Article courtesy of Ninja Transfers
- Atlanta, Georgia, tops the list as America’s side hustle capital with 384 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents for side hustle-related terms.
- Orlando, Florida, ranks second with 361 searches per 100,000 residents.
- The Michigan city of Grand Rapids comes in 22nd, with 199.8 searches per 100,000 people.
With monthly Google searches for ‘side jobs’ reaching a record 279,000 in July 2025, research has revealed the U.S. cities where residents are actively seeking side-hustle opportunities.
The study by direct-to-film transfer experts Ninja Transfers analyzed search volumes for second jobs, or ‘side hustles,’ in over 170 major US cities by population, to determine where residents are most actively looking for side hustle opportunities. 80 different job titles were analyzed, including freelance writers, podcasters, and mystery shoppers, for searches that included them, such as “how to make money with [job]”, “does [job] pay well”, and “[job] gig” for every one of the last 12 months.
Michigan Findings: Side Hustle Hotspots
Grand Rapids, Michigan, ranks 22nd nationally for side hustle activity based on Google search data. Residents in Grand Rapids conduct an average of 393.3 side hustle-related searches per month, which translates to 199.8 searches per 100,000 people. The city’s population for this study was 196,908.
America’s top side-hustle cities
| Rank | City | Population | Average monthly searches for side hustle-related terms | Average monthly searches per 100,000 people |
| 1 | Atlanta, Georgia | 499,127 | 1,914 | 384 |
| 2 | Orlando, Florida | 316,081 | 1,140 | 361 |
| 3 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 204,657 | 653 | 319 |
| 4 | St. Louis, Missouri | 286,578 | 815 | 284 |
| 5 | Birmingham, Alabama | 196,910 | 558 | 283 |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 183,146 | 503 | 275 |
| 7 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 425,096 | 1,146 | 270 |
| 8 | Miami, Florida | 449,514 | 1,208 | 269 |
| 9 | Cleveland, Ohio | 361,607 | 969 | 268 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 302,898 | 776 | 256 |
Atlanta recorded an average of 1,914 monthly searches for side hustle-related terms, coming out to around 384 searches per 100,000 residents, which is the highest rate in the country. The top three side hustles according to Google searches in the state are podcasting, online tutoring, and freelance tutoring.
Victor Ilisco, Director of Sales & Operations at Ninja Transfers, commented on the findings, “Many Americans nowadays are looking to explore further than the standard 9-to-5. A Bankrate study from back in 2023 found that 39% of Americans have a side hustle, and this number has likely grown since then. They are becoming increasingly accessible thanks to digital platforms and tools, and the barrier for starting one is a lot smaller than what it used to be, and whether it be something that’s driven by cost-of-living pressure or ambition, there are plenty of options on things Americans can do to earn money on the side.”
Source:
Google Keyword Planner
Methodology:
- A seed list of side hustles was established from the collection at sidehustlesdatabase.com, and search volume data was collected for related terms across multiple templates such as “[job] side hustle”, “how to start [job]”, and “does [job] pay well”.
- The study analyzed over 80 different side hustles, including affiliate marketing, food delivery, online tutoring, print-on-demand, and ridesharing. Search volume data was adjusted per 100,000 residents based on population data to ensure cities of different sizes are measured fairly.
The top 30 cities
| Rank | City | Population | Average monthly searches for side hustle related terms | Average monthly searches per 100,000 people |
| 1 | Atlanta, Georgia | 499,127 | 1,914.2 | 383.5 |
| 2 | Orlando, Florida | 316,081 | 1,140.0 | 360.7 |
| 3 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 204,657 | 653.3 | 319.2 |
| 4 | St. Louis, Missouri | 286,578 | 815.0 | 284.4 |
| 5 | Birmingham, Alabama | 196,910 | 557.5 | 283.1 |
| 6 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 183,146 | 503.3 | 274.8 |
| 7 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 425,096 | 1,145.8 | 269.5 |
| 8 | Miami, Florida | 449,514 | 1,207.5 | 268.6 |
| 9 | Cleveland, Ohio | 361,607 | 969.2 | 268.0 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 302,898 | 775.8 | 256.1 |
| 11 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 309,513 | 773.3 | 249.9 |
| 12 | Richmond, Virginia | 229,395 | 554.2 | 241.6 |
| 13 | Knoxville, Tennessee | 195,889 | 470.8 | 240.4 |
| 14 | Charleston, South Carolina | 153,672 | 367.5 | 239.1 |
| 15 | Baltimore, Maryland | 569,931 | 1,243.3 | 218.2 |
| 16 | Alexandria, Virginia | 155,525 | 335.8 | 215.9 |
| 17 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 303,176 | 648.3 | 213.8 |
| 18 | Tampa, Florida | 398,173 | 839.2 | 210.8 |
| 19 | Denver, Colorado | 713,252 | 1,489.2 | 208.8 |
| 20 | Hollywood, Florida | 152,650 | 315.8 | 206.9 |
| 21 | Tempe, Arizona | 185,950 | 380.0 | 204.4 |
| 22 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 196,908 | 393.3 | 199.8 |
| 23 | Buffalo, New York | 276,486 | 540.8 | 195.6 |
| 24 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 656,274 | 1,283.3 | 195.55 |
| 25 | Washington, District of Columbia | 671,803 | 1,313.3 | 195.49 |
| 26 | Lakewood, Colorado | 156,120 | 305.0 | 195.4 |
| 27 | Seattle, Washington | 749,256 | 1,431.7 | 191.1 |
| 28 | Rochester, New York | 209,352 | 399.2 | 190.7 |
| 29 | Springfield, Missouri | 170,067 | 323.3 | 190.1 |
| 30 | Mobile, Alabama | 183,289 | 341.7 | 186.4 |