Side hustle capitals

The side hustle capitals of the world 

A side hustle can be a great way to make a bit of extra cash. More and more people are investing their time into pursuing a passion, hoping to turn a hobby into something that increases their earnings and even potentially replace their need for a traditional job.

We’ve looked at where side hustles are most popular based on Etsy stores, showing which products are booming and where people can’t get enough of a passion project.

London is the UK’s side hustle hotspot 

Famed for being a hub of industry, London doesn’t disappoint when it comes to side hustles. The UK capital has a huge 1.12 million products listed on Etsy, with its most popular part-time product being in the home and living category. The city has 326,430 listings for that sector, with jewellery coming in second with 226,955, and art and collectibles finishing third with 191,326. 

London’s most popular side hustles 

Manchester. Birmingham and Glasgow all love a bit on the side

Wannabe entrepreneurs are rife throughout the UK, with side hustle listings on the up in Manchester (205,643), Birmingham (120,242) and Glasgow (87,930). 

In Manchester it’s home and living shops that lead the way, with 68,145 listed on Etsy. Birmingham loves home and living items too, with 38,681 listed there, while Glasgow is only slightly less keen on it with 29,505 stores.     

It looks like home and living is a big deal across the country for those who are home and working. 

The UK cities with the most side hustles 

New York has more side hustles than anywhere else in the world 

When you’re in New York, it looks like dreams really can come true if you run a side hustle. The city has more Etsy listings in every category than anywhere else on the planet, with 2.9 million listed in total. 

That’s more than L.A and Washington DC, which both score 1.3 million, while London follows with 1.12 million. 

New York takes top spot due to the huge range of online stores it offers. For home and living there are 779,325 Etsy listings, art and collectibles has 686,423, while there are even 23,117 stores for pet supplies. 

The world’s cities with the most side hustles 

Etsy sellers in New York could be making over $43m on their side hustles

Based on an average price of $15 per item[1], Etsy sellers are bringing in huge amounts to their local economies. In New York City alone, Etsy contributes $43.8 million to the city’s sellers, while in LA it’s almost half as much at $20.9 million. 

While the site might have made a name for itself with affordable crafts and arts, its modern day store owners are making big money in their markets. London’s sellers earn an average of $16.8 million between them, Houston’s take home $7.3 million, while Melbourne in Australia pockets $4.6 million. 

Small stores might only add a little to an individual's earnings, but combined they add up to a lot.

Home and living stores are the most popular side hustle on the planet 

If you’ve got a desire to be an interior designer, you’re not alone. Home and living stores are the most popular on Etsy by a long way, with 55 of the 100 top countries on the platform having more shops of that kind than anything else. 

Everything from wall art through to furniture, candles, plates and cushions counts as home and living, allowing skilled craftspeople through to first-timers the chance to show off their wares. 

Jewellery is the second most popular side hustle, with 16 countries ranking that first, while art and collectibles completes the top three with 12 countries. 

The most popular side hustles in the world 

Active Etsy sellers almost doubled during 2020 

The number of active selling accounts on Etsy almost doubled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with many people deciding to set up their own business in light of unprecedented job losses and furloughs. 

In 2019 there were 2.69 million active accounts on the site, but 2020 saw that number shoot up to 4.63 million as many people were forced to turn their side hustles into full-time work. 

In fact, the figure has been steadily on the rise ever since 2012, when only 830,000 people were selling products on the platform. 

Almost half of all Etsy sellers create home & living goods or arts and collectibles

There is tough competition in the home and living category, with 25% of all Etsy sellers having listings in this category. Art and collectibles also dominate the site, with 21% of sellers competing here. 

Sellers in the electronics and pet supplies categories stand out from the crowd, with just 1% of all Etsy stores with products listed in this space.

Side hustles aren’t the only way to grow your earnings

While side hustles might be a great way to earn some extra money if you’ve got the time, investments could help you do it while you sleep. We’ll help you compare the best investment opportunities for your financial situation, meaning your earnings could increase without you having to lift a finger. 

Methodology

Etsy.com has been used to gather data on 100 of the most populated cities worldwide, for the number of listings in each category, per city. 

[1] The projected earnings of each city has been worked out from an estimated $15 average per item which is the average base of an online order according to Shopify. This number was then multiplied by the overall number of listings in each city. 

Additional data on the increase in number of Etsy stores, and the overall number of sellers in each category was gathered from Statista.