53% of U.S. workers depend on side income, Resume Genius survey finds
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — A new report finds that a majority of full-time U.S. workers can no longer subsist on a single paycheck, earning money from side hustles. The data underscores a fundamental shift away from the traditional single-income model as financial comfort becomes increasingly elusive.
The 2025 Modern Paycheck Report from Resume Genius, based on a survey of 1,000 full-time employees, details rising housing costs and stagnant savings, forcing a majority to rely on side incomes.
Rise of the side hustle economy
The traditional single-income model is disappearing, replaced by the need for multiple sources of revenue. According to the survey, 53% of full-time employees now earn income from sources other than their main employment, demonstrating that a base salary is no longer adequate for many.
Such additional income sources vary in type, covering investments (23%), the gig economy (21%), freelance projects (17%), and social media content development (13%).
This is a tendency that younger generations have embraced more, due to the growth of the entrepreneurial and the gig-based working environment. Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to get their full-time employment as their sole source of income (33% and 42%, respectively) than 58% of Gen X and 71% of Boomers.
It is worth noting that 15% of Gen Z and 10%. Millennials say they are producing adult content on subscription sites, underscoring the lengths to which younger employees are willing to go to augment their income in a highly competitive economy.
Housing affordability crisis
A majority of full-time workers report spending 30% or more of their pay on housing, exceeding the recommended affordability level.
Twelve percent of workers are in extreme stress zones, as they allocate more than half of their total salary to rent or mortgage payments, leaving them with very little to purchase other essential goods or save.
The generational imbalance in the burden means that Millennials face the greatest cost pressures. There are also unbelievable numbers: among millennials, 80% allocate over a fifth of their wages to housing, compared with 72% of Gen Z, 67% of Gen X, and 67% of Boomers.
This data indicates that younger individuals in their most productive years of career building are highly affected and deprived of the chance to acquire wealth and achieve long-term financial security.
New threshold for financial comfort
The idea of comfortable living has changed radically, as a 6-figure salary has become the minimum required to feel financially secure for a considerable share of the labor force. A third (33%) of all workers affirmed that living comfortably in today’s economy requires over $100,000 a year.
This feeling is most acute in expensive areas, as almost half (45%) of workers in the Western United States believe they require a six-figure income.
Geographical differences also highlight how perceptions of finances are shaped by geography. Whereas 76% of the Western employees require up to $60,000 to be comfortable, in the South, the percentage is 65%.
The northernmost workers at the very top of the scale believe they require $200,000 or more, compared with only 3% in the Midwest. This has redefined the comfort threshold as an indication of the deep influence of local living costs on the American dream.
“Even as workers adapt to the new economic reality, that shift is slowly taking shape: steady work no longer guarantees financial peace of mind when Americans are struggling to cover essentials, save money, and keep up with rising expenses,” the report concludes.
This normalization of the side hustle as a financial necessity for the majority signals a profound fraying of the traditional employment compact, portending a future in which a single career is no longer a viable path to economic stability for the American workforce.
