Massachusetts has a guaranteed hourly floor for rideshare drivers, more universities and teaching hospitals per square mile than anywhere, a tutoring market priced like a college town, and a summer on the Cape. Here are nine side hustles that pay in 2026.
1. Local Friend: show visitors Boston, at your rate#
Visitors walk the Freedom Trail behind a guide in a tricorn hat and leave. A Local Friend shows them the city the way a friend would, by the hour: the North End and the cannoli argument, Cambridge and the universities, the South End's brownstones, the harbour islands, a Red Sox game at Fenway, Salem in October. You set your rate (commonly $30 to $50), Roavi lists you free and takes no commission. Boston has only a couple of Local Friends listed. No licence is needed. How it works in the US.
2. Rideshare at the settlement floor#
A 2024 settlement between the state and the rideshare companies guarantees drivers an hourly floor for engaged time, well above what the apps pay in most states. Logan airport and the universities' move-in and graduation weeks are busiest.
3. Tutoring#
Boston and its suburbs are priced like the college town they are: test prep, math, science, writing and college essays at $40 to $90 an hour.
4. Paid research studies#
Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Tufts and the teaching hospitals pay volunteers for surveys, sleep and nutrition studies, imaging studies and clinical trials, $25 to $150 a session, more for multi-visit studies. Read the consent form; you can withdraw any time.
5. Delivery#
$15 to $22 an hour after costs, by bike in the dense parts of Boston and Cambridge.
6. Pet sitting#
$40 to $75 a night, $20 to $30 a walk.
7. Stadium and arena staffing#
Fenway Park, TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, the concert season. $18 to $28 an hour.
8. Interpreting#
Massachusetts has large Brazilian and Portuguese, Spanish-speaking and Haitian communities. Medical and legal interpreting pays $25 to $55 an hour, more with certification.
9. Cape and Islands co-hosting#
Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket rent by the week all summer; managing listings pays 10 to 20 percent of bookings. Massachusetts requires short-term rentals to register; check the town's rules too.
What makes Massachusetts different#
The universities and hospitals, which make tutoring and research studies real income. The rideshare floor. And a flat 5 percent state income tax on top of federal and self-employment tax; set aside 25 to 30 percent.
Live in Massachusetts? Show visitors Boston at your rate.
Become a Local FriendDown the coast: New York and New Jersey. En español: cómo ganar dinero extra en Massachusetts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best side hustle in Massachusetts?
Tutoring and paid research studies, because Boston and Cambridge have more universities and teaching hospitals per square mile than anywhere. Rideshare, because a 2024 settlement with the state guarantees drivers an hourly floor for engaged time. And Local Friend for the city's visitors, at a rate you set.How much can you make with a side hustle in Massachusetts?
After costs, typical 2026 ranges: rideshare at or above the state floor for engaged time, about $22 to $32 an hour; delivery $15 to $22; tutoring $40 to $90; paid research studies $25 to $150 a session; pet sitting $40 to $75 a night; stadium staffing $18 to $28; interpreting $25 to $55; co-hosting 10 to 20 percent; Local Friend at the rate you set, commonly $30 to $50.How are side hustles taxed in Massachusetts?
A flat 5 percent state income tax (with a surtax only on income over a million dollars), on top of federal income and self-employment tax. Set aside about 25 to 30 percent and pay quarterly.What is a Local Friend and how does it work in Boston?
Someone who lives in Boston and shows visitors it by the hour: the Freedom Trail without the costume, the North End's cannoli argument, Cambridge and the universities, the harbour islands, a Red Sox game at Fenway, Salem in October. You set your rate, Roavi lists you free and takes no commission. Boston has only a couple of Local Friends listed. No licence is needed.