12 Passive Income Ideas to Start in The USA

Many passive income ideas that can thrive in The United States. The US is one of the most connected countries globally (source), making it a great place to start up a passive income idea since a large majority of them require a good internet connection.

How can I make passive income in the US? Some excellent passive income ideas that can be done in the USA include blogging, podcasting, monetizing chatbots, eCommerce, monetized niche sites, dropshipping, print-on-demand, and more. You can also engage in side-hustles like food delivery apps, or peer-to-peer rentals. It all depends on what you are able to do and passionate about. 

In this post, we cover twelve passive income ideas you can start in the USA to make money. Most of these ideas are easy to start and run, but they require patience, dedication, and hard work in order to earn you passive income. Be sure to click on the orange button to view a comprehensive beginner’s guide about each idea. Let’s get started. 

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1. Blogging

Blogging has become a popular way of earning passive income online. Blogging is a billion-dollar industry and the number of US bloggers is expected to surpass 31 million in 2020 (source). You can start a blog about topics you are knowledgeable or passionate about.  Once you attract an audience and traffic to your site, you can monetize it (through Google Ads, selling digital products etc.) in order to earn a passive income. 

With the right strategies like the ones taught in Income School’s Project 24 by Jim and Ricky, you can earn over $1,000/month with a well-monetized blog. For more information about blogging as a viable passive income idea, check out our blogging for passive income guide.  

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2. Chatbots

Increased usage of AI in business communications led to an increase in the popularity of chatbots. Forbes indicates that 62% of US consumers prefer using chatbots to interact with businesses since they save time and provide immediate answers. Chatbots can be big business in the US if you know how to use them wisely.

You can earn passive income by creating and selling Chatbots to businesses, giving your bot away for free and earning commissions on sales and leads, or by using your bot for affiliate marketing. You need to identify an industry that you are interested in and can benefit from the technology, create a bot based on their needs, and choose ways of monetizing it to earn passive income.

Creating bots is easy and requires minimal supervision once they are up and running. However, it requires patience to drive traffic to your bot and attract advertisers and businesses. With the right content, a sound audience, and a popular industry, you can earn excellent passive income with a well monetized bot. For more information about making money with chatbots, feel free to view our chatbot passive income guide. 

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3. eCommerce

eCommerce is one of the most lucrative passive income ideas both in the US and around the world. Online retail sales in the US for physical goods amounted to over $350 million in 2019 and is expected to reach just under $600 million by 2023 (source).  Moreover, the US is home to some of the largest eCommerce companies like Amazon and eBay. 

eCommerce is hence a great way to make money online, but it’s key to make sure that it is setup to be passive if that is what you would like. There are many ways of earning passive income from eCommerce including selling your own products, selling products you don’t physically stock, affiliate marketing, dropshipping, print-on-demand, and selling digital products. With the right strategies and execution, most of these passive income eCommerce ideas can earn you over $1,000/month in passive income. For more information about eCommerce as an excellent passive income idea, see our detailed eCommerce guide. 

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4. YouTube

YouTube has become a popular content sharing platform and many people are earning thousands of dollars a month from monetized channels. In the US, YouTubing is a lucrative way of earning passive income. According to statistica, the top 6 YouTube earners in 2019 were all Americans, with the highest earner – 9-year-old Ryan Kanji – making over $25 million dollars!

As long as you have information (either educational or entertainment) you can share and the ability to attract an audience, you can start a YouTube channel, monetize it, and earn passive income. Achieving monetization status is the most difficult part, which requires patience and dedication to your audience. With the right content, a growing audience, and proven strategies (like the ones taught in Project 24), you can earn over $1,000/month with a monetized channel. For detailed information about YouTube as a passive income source, check out our detailed YouTube passive income guide. 

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5. Podcasting

Podcasting is a popular way of sharing information that has grown tremendously in the US. In 2018, there were 75 million podcast listeners in the US and the number of monthly listeners is expected to hit 164 million by 2024 (source) – making the US the largest podcast market on the globe. With excellent content and a sound following, podcasting can be a lucrative passive income idea.  

Recording podcasts is easy if you have a smartphone, and requires minimal intervention once it is published. The hardest part is creating popular content and driving traffic to your podcasts. However, with the right strategies like those taught in Project 24 you can create a popular podcasting business and earn a decent passive income. For more information about podcasting as a lucrative passive income idea, check out our podcasting guide. 

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6. Creating Niche Sites

Niche sites are like blogs but focus on very specific topics and appeal to particular audiences. Like a regular blog, a niche site can be an excellent way of earning passive income. You need to identify a specific niche, create quality content by answering popular search queries about the niche, drive traffic to your site, and monetize it to earn income.

Ricky and Jim from Income School share actionable strategies to create profitable monetized niche sites and blogs in their course Project 24 course. Using their strategies, you can earn excellent passive income with a monetized niche site. You can learn more about earning passive income through niche websites by checking out our comprehensive beginner’s guide to creating niche sites. 

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7. Dropshipping

Dropshipping products online has become a popular way of earning passive income. In 2018, the drop shipping market size was valued at USD 102.2 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of 28.8% from 2019 to 2025 (source). The US is one of the largest and most popular markets for dropshipping. Many dropshippers sell a few high-ticket items or hundreds of low-ticket items. 

The amount of income you can earn from dropshipping depends on the items you choose to dropship, the available market for your products, profit margins and expenses incurred. However, dropshipping is not a very easy idea and it requires a lot of research, knowledge, and skills. You can learn more about dropshipping and ways of earning a decent passive income from it by viewing our ultimate dropshipping for passive income guide. 

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8. Print on Demand

The custom T-shirt printing market is expected to grow to about $10 Billion by 2025 (source). Print on demand is a good way for beginners and artists to make money from their own designs. You make income by selling printed designs of your work to different online buyers. Once a buyer purchases your product, the company fulfils the order on your behalf. It allows you to make money without ever having to touch the stock.

Online platforms like Shopify, eBay and Amazon are a few eCommerce platforms where you can sell to active buyers. You can choose to create your own designs or have them made for you. Platforms including Ecwid allow you to sell your prints through some of the different social media platforms including Facebook, and Instagram. For more information on making passive income with print on demand check out our detailed guide. 

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9. Selling eBooks

In 2017, close to 266 million eBooks were sold in the US alone (source). The growing popularity of eBooks is mostly because of the growing number of publishers who are looking to publish their books digitally (source). 

You can make an income by creating eBooks and then selling them to online customers. Choosing the correct niche can help you find ready buyers for your content. Identifying your target market is very important when you decide to take part in this passive income stream; your topics should also be interesting enough to attract people to buy your book. Check out this guide for more information on how you can make passive income from eBooks.

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10. Charging Scooters

Electric scooters have become popular means of micro-mobility in major US cities. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Americans took over 84 million trips on Shared Micro-mobility in the US in 2018 – more than double the number of trips taken in 2017. It is therefore clear that electric scooters are a big deal in America.

You can earn a decent income by charging electric scooters in your area. Depending on the number of scooters you charge and the price, charging scooters can be a lucrative income idea. Companies like Lime and Bird pay between $3 and $20 for every scooter you charge. All you need to do is pick a couple of scooters at night, charge them, deliver them back, and get paid. Of course, this is less passive than other ideas we discussed in this article, but if you get the scooters on your way to and from work, it can be fairly easy money. For more information about charging scooters as a way to make money, feel free to see our guide. 

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11. Food Delivery Apps

According to statistica, 10% of Americans use food delivery services once a week and 52% order food for delivery over lunchtime. You can earn income through food delivery apps like UberEats, Deliveroo, and DoorDash – all available in the US. Depending on the number of deliveries you make, your customer’s location and other factors like tips, food delivery services can help you earn $500/week or more.

All you need is to identify the service in your area, sign up, ace the test, make deliveries, and make money. Like charging scooters, food delivery is more of an active income idea because you are involved in the delivery process. However, you can do it as a highly flexible side hustle during your free time or over the weekend. For more about food delivery apps, check out our guide. Want even more passive income ideas? Check out this article on our site.

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12. Pet/House-Sitting Services

In 2019, there were over 150 million pet cats and dogs in the US alone (source). You can earn passive income by offering pet or house-sitting services. According to Rover, sitters can make up to $1,000/month, and those offering overnight pet sitting services can make up to twice as much. On average, pet sitters make between $30 to $80 per day when offering doggy daycare.

Pet sitting services are fairly easy and include tasks like cleaning, feeding, and walking pets, administering medication, and other tasks requested by the owner. House sitting tasks include simple house chores like cleaning, tending to plants, handling deliveries, ensuring security etc. Some popular platforms for pet and house sitting services available in the US include Rover, Petsitter, Petsitting.com, and Petsit.com. You can learn more about pet and house sitting services as a passive income idea in our guide. 

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Related Questions

Are all passive income ideas online? Many, but not all passive income ideas can be carried out online. For example, passive income businesses such as laundromats, self-service storages, self-service stores, car washes, arcade games and more do not need to be carried out online to be successfully passive income sources.

How do I generate passive income? You can generate passive income in a variety of ways, including but not limited to blogging, podcasting, monetizing chatbots, eCommerce, monetized niche sites, dropshipping, print-on-demand, and more. The choice depends on what you are able to do and are passionate about. 

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