The Economics of Stripping: A $10,000 Night and the Realities Behind It

Layla's all-time greatest night as a stripper brought in $10,000. It was an outlier—she and three other dancers took one customer to an after-hours BYOB club and "just ran that guy up." But the possibility of that kind of windfall is part of the draw. On a normal good night, she aims for $500 to $1,000. "If I make 500, I'm happy," she says. For the Freakonomics Radio Network's The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett examines the business of stripping—how dancers earn, what they spend, and how the industry is changing.

How the Money Works

Layla started dancing at 21 while in college, planning to do it temporarily. She never left. The job works well for students because hours are flexible—dancers are independent contractors who choose when to work. Most strippers, however, come from different backgrounds. "I would say 80% of the girls are not, you know, like me," Layla says. "A lot of them are not citizens. And with dancing, there's not as much regulation."