Gen Z Is Skipping College to Become Influencers — A New Study Shows If That Actually Pays
Between rising tuition costs and the dream of making money online, it’s no surprise that more than half of Gen Z say they want to be influencers. Some are even choosing content creation instead of college. But can you actually earn a graduate-level salary through sponsored posts alone?
A new analysis from TollFreeForwarding.com tried to answer that exact question — and the numbers are eye-opening.
The reality check
The average entry-level salary in the U.S. sits at $44,807. To hit that through paid posts alone, a nano influencer (someone with fewer than 10,000 followers) would need to crank out roughly 410 sponsored posts a year — basically more than one paid post every single day.
And in states where starting salaries run higher?
The climb gets even steeper:
- New York: 476.8 posts
- California: 427.1 posts
- Massachusetts & Washington: Around 468 posts each
- Texas: 383.6 posts
By comparison, macro creators (100K–500K followers) would only need 30–36 sponsored posts a year to hit that same income. Mid-tier influencers fall into the 60–70 range.
Influencer vs. Content Creator — What’s the Actual Difference?
People use these terms interchangeably, but they’re not the same job. A content creator makes content — videos, articles, photos, tutorials — regardless of whether it’s sponsored or not. An influencer is someone whose content directly drives purchasing decisions and brand awareness.
Most influencers are content creators, but plenty of content creators never try to “influence” anyone. And the earning potential isn’t the same: creator income often comes from ads, affiliate links, or platform revenue, while influencer income is heavily tied to sponsored posts — which is what this study is measuring.
What the numbers look like
Here’s the breakdown of how many paid posts influencers at different tiers would need annually to match an entry-level salary in each state:
Number of Paid Posts Needed to Match an Entry-Level Salary (Posts per Year)
| State | Avg. Grad Salary | Nano | Micro | Mid-tier | Macro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Average | $44,807 | 409.3 | 145.2 | 67.0 | 31.5 |
| Texas | $41,992 | 383.6 | 136.1 | 62.8 | 29.5 |
| California | $46,757 | 427.1 | 151.5 | 69.9 | 32.8 |
| Massachusetts | $51,224 | 467.9 | 166.0 | 76.6 | 36.0 |
| Washington | $51,266 | 468.3 | 166.1 | 76.7 | 36.0 |
| New York | $52,202 | 476.8 | 169.2 | 78.1 | 36.7 |
Figures represent the estimated number of sponsored posts required per year for creators at each tier to match the average entry-level worker in that state.
What this means
College costs are climbing toward $45,000 a year, and young people are questioning whether the old “degree → job → stability” path is still the sure thing it used to be. Meanwhile, Gen Z has grown up watching creators turn hobbies into full-time careers, so the appeal makes sense.
But the study’s takeaway is pretty clear: there’s a huge gap between posting for fun and earning enough to replace a traditional salary. Most creators spend years building an audience before they can even think about going full-time, and the majority will never reach the follower tiers where the math starts to make sense.
How the study worked
Researchers compared average graduate salaries (via ZipRecruiter) with median sponsored-post rates across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X. They broke it out by follower tier — nano, micro, mid-tier, and macro — and calculated how many paid posts it would take to match an entry-level income in each state.
Curious what making money online actually looks like?
If you want a transparent look behind the scenes, I’ve broken down how I make money blogging and also shared a beginner-friendly guide on how to start a blog if you’re thinking about dipping a toe into online work yourself.
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How to Start a Blog: A Step-by-Step Guide by a Full-Time Blogger
This guide will help you get started with launching your blog on WordPress – whether you want to do it as a hobby or one day grow it into your main source of income!
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