3 in-demand side hustles to start in 2023―one pays up to $100 per hour (2024)

Side hustles continue to be a popular way for Americans to make some extra cash. Nearly half, 40% of Americans currently have a side hustle, according to a May 2022 Zapier survey of 2,032 U.S. adults. That's up from 34% in December 2020.

If you're considering picking one up yourself, and 2023 will be your year to start, some gigs may offer more opportunity than others, say experts.

"I would classify an entire group of burgeoning side hustles as the 'pandemic hangover side hustles,'" says Angelique Rewers, founder of BoldHaus, a consulting firm that helps small businesses find corporate clients. They're the gigs people are now hiring for as a result of post-pandemic transitions like taking care of a new puppy or returning to in-person events.

Here are three side hustles to consider in 2023.

"Live events are back," says Rewers, and many people hosting them will need help for days, weeks, possibly even months at a time as they plan and execute.

Rewers' own company recently hosted a conference. "We were able to get workforce that would just show up for the day," she says, "and they were there to run microphones, to work in the green room, to handle registration, to greet our speakers." They made between $20 and $35 per hour, she says.

Look for an array of event staff gigs on job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn, do a search on Facebook by typing in "Boston area concerts," for example, and seeing what kind of help vendors are looing for, or create a profile on TaskRabbit with the kind of work you're interested in doing. Party cleanup gigs on the site pay an average of $84 to $147 per event, according to TaskRabbit.

If you're looking for gigs that are a bit more behind-the-screen, like marketing for these events, side hustle expert Daniella Flores, who goes by they/them, recommends perusing Superpath. "They post freelancing gigs for video editing, copywriting, writing, marketing, basically anything that's digital marketing related," they say.

"The pet space is going to be massive in 2023," says Rewers. "It's already big."

With around 23 million American households adopting a cat or dog during the pandemic, according to the ASPCA, and with work pulling folks back into the office or other workspaces and life allowing for travel again, many are having to find pet care solutions for when they're gone.

Rewers herself is seeing a lot of independent pet daycares pop up, in which, "people are watching dogs, you know, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 6 p.m. They have six or seven dogs at their house for the day." In South Florida, where Rewers is based, people are paying $23 to $35 per day to leave their dog at such a daycare.

If you don't have the capacity to open your home to a pet but could still spend a bit of time with one during the day or give a local dog a walk, "petsitting on Rover is pretty lucrative," says Flores. The site is geared toward dog and cat owners, and offers services like drop-in visits and house sitting.

"Just keep in mind that they do take 20%" of your pay, they say.

In the wake of the pandemic, and for the first time in decades, reading and math scores dropped for 9-year-olds in the U.S., The New York Times reported in September.

To help their kids get up to speed and catch up, many parents may be turning to afterschool tutors in various subjects. "Online tutoring is in huge demand right now," says Rewers, "and I think it's just going to continue to grow as parents realize just how much ground was lost with their kids not being in school every day."

If you're an expert or have a solid knowledge base in a subject matter ranging from English to physics to history, consider offering your services on sites like Varsity Tutors or Wyzant. The latter pays up to $100 per hour, according to Sidehusl.com. You can also offer your tutoring services on Facebook or Nextdoor groups for local parents.

Check out:

9 in-demand side hustles that can be done from home—and how much they pay

Earn extra cash with these 11 lucrative side hustles, says millionaire—some can pay up to $3,000/month

How to find a side hustle that could keep your skills 'sharp' and make you better at your job

Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter