11 Highest Paying Side Hustles In 2024 [Tested]

Last Updated on February 4, 2023 by John Cirelly

Time is money, so let’s keep this short and dive into the highest paying side hustles you can start today. We’ll be rating side hustles by the following criteria:

• How difficult it is to succeed.
• Each side hustle’s earning potential.
• The startup cost, if there is any.
• How long it will take to turn a profit.

Highest Paying Side Hustles In 2024

Below are the highest paying side hustles we’ve tested or verified ourselves.

Online freelancing is one of the fastest ways to earn extra money. Conveniently, it’s also one of the highest paying side hustles you can start. Your average online freelancer makes around $33/hour, but the truth is experienced freelancers can make upward of $100/hr.

The best part about freelancing is you don’t need to spend years chasing a college degree to get started. YouTube, Udemy, and paid courses can teach you high-value skills you can use to get work immediately.

As a freelancer, you set your own hours, which makes it the perfect side hustle to do after your day job. (Or during, I won’t tell.) 🙃

A few high-paying online freelance jobs include:

• Freelance writing
• Lead generation
• Programming
• Copywriting
• Video Editing
• Public Relations
• Web Design
• SEO
• Digital Marketing

Drop servicing is where you offer online freelance skills as a service, but outsource the work to other freelancers. Drop servicing can have incredibly high-profit margins, all without you having to do the work. Simply assemble a team of freelancers that can do the job and find someone to pay you more than you’re paying the team.

Many freelancers realize that they only have so much time in the day, and eventually have to turn away clients. Drop servicing is a great way to reclaim your time and outsource the fulfillment process.

With profit margins of around 70-80%, you can expect to earn around as much as an online freelancer without doing any of the work.

YouTube can be a high paying side hustle if you have the dedication and some creativity. If you have something you can teach, entertain or both, you can be successful on YouTube. While it can take months to see traction, YouTubers enjoy passive income from their older videos which compound over time.

Between ads, affiliate sales, sponsorships, and merch, YouTubers can make great side hustle income doing what they love.

Like the YouTube path, blogging offers a way to monetize talking about what you love. Take Side Hustle Science for example. Here we make money through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate products that help people build streams of income.

Blogging is a long game, but over time can bring in thousands of dollars each month based on each post you have ranked on Google. If you have a knack for writing, blogging can be an excellent high paying side hustle.

The knowledge you have rattling around in your brain is actually worth more than what you 9-5 pays you. While coaching isn’t for everyone, it can be one of the highest paying side hustles for those with experience in a particular field.

For example, nutritionists can consult and coach athletes earning more than $100/hr. But you don’t have to be an expert to get started.

Truth is, if you’ve spent considerable time doing anything, you’re more experienced than your average person. As you become more of an expert in your field, you can increase your rates and consult on a higher level.

Digital agencies have many moving parts, but they are easily one of the highest paying side hustles you can start. Digital agencies offer services to other businesses in exchange for a monthly or performance-based fee.

For example, a cold email agency might get paid for every appointment they book, while a social media marketing agency gets paid a flat monthly retainer. These fees typically range between $1-3k/mo on the low end, with higher-end agencies charging between $5-$20k each month.

While it might sound overwhelming, you can build your agency in your spare time and eventually quit your 9-5 as it grows. Starting off as a freelancer and then switching to an agency model is a great way to make more income with less of your time.

If you’re looking for something a bit simpler, cleaning trash bins is nothing to turn your nose up at. Families in your community dread cleaning their stink bins every few weeks and will gladly pay you $10-$40 per bin each month to take care of this for them.

Compared to other service businesses, can cleaning has a low startup cost, especially if you already have a vehicle you can use. Forever Self Employed has an awesome video explaining how to get started below.

Similar to can cleaning, pressure washing side hustles can bring in the big bucks. People often want their driveways, home, and garage pressure washed a few times a year.

You can expect to earn upwards of $100/hr for these services. Offering general pressure washing services is a great way to expand your trash bin cleaning service if you go that route first.

Chefs and high-end grocery stores are always on the hunt for fresh ingredients. Believe it or not, you can easily earn hundreds of dollars per tray even if you don’t have a green thumb. Microgreens grow quickly, and don’t require much effort at all. Since they have a shorter shelf life, big companies can’t reliably deliver microgreens to stores, giving you a local advantage.

If you have an eye for detail and a love for cars, you can make a great living detailing vehicles. Many people have their cars detailed a few times a year, especially after winter when they’ve tracked mud and salt into their cars.

You can earn between $100-$250 per vehicle, with larger vehicles costing more to clean. Expenses are low, with your highest expense being a good shop vac.

Lastly, course creation is a very lucrative side hustle that doesn’t take much to get started. If you have experience in a particular field, you can create a course to help beginners avoid costly mistakes and achieve their goals.

A few examples of course topics include:

• Passing an exam
• Making money
• Photography
• Graphic design
• Animal training

Courses can range in pricing, from $20 up to $1997 for more transformative courses. For example, if you’re teaching a way someone can make $10k a month, a 2k price tag isn’t so bad if you can truly get your customer that result.

The beauty of course creation is you only have to make the course once as long as that information is still relevant. Once you’ve made your course, you can use paid ads or platforms like YouTube to generate sales.

Wrapping Up The Highest Paying Side Hustles

This concludes our list of the highest paying side hustle. If you have a side hustle that you think earns its place on this list, let us know!