Middle Class Masters Side Hustle, Now Experts in Holding Two Jobs Just to Pay Rent
KEY POINTS
- •The Richmond Federal Reserve found that by 2024 more than half of multiple jobholders have college degrees, a jump from 35% in the 1990s.
- •Middle-income Americans now lead multiple jobholding, surpassing lower earners, while women aged 20-24 increasingly hold several jobs.
- •Bankrate data shows side hustles climbed from 19% in 2017 to 27% in 2025, as job risks and AI layoffs shake the labor market.
According to a Richmond Fed study and Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2024 a shocking 50%+ of multiple jobholders proudly sport college degrees—up from 35% in the 1990s—because stable one-job millionaires are so last decade. Middle-income earners now surpass the lower wage hustle heroes in side gigs; women aged 20-24 lead the charge, flexing their multiple job-holding muscles even amid recent layoffs blamed mysteriously on AI. The Bankrate survey shows Americans tackling side hustles rose from 19% in 2017 to 27% in 2025, because apparently paying rent with one nine-to-five is now heroic gameplay. And as jobs vanish, marketing risk-versus-pay surveys reveal—surprise!—workers prefer income assurance, so juggling career flaming pins feels like a solid life strategy.
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(1 of 3)When middle-income college grads start side hustling more than low earners, the American Dream quietly resigns and files for gig economy bankruptcy.
Breaking: college-educated women aged 20-24 discover thrilling new workout called 'holding two jobs to pay for avocado toast.'
Middle class finally caught up with low earners in having to hustle multiple gigs—2024's plot twist no one wanted.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 9/9/2026 | Author: Juliana Kaplan
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