15+ Side Hustles for People Living in Rural Areas or Small Towns

Many rural Americans face economic challenges.^[1] A side hustle can help, but many articles on side hustles cater mainly to city dwellers. Our guide focuses on opportunities for people living in rural areas and includes unique options not found in cities.

We’re breaking this list of side hustle jobs for those in small towns into four categories: Freelancing jobs, labor jobs, gigs you can work from home, and online jobs. Any of these ideas could be a good fit for you!

💡 Freelancing Jobs

Here are some ideas for those wanting to start a freelancing business in a small town or rural area.

1. Be a Local Guide

Many rural areas and small towns are popular getaways for residents from nearby cities. If you know a lot about your small town or rural area, consider becoming a guide for visitors to the area. You can help people plan vacations or day trips in the area, share information about lodging, and direct people to local sightseeing destinations. You can give ideas for sports and leisure activities and direct visitors to the best local dining opportunities. Advertise your local guide services and pricing on social media sites such as Facebook.

2. Retail Arbitrage

Retail arbitrage is the practice of buying something at a low price and then selling it for a profit. Garage sales and “curb alerts” – discarded items left by the road – are common sights in rural areas and small towns. Small town and rural residents don’t seem as concerned with making a buck as they are with decluttering their homes and farms.

If you know what items are worth and you’re willing to put some effort into cleaning them up, you can find some great deals on household and farming items and much more. Reselling them at a reasonable price can generate significant money. This is particularly true in areas where old homes harbor stocks of “junk” that can include valuable antiques!

3. Rideshare Driver or Grocery Deliverer

Small town and rural area residents need rideshare and delivery services just like everybody else. Sometimes the need is even greater than it is in the cities: many rural areas have limited public transportation, and residents without cars may need help to get essential goods and services. Whether it’s a drive to a bigger town to get groceries or a ride to a big city airport, you can sign up with companies like Lyft to help fill that need. You can also sign up with a service like Instacart or Shipt and deliver groceries to local residents.

4. Take Up Local Photography

Rural areas and small towns make for great settings for photographs. If you’ve got a good camera – or a phone with a decent camera – why not try your hand at photography?

Make passive income renting unused space. Turn your garage, shed, driveway, attic, closet, or any storage space into cash. List Your Space →

⛏ Labor Jobs

Many small towns and rural areas have serious labor shortages as younger residents leave to look for opportunities in the cities. Older residents and residents who don’t have the physical ability to perform labor jobs on their own often need help in several areas.

While numerous of these may appear to be side hustles for men exclusively – due to their physical demands, there remains a substantial variety of options available that are equally suitable and rewarding for women.

Here are some possibilities.

5. Farm Hand Help

Farm owners often look for farmhands to help complete farm chores. As a farm hand, you might find yourself feeding livestock, cleaning up barns or shoveling manure. It’s not an easy job, but you’ll be enjoying nature, working with animals, and building your physical fitness.

6. Snow Plowing

Rural homes often have long driveways, and if you have a truck and a plow, you can make serious money in winter weather by plowing driveways and private roads. Advertise on Craigslist or similar sites, via hand-delivered flyers or by word of mouth.

7. Pet Care

Just like city folks, rural residents often need help with pet care, whether it be farm animals or indoor pets. Advertise your services on Craigslist or Facebook for pet care for rural residents who simply need daily help walking or caring for pets and who are going on vacation or a business trip. You can also try specialized sites like Rover or Wag!, although the demand might be limited in your area.

📘 Dog Sitting With Rover: How I Make $1000 a Month (and How You Can Too)

8. House/Garage/Pole Barn Cleaning/Organization

Are you good at cleaning or organizing rooms, homes, and/or outbuildings? Small town residents like help with cleaning and organization, just like city residents.

🤔 Cleaning or organizing homes on large lots and with extra outbuildings can rake in some serious cash.

9. Yard Work

Residents with smaller town lots and larger rural lots often look for help with yard work like mowing lawns and raking leaves. Advertise your services via local newspapers, personally delivered flyers or mail postcards.

10. Painting Jobs

Lots of rural and small town residents need painting services. Painting doesn’t take a lot of training other than the need to be detailed and neat. You could offer your services to paint items such as mailboxes, propane tanks, houses, garages, barns, wood fences, and other items.

Make sure you prepare the painted surface properly and use the right type of paint for the job. Find instructions on how to properly paint surfaces on YouTube or on home improvement websites. Practice around your own house first until you’re comfortable offering your skills to others.

💡 Advertise your services by handing out flyers or by visiting residents that look like they might benefit from your painting services.

🏠 Gigs You Can Work From Home

Are you looking for some side hustle income you can earn right from your own home? Try out these ideas.

11. Selling Home-Grown Veggies

People love buying local produce – especially if it’s organic. If you like gardening and have access to some land, as many rural residents do, raising high-value crops can earn you some money. Try your hand at selling vegetables and herbs at the end of your driveway, at the local farmer’s market, or in a local park or business parking lot.

Some ideas for veggies and herbs that sell well in this manner include:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Corn
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Green onions

Many of these veggies and herbs can be grown with minimal space using pots and shelves.

12. Raising/Selling Chickens and Eggs

Most small towns and rural areas allow residents to keep chickens. If you’re up for the work, you can raise chickens and sell eggs or keep a rooster in your bunch and sell chicks. Advertise in local papers and on local buy/sell sites like Craigslist.

💡 Find some additional income in this area by making and selling chicken coops. Chicken coops can be easy to make with a little practice.

13. Selling Farm-Themed Crafts

Farm-themed crafts seem to always be in vogue. I have one friend who is so backed up with orders for her farm-themed crafts that she’s got work for the next six months. 

Some ideas for farm-themed crafts include hanging signs, serving trays, picture frames, and ladder racks. Or you could refurbish old furniture to have a weathered or farm look.

💻 Online Jobs

And there are always online jobs to do from home, too, no matter if you live in a rural area, a small town, or a big city. Would any of these ideas work for you?

14. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant helps business owners and blog/website owners manage their business life. Virtual assistants do many types of work, for example:

• Managing and posting on social media accounts
• Data entry
• Proofreading
• Coordinating appointments
• Handling customer service calls
• Writing newsletters
• Managing staff

Each virtual assistant job comes with different responsibilities. You can work as a virtual assistant for a company that allows you to work from home and hires you as an employee, or you can run your own virtual assistant business. Find work on job sites such as Upwork or Indeed.

If you’re looking for work as a virtual assistant, stay alert for scams. Never use your personal bank account for professional services or agree to deposit checks and send money anywhere. Don’t upload personal identifying information. Read up on common scams targeting virtual assistants.

15. Data Entry or Transcription Work

Another way to make money online from your rural area home is to do data entry or transcription work. Data entry workers simply enter information into a computer program.

General transcriptionists transcribe audio text onto a computer document. General transcriptionists and data entry workers typically don’t need training. However, having fast and accurate typing skills does help.

If you want to earn a higher wage, you can train to be a medical or legal transcriptionist. Search online for “data entry jobs from home” or “transcription jobs from home” to find available openings.

💡 Data entry and transcription could be excellent side hustles for introverts as they demand minimal direct interaction with other people.

16. Tutoring

Tutoring is another side hustle you can do from home. Some tutoring companies require a teaching or other degree, while others do not.

You can teach English as a second language or teach other subjects such as math or science. And you can teach students of any age, from Kindergarten up through adults. Some companies that hire tutors to work online from home include:

• VIPKid
• Course Hero
• Tutor.com

See individual tutoring websites for requirements and available openings.

📘 Interested in teaching English with VIPKid? Teacher Michael shares everything you need to know to start teaching English online: Teaching English With VIPKid: How to Earn Full Time Pay Without Ever Changing Out of Your PJ’s

Summary

There are dozens of possibilities for side hustles and gig jobs for people living in small towns and rural areas. Find the side hustle that’s right for you by making a list of your talents and interests.

Then take that list and decipher how you can use your talents and interests to help others and earn money in the process.