side hustlers among the generations.

They are followed by 62% of millennials, 42% of generation X, 25% of baby boomers and 17% of the silent generation. The number of people with side hustles decreases with age, perhaps because older generations have a more stable income from their regular job or younger generations are more likely to look for untraditional ways of earning money.

Among all generations, millennials are the highest earners from side hustles, with an average weekly income of £268. Gen Z is a close second with an estimated £223 per week from their side hustles. This trend is not surprising, given the growing popularity of social media and content creation among younger generations.

• Chart
• Table

What are the most popular side hustles?

According to external research, the top 3 most popular side hustles are:

1. Selling old clothes on Vinted or similar
2. A part-time second job
3. Becoming a social media ‘influencer’ on TikTok or similar

The most popular side hustles fall into 5 key categories:

• Selling old or refurbished items
• Creating content
• Creating products and selling them
• Having a secondary part-time job
• Manual labour

We’ve grouped the top 30 UK side hustles in these categories in the table below:

Which city earns the most from side hustles?

Residents in Nottingham currently earn the most from side hustles, with average weekly earnings of £269.45, closely followed by Manchester and London, with £249.06 and £243.28, respectively. Only 4 cities earn more than £200 per week on average from side hustles.

The city with the lowest earnings from side hustles is Plymouth, with average weekly earnings of only £96.99.

• Chart
• Table

Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?

Surprisingly, those in higher management positions are most likely to have a side hustle, with almost 2 in 3 (63%) having an extra income stream. Our survey indicates that people at higher job levels tend to have more side hustles, whilst also earning more on average per week from them. The highest earners are those in higher management positions, with average weekly earnings of £353.89 from side hustles.

Approximately one-third (34%) of semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers have a side hustle. However, this group earns the least among all job levels from their side hustles, with an average weekly income of only £128.37.

• Chart
• Table

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact

Matt Mckenna
UK Communications Manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806

Related articles

Best easy access savings accounts for 2023

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

Earn interest on your savings while still being able to withdraw them if you need to with an easy access savings account.

Read more…

Savings statistics: Average savings in the UK

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

The average person in the UK has £17,773 in savings but almost a quarter of Brits have no savings at all. Find out more in our latest savings statistics.

Read more…

Working from home and hybrid working statistics

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

Our research found that 38% of Brits work from home at least some of the time. We look at who is working from home and how working from home affects productivity.

Read more…

Best savings account for £50,000

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

Wondering what to do with £0 savings? Earn up to 3.6% with easy access, 0% tax-free or 0% in a fixed-rate bond. Read more…

Best savings account for £20,000

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

Wondering what to do with £0 savings? Earn up to 3.6% with easy access, 0% tax-free or 0% in a fixed-rate bond. Read more…

Best savings account for £10,000

{"menuItems":[{"label":"Quick overview","anchorName":"#quick-overview"},{"label":"How many people have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#how-many-people-have-a-side-hustle"},{"label":"What is the average side hustle income?","anchorName":"#what-is-the-average-side-hustle-income"},{"label":"The rise of the gen Z side hustle","anchorName":"#the-rise-of-the-gen-z-side-hustle"},{"label":"What are the most popular side hustles?","anchorName":"#what-are-the-most-popular-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which city earns the most from side hustles?","anchorName":"#which-city-earns-the-most-from-side-hustles"},{"label":"Which profession is most likely to have a side hustle?","anchorName":"#which-profession-is-most-likely-to-have-a-side-hustle"}]}

Wondering what to do with £0 savings? Earn up to 3.6% with easy access, 0% tax-free or 0% in a fixed-rate bond. Read more…