How Creators (Professional and Otherwise) Are Making Money in the Creator Economy

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Non-professional content creators — those who engage in creative activities as a hobby or a “side hustle,” in contrast to full-time creators — are not only making money from their endeavors, but they are earning at least six times the US minimum wage ($7.25 per hour).

What’s more, this is applicable regardless of the job, from graphic design to app and website development.

These findings are revealed in the latest release of Adobe’s “Future of Creativity“ survey of 9,000 online creators quizzed on how they are monetizing their content.

Per the report, four in 10 monetizers are making more money now than they were two years ago. And of those, eight in 10 anticipate earning even more in the next two years.

More than half of non-professional creators in the US are now monetizing their work. Globally, Brazil is in the lead, with 59% of creators saying they are able to monetize their work, followed by the US with 53%, and Germany, South Korea and the UK with 51%.

Remarkably, over three-quarters of the sample (77%) only started to earn in the past year, but 48% already  say content revenues represent more than half their monthly income.

The US, Brazil, Spain and UK are expected to see the highest levels of earning potential growth in the next two years.

The budding creator economy is attracting the attention of Gen Z, with half of 16-18 year-olds saying they would prefer to start their own creative businesses rather than attend college. They spy growth opportunities in gaming, photography and social media.

Gen Z monetizers are also earning higher hourly rates despite spending similar amounts of time on creative activities, averaging $58 per hour for 11 hours of work per week, whereas other monetizers average $51 per hour in earnings for the same amount of work.

There still remains a gender and racially defined pay gap. The report found that on average, monetizer men earn $55 per hour compared to $44 per hour for monetizer women, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) monetizers earn an average of $49 per hour, compared to an average of $62 per hour earned by Caucasians.

Across the board, creators are optimistic about the metaverse as a boon to their business: 68% of creators now expect the metaverse will bring new job opportunities as it continues to grow.