These Are the Fastest-Growing Side Hustle Businesses of 2026

More and more people are launching side hustles, whether to supplement their incomes or as a way to lay the groundwork for a startup. Some 72 percent of workers in the U.S. rely on secondary income, according to a survey by MyPerfectResume. But some side hustles are growing faster than others.

An analysis conducted by Falcon Digital Marketing tracked annual search volumes on Google and year-over-year growth rates from 2024 to 2025 to determine where side hustle interest has spiked and where it has waned. For instance, searches for dropshipping side hustles fell by 45 percent last year as rising tariffs and the end of the de minimis exemption ate into profit margins. There were also several side hustles that saw big gains, according to the report. Those spikes in interest were trending for a variety of reasons, from lower barriers of entry to high salaries.

Search interest is a good indication of demand, but it’s also worth noting that it could mean more competition, so a niche specialty could help you stand out from the crowd.

Content creation
Interest in freelance writing spiked a jaw-dropping 5,546 percent last year, according to Falcon Digital’s research. AI tools are being cited as a way to make it easier to polish work. Similarly, video content creation (ranging from educational videos to marketing to behind-the-scenes videos) also saw a spike (up 1,850 percent) thanks to AI tools that can quickly edit raw video.

If you know the audience you’re trying to attract, especially with a specialized type of content, you could set yourself apart from the competition. That said, be aware that content creation is a side hustle that, while it can be lucrative (brands pay between an estimated $150 to $600 per video they can put on their social media accounts), demands a lot of your time.

Online tutoring
Search interest in tutoring side hustles was up 1,011 percent last year. Demand for help with broad skills like math and English is always high, but teaching niche skills can help grow your tutoring business and also commands a higher hourly rate on many sites. Schoolkids who are struggling with core classes can always use help and anyone with expertise in specialized areas can tutor on sites like Wyzant. The site lets you set your hourly rate and collect 75 percent of the payment for each lesson. Top tutors, the site says, earn more than $50,000 per year.

Social media management
Side hustles helping small- and medium-sized businesses expand their social media footprint saw a 367 percent growth rate last year. You’ll need to be able to craft posts that turn heads, as well as monitor engagement metrics and increase interaction. This is a job that’s more creative than materials-intense. Sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com are a good place to start looking for clients.

Web development
Boasting a 357 percent leap in search interest, this is another skill-based side hustle that caters to SMBs that are in the midst of a digital transformation but lack the skills in-house to do so. Like many others on this list, the barriers to entry in this field are dropping rapidly, thanks to vibe coding and no-code development, both of which let you create with coding manually. Any of the major AI systems can help you vibe code, but Anthropic’s Claude is a popular choice for its robust features. Platforms like Bubble or Glide are popular for no-code. Compensation-wise, you can make anywhere from $1,500 to $7,000 per project. (Just be warned that vibe coding can get expensive, depending on the number of API credits you need to purchase to create your code.)

Third-party selling on Amazon
While interest in e-commerce side hustles has been on the decline for a while, Falcon Digital notes that interest in Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) side hustles was up 75 percent. This isn’t a side hustle for everyone, though. It requires a bigger initial investment than most fields. You’ll need to either manufacture or source products and send them to Amazon warehouses to sell. You’ll also have to find the right price point to cover your expenses (including Amazon’s fees, which range from $3.06 per item on small items to nearly $200 per item on things weighing more than 150 pounds) and make a profit. Amazon will handle the storage, shipping and customer service.