If you want to see where independent work is headed, this collection of freelance statistics will get you up to speed.
Top Freelance Statistics
- In 2027, the US is expected to have about 86.5M freelancers, making up roughly 51% of the nation’s workforce.
- Freelancing contributes 5% to the national GDP, accounting for around $1.3–1.5T.
- The average age of a freelancer is 38 years.
- Women make up the majority of the freelance workforce, at 52.3%, while men comprise 47.7%.
- Freelancers earn an average of $8,000 to $9,000 per month.
- Over 30% of freelancers work fully remotely.
- Male freelancers charge 26.4% more than female freelancers on average.
Workforce Size and Demographics
- In 2027, the US is expected to have about 86.5M freelancers, making up roughly 51% of the nation’s workforce.
| Number of Freelancers in the US between 2017 and 2028 (in Millions) | Year |
| 57.3 | 2017 |
| 59.7 | 2018 |
| 62.2 | 2019 |
| 64.8 | 2020 |
| 67.6 | 2021 |
| 70.4 | 2022 |
| 73.3 | 2023 |
| 76.4 | 2024 |
| 79.6 | 2025 |
| 83.0 | 2026 |
| 86.5 | 2027 |
| 90.1 | 2028 |
- In the US, White workers make up about 70.2% of freelancers.
| Freelance Workers in the United States by Racial Background | Share |
| White | 70.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.6% |
| Asian | 10.4% |
| Unknown | 5.0% |
| Black or African American | 3.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
- About 13% of freelancers identify as LGBT.
- Spanish is the most widely spoken foreign language among freelancers, used by 38.4% of them.
| Language | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 38.4% |
| French | 13.1% |
| Korean | 5.6% |
| German | 4.8% |
| Italian | 4.7% |
| Other | 33.4% |
Education and Professional Background
- The most common degree held by freelancers is a Bachelor’s degree, held by 69% of them.
| Educational Attainment | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | 69% |
| Associate | 12% |
| Master’s | 11% |
| High School Diploma | 4% |
| Other Degrees | 4% |
- About 30% of freelancers work at companies with 100–500 employees.
| Company Size | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 9% |
| 50–100 employees | 15% |
| 100–500 employees | 30% |
| 500–1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000–10,000 employees | 20% |
| > 10,000 employees | 19% |
- About 74% of freelancers work in the private sector.
| Company Type | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| Private | 74% |
| Public | 20% |
| Education | 2% |
| Government | 3% |
- About 26% of freelancers work in the media industry.
| Industry | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| Media | 26% |
| Retail | 13% |
| Professional | 11% |
| Technology | 10% |
| Manufacturing | 9% |
- Freelancers with a Master’s degree earn about $71,200 a year. Those with a bachelor’s make a median $64,807, compared to $57,685 for freelancers with an associate degree.
Work Habits and Hours
- Most freelancers (28%) report working an average of 40 hours per week.
| Hours Worked per Week | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| More than 50 hours | 8% |
| 46 to 50 hours | 16% |
| 41 to 45 hours | 13% |
| 39 to 40 hours | 28% |
| 31 to 38 hours | 11% |
| 21 to 30 hours | 13% |
| 10 to 20 hours | 7% |
| Less than 10 hours | 4% |
- The average freelancer stays in one role for about one to two years.
| Tenure | % of Freelancers |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 22% |
| 1–2 years | 20% |
| 3–4 years | 10% |
| 5–7 years | 21% |
| 8–10 years | 10% |
| 11+ years | 17% |
International Freelancing Overview
Work habits and lifestyle
- Freelancers average a 40-hour workweek.
- Approximately 71% of freelancers didn’t freelance on the side before launching their business, while 29% had part-time freelance work.
- Freelancers spend about five hours a week on non-billable tasks.
- Freelancers take about 26 vacation days per year.
- About 58% of freelancers work with multiple clients at once, while 42% work with only one.
- About 61% of freelancers work fully remote, 32% hybrid, 5% on-site, and 2% on workation.
Satisfaction and career outlook
- About 85% of freelancers say they would choose self-employment again.
- Roughly 81% of freelancers feel satisfied or very satisfied with freelancing.
- About 45% of freelancers rate their work-life balance as good, 23% very good, 25% neutral, 6% bad, and 1% very bad.
- 80% of freelancers believe they work more efficiently than full-time employees.
- Approximately 77% of freelancers use AI-based tools, while 23% don’t.
- Roughly 48% of freelancers believe freelancing is the future of work.
Income, rates, and financial health
- Freelancers recommend having about €24,900 saved before starting a freelance business.
- Roughly 66% of freelancers are satisfied with their income, while 34% aren’t.
- The average monthly freelance income is €7,498.
- The average hourly rate for freelancers reached €100 in 2025, up from €98 in 2024, €96 in 2023, €95 in 2022, and €90 in 2021.
- About 73% of freelancers recommend setting fair hourly rates from the start.
- In 2026, 41% of freelancers plan to raise their rates, 52% plan no change, and 7% plan a decrease.
- The average monthly gross profit from project work in 2024 was €7,928, and 67% of freelancers were satisfied with it.
- Women earn about 7% less than men in freelancing.
- Male freelancers average €102 per hour; female freelancers average €95.
- Approximately 49% of freelancers are concerned about their retirement finances.
- Freelancers set aside about €1,136 per month for retirement.
Client acquisition and market dynamics
- Approximately 62% of freelancers find projects passively through referrals, recruiters, or repeat clients, while 38% rely on active outreach efforts.
- Roughly 64% of freelancers complete two to five projects per year, 19% do six to 10, 8% do 11 to 15, and 6% exceed 15.
- Companies commission freelancers for about 80 days per year on average.
- Companies primarily choose freelancers for their flexibility (65%) and expertise (54%).
- About 39% of companies believe freelancers are more efficient than full-time staff.
- About 15% of European workers are currently self-employed.
Learn More
Looking for more statistics? Check out these:
- Employee Burnout Statistics
- Business Travel Statistics
- Gig Economy Statistics
- Returning to Office Statistics
- Virtual Meeting Statistics
- Side Hustle Statistics
- LinkedIn Statistics
- Digital Nomad Statistics
- Average Screen Time Statistics
- AI Statistics
- SaaS Statistics
- Bleisure Statistics
- Workation Statistics
Sources
- Deloitte, “Global Human Capital Trends”
- Freelancermap, “Freelancer Study”
- Gallup, “Gig Economy and Self-Employment Report“
- OnDeck, “The Freelancer Pay Gap by State”
- Statista, “Number of Freelancers in the United States”
- Statista, “Share of Freelance Workers in the United States, by Gender”
- Upwork, Freelancers Union, Edelman Intelligence, “Freelancing in America”
- Upwork, “Freelance Forward”
- Zippia, “Freelancer Demographics and Statistics in the US”
As a Digital PR specialist and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Max has 5+ years of writing experience.
Over the course of his career, Max’s work has garnered significant attention, with features in numerous prominent publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, TechRepublic, Glassdoor, and G2.
