How many people have income beyond a paycheck?
| 35% | Adults with interest, dividends or rental income in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| 55% | Adults with any non labor income (including Social Security and pensions) in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| 66% | Adults with wages, salary or self employment income in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| 13% | Adults who made money selling things in the gig or resale sectors in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 9% | Adults who earned money doing short term tasks like rides, deliveries or odd jobs.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 5.5% | Share of employed Americans holding more than one job, September 2026 (about 9.0 million people).Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-16 |
How steady is income?
| 34% | Non retirees who said their income varied from month to month in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| 56% | Self employed workers whose income varied month to month, versus 26% of people who work for someone else.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| 14% | Adults who started a new job in the prior year; 9% quit one.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
How are households doing?
| 73% | Adults doing at least okay financially in 2024, down from 78% in 2021.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 63% | Adults who would cover a $400 emergency with cash or its equivalent.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 51% | Adults who spent less than their income in the month before the survey.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 35% | Non retirees who think their retirement savings plan is on track.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 59% | Peak share of adults with three months of emergency savings, reached in 2021.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report |
| $1,200 | Median monthly rent reported by renters in 2024.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
| 21% | Adults who experienced financial fraud or a scam.Source: Federal Reserve SHED 2024 |
Results vary, trading has risk.
What % of Americans have passive income?
In 2024, 35% of US adults had interest, dividends or rental income, according to the Federal Reserve SHED survey.
How many people have a side hustle?
In 2024, 13% of adults made money selling things in gig or resale work and 9% did short term tasks, per the Fed. The BLS counts 5.5% of workers holding more than one job.
Is self employment income steady?
Often not. The Fed found 56% of self employed workers had income that varied month to month, versus 26% of employees.
Can most people cover a $400 emergency?
63% of adults said they would cover it with cash or its equivalent in 2024.
Where do these numbers come from?
The Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each stat links to its source.
Want to build a stream of your own? Work out how many you need with the passive income goal calculator, or see how you can let AI trade for you. Results vary, trading has risk.
Sources
- Federal Reserve SHED 2024 full report
- Federal Reserve SHED 2024
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-16
Last updated October 2026. Every number on this page comes from the linked source.