Jobs
The 150 Apps that Power the Gig Economy
Here are 150 Apps that Power the Gig Economy
Go back in time a decade, and you’d have a tough time convincing anyone that they would be “employed” through an app on their phone.
And yet, in a short period of time, the emergence of the smartphone has enabled the gig economy to flourish into a multi-trillion dollar global market. And by leveraging apps like Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy, it’s estimated that 57 million people in the U.S. now participate in the gig economy each year in some shape or form.
What apps do these people use to turn their time, skills, hobbies, or assets (cars, home, parking spaces, etc.) into additional income streams?
App Examples
Today’s infographic comes to us from TitleMax, and it lists 150 different apps that are used within the gig economy – including many that pay gig workers directly.
Here are just some of the apps that are used in some of the major categories above:
Ridesharing
Uber and Lyft are what many think of when they hear about the gig economy. However, there are now dozens of rideshare apps out there to fill different niches – for example, Wingz offers flat-fee rides to the airport, while Curb connects riders with professional taxi drivers.
Errands
TaskRabbit, which was bought by IKEA, turns errands such as assembling furniture or cleaning a gutter into payable gigs. Meanwhile, apps like Dolly and Bellhops will connect you with movers, and LawnLove is for lawn care.
Art, Design, and Crafting
Etsy, a marketplace for handmade goods, is one the of the best known brands in this category. However, there are many other niche options here as well – for example, UncommonGoods specializes in unique gifts, while Society6 focuses on gallery quality art prints.
Writing and Editing
Lulu and Kindle Direct allow you to publish eBooks online and sell them, while proofreaders and editors can get paid for their copy editing services through Gramlee.
Delivery
Fast and efficient delivery services are a centerpiece to the gig economy, and there are no shortage of options here. DoorDash, UberEats, Caviar, and GrubHub allow users to get food delivered to their doors, while apps like Instacart focus on grocery delivery.
Multimedia
We all know that you can create videos and monetize them on places like YouTube or Twitch, but did you know you can be a voice actor through services like VoiceBunny? You can also sell rights to your photos via Foap, or do freelancing work through Upwork or Fiverr.
Whether you are tapping into the gig economy for an extra income stream or you are incorporating gig economy services into your life for added convenience, there is no shortage of options to choose from.
Misc
Ranked: Most Popular U.S. Undergraduate Degrees (2011–2021)
Which degrees have increased in popularity over the last decade? And which disciplines have seen fewer and fewer students?

Ranked: Most Popular U.S. Undergraduate Degrees (2011–2021)
In an era of soaring tuition fees and mounting student debt, choosing which undergraduate degree to pursue has become a crucial decision for any aspiring college student. And it always helps to see which way the winds are blowing.
This visualization by Kashish Rastogi, based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), examines the changing landscape of undergraduate degrees awarded between the 2010–2011 and 2020–2021 academic years.
Undergraduate Degrees Growing in Popularity
The NCES classifies all four-year bachelor degrees into 38 fields of study. Of these fields, 21 saw an increase in graduates in 2020–2021 compared to 2010–2011.
While only those with more than 30,000 graduates have been shown in the graphic (to prevent overrepresentation of large changes in small pools of graduates), the full list is available below.
Rank | Field of Study | 2010–2011 | 2020–2021 | % Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Business | 363,919 | 390,781 | +7% |
2 | Health Professions | 143,463 | 268,018 | +87% |
3 | Biomedical Sciences | 89,984 | 131,499 | +46% |
4 | Psychology | 100,906 | 126,944 | +26% |
5 | Engineering | 76,356 | 126,037 | +65% |
6 | Computer Sciences | 43,066 | 104,874 | +144% |
7 | Communication | 83,231 | 90,775 | +9% |
8 | Security & Law Enforcement | 47,600 | 58,009 | +22% |
9 | Interdisciplinary Studies | 42,473 | 54,584 | +29% |
10 | Leisure & Fitness Studies | 35,934 | 54,294 | +51% |
11 | Public Administration | 26,799 | 34,817 | +30% |
12 | Physical Sciences | 24,338 | 28,706 | +18% |
13 | Mathematics | 17,182 | 27,092 | +58% |
14 | Agriculture Sciences | 15,851 | 21,418 | +35% |
15 | Natural Resources & Conservation | 12,779 | 20,507 | +61% |
16 | Engineering Technologies | 16,187 | 18,562 | +15% |
17 | Transportation | 4,941 | 5,993 | +21% |
18 | Legal | 4,429 | 4,589 | +4% |
19 | Military Technologies | 64 | 1,524 | +2,281% |
20 | Science Technologies | 367 | 532 | +45% |
21 | Library Science | 96 | 119 | +24% |
Let’s take a look at the areas of study that were most popular, as well as some of the fastest growing fields:
Computer and Information Sciences
Bachelor’s degrees in this discipline have grown by 144% since 2010–2011, with over 100,000 graduates in 2020–2021. The allure of the tech sector’s explosive growth likely contributed to its popularity among students.
Health Professions
Undergraduate degrees in health professions saw an 87% increase, attracting nearly 260,000 graduates in 2020–2021. This field accounted for 13% of the total graduating class, reflecting the growing appeal of the healthcare sector.
Engineering
There were 50,000 more engineering graduates in the U.S. in 2021, up 65% from 2011. With a median income over $100,000 per year, engineering graduates can usually rely on good wages as well as versatility in future careers, capable of finding jobs in tech, design, and communication fields, and of course, becoming future entrepreneurs.
Biomedical Sciences
University graduates in this field, which focuses on the integration of the study of biology with health and medicine, grew by 46%. A subset of this category—epidemiology—has been in the limelight recently thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business
While this category recorded a modest 7% growth in graduates, its popularity has been indisputable in the last decade, representing the largest proportion of the graduating class in both 2011 and 2021.
Fields with Declining University Graduates (2011‒2021)
Meanwhile, 17 areas of study experienced declines in the number of completed university degrees. We explore some of the notable ones below:
Rank | Field of Study | 2010–2011 | 2020–2021 | % Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Social Sciences | 142,161 | 137,908 | -3% |
2 | Visual & Performing Arts | 93,939 | 90,022 | -4% |
3 | Education | 104,008 | 89,398 | -14% |
4 | Liberal Arts | 46,717 | 41,909 | -10% |
5 | English | 52,754 | 35,762 | -32% |
6 | History | 35,008 | 22,919 | -35% |
7 | Human Sciences | 22,438 | 22,319 | -1% |
8 | Foreign Languages | 21,705 | 15,518 | -29% |
9 | Philosophy & Religion | 12,830 | 11,988 | -7% |
10 | Architecture | 9,831 | 9,296 | -5% |
11 | Ethnic, Cultural & Gender Studies | 8,955 | 7,374 | -18% |
12 | Theology | 9,073 | 6,737 | -26% |
13 | Communications Tech | 4,858 | 4,557 | -6% |
14 | Personal & Culinary Services | 1,214 | 594 | -51% |
15 | Construction Trades | 328 | 221 | -33% |
16 | Mechanic & Repair | 226 | 221 | -2% |
17 | Precision Production | 43 | 28 | -35% |
English
Popular in the 1970s, the English undergraduate degree has gone through peaks (80s and 90s) and troughs (2000s and 10s) of popularity in the last 50 years. Between 2010–2011 and 2020–2021, the number of students with an English degree has fallen by a third.
The state of English’s woes are even making its way to pop culture, like in Netflix’s The Chair, which follows the head of a struggling English department at a major university.
Education
The existing teacher shortage in the United States does not seem to be getting fixed by a burgeoning supply of new grads. In fact, the number of university graduates in Education fell 14% between 2011 and 2021. With concerns around stagnant wages, burnout, and little to no support for supplies, many teachers are seeing an already demanding job becoming harder.
Liberal Arts
In the classic era, the liberal arts covered seven fields of study: rhetoric, grammar, logic, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, and music. Now, liberal art degrees include several other subjects: history, political science, and even philosophy—but students are meant to primarily walk away with critical thinking skills.
The modern world rewards specialization however, and a wider-scope liberal arts degree is seeing fewer takers, with a 10% drop in graduating students.
Where Does This Data Come From?
Source: The National Center for Education’s statistics from their Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System surveys. Numbers for both 2010–2011 and 2020–2021 academic years can be found from their summary tables by changing the award level code (bachelor degrees) and the year on the left-hand toolbar.
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