The numbers behind earning more in 2026.
Every quarter we anonymise data from Hustle Report members and publish what we learn about side hustle income, salary gaps and where money actually goes. Free to read, free to cite, full methodology in plain English.
1,247
Members in the latest sample
38
Countries covered
£412
Median added monthly income
78%
Of audited members had cancellable subs
The latest edition
£412/mo
Median added income, day 90
27d
First paid client
6.4h
Weekly hours invested
State of Remote Side Hustles 2026
An anonymised sample of 1,247 Hustle Report members across the UK, US, EU, Australia and Canada. Median added monthly income, top earning skills, hours per week, time to first paid client, and the five archetypes that scale fastest.
- Median time to first paid client: 27 days
- Median weekly hours invested: 6.4
- Top earning skill in the sample: software engineering at £1,180/mo
Four series we publish on a calendar
Each track follows a single question across time, so you can see the trend, not just a snapshot.
Side Hustle Income Index
Median added monthly income by skill, region and weekly hours invested.
Cadence · Quarterly
Salary Gap Atlas
Self reported salaries vs market for 40+ roles across 25 cities. Where you are underpaid by postcode.
Cadence · Quarterly
Subscription Leak Monitor
Anonymised statement scans: which subscriptions are most often cancelled, how much the median household recovers in week one.
Cadence · Bi-annual
Skill-to-Rate Uplift
Which courses, certs and self-taught skills produced the biggest jump in hourly rate within 90 days.
Cadence · Annual
Numbers you can quote without footnotes.
Verified, not vibes
Income figures are cross-checked against connected bank statements where available. Self-reported figures are flagged.
Opt-in only
Members choose whether their anonymised data is included. Anyone can revoke from their dashboard at any time.
Plain English methodology
Every report ships with sample size, exclusions and the questions we asked. No black-box charts.
Free to cite
All reports licensed CC BY 4.0. Journalists, analysts and creators can use the numbers with a link back.
Cite the data. Get the raw cut on request.
All Hustle Report Research is licensed CC BY 4.0. Use the charts and numbers in articles, decks and reports with a link back to the source page. For raw aggregate spreadsheets, custom cuts or interview requests, get in touch.
“The median first paid side hustle client landed at day 27, not three to six months. The slow stories are usually new niches, not skills people already had.”
About the research
- How often does Hustle Report publish new research?
- Quarterly for the flagship Side Hustle Income Index and Salary Gap Atlas. The Subscription Leak Monitor ships every six months. The Skill-to-Rate Uplift report is annual. All reports are free to read and free to cite.
- Where does the data come from?
- Anonymised, opt-in data from active Hustle Report members: CV skill profiles, self-reported income, and (where members have connected one) categorised bank statement summaries. Salary benchmarks also use Adzuna live medians and UK ONS ASHE multipliers.
- Can I cite Hustle Report Research in an article or report?
- Yes. All reports are licensed Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Use the charts and numbers in articles, decks, podcasts or client reports with a link back to the source page.
- How large is the sample?
- The latest edition (April 2026) uses 1,247 members across 38 countries, with 612 members contributing verified bank statement data. Only members with at least four weeks of activity are included.
- Can I get the raw data?
- Journalists, analysts and academic researchers can request the anonymised aggregate spreadsheet by emailing hustlereportuk@gmail.com. No personal data is shared and we do not sell data to third parties.
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