Freelance Statistics

All our lives, we have been told by our parents and directed by society that getting a job at a respectable organization and earning good money is essential to lead a comfortable life. But, hold on a second! Do we need a full-time job to make money? No, definitely not. Even if it was a necessity (if you are not doing business) a couple of decades ago, it is not a necessity now.

Today we have entered into the age of freelancing where if you are skillful enough you don’t need to be tied to a company. You can be your own boss and work on projects that you like. This mode of working is undoubtedly being taken up by many and the freelance statistics that we have dug up for you will help you see the same:

On this page, you’ll find:

• Freelance Sector Statistics
• Freelance Monetary Statistics
• Freelance Worker Statistics
• Freelance Work Availability Statistics
• Freelance Preference Statistics

Key Freelance Statistics

Here are the top stats from the article below:

• Over 57 million Americans work as freelancers. (Upwork)

• Freelancers contributed nearly $1 trillion to the US economy in 2019, which amounts to roughly 5% of the nation’s GDP. (Upwork)

• 43% of the working US population will turn to freelance work over the next 5 years. (Upwork)

• 61% of freelancers specialize in 2 to 3 skills. (And Co)

• 70% of freelancers are between the age of 18–34, and only 10% are above 45 years of age. (Website Planet)

• More than 8% of US households gain over half of their funds by doing freelance work. (USA Today)

• 42% of small businesses in the U.S employ freelancers. (Forbes)

• The average working hours per week for freelancers in the US ranges from 34 to 39 hours depending upon the field they work in. (Website Planet)

• During the last five years, 50% of all organizations had a substantial increase in their freelance workforce. (Website Planet)

• 77% of full-time freelancers believe they have a better work-life balance since going independent. (Website Planet)

Freelance Sector Statistics

If you have ever thought of the freelance mode of working, you must have had a hundred questions and a thousand uncertainties. Most people are a bit skeptical about freelancing as a career option. The stats we have for you below will show you how this field has been accepted by enterprises with open arms and how many people are working this way. At the end of the day, companies look for skilled people to get the job done.

• About 38% of independent workers identify themselves as freelancers. (And Co)

• Over 57 million Americans work as freelancers. (Upwork)

• Freelancers comprise 23% of the small agency workforce, with 8% based at large companies. (Forbes)

• The number of American freelancers has increased by 3.7 million since 2014. (Forbes)

• 43% of the working US population will turn to freelance work over the next 5 years. (Upwork)

• 33% of freelancers work in the creative field. (And Co)

• 15% of the freelancers work in the tech domain. (And Co)

• 49% of male freelancers have experienced getting tricked out of payment while 38%  of females reported the same. (And Co)

• Twice as many freelancers have seen an increase in demand in the past year as having seen a decrease – 32% experienced an increase versus 15% who have seen a decrease. (Freelancers Union)

• 80% of non-freelancers say they would be willing to do work outside their primary job to make more money. (Freelancers Union)

Freelance Monetary Statistics

The biggest question that arises while taking up a job is how much it pays.  Working as a freelancer will be possible if and only if you get paid at least as much as you would at a full-time job. So does working as a freelancer pay enough and how important are freelancers for the economies? We have got all of your queries covered in these next set of stats:

• Freelancers contributed nearly $1 trillion to the US economy in 2019, which amounts to roughly 5% of the nation’s GDP. (Upwork)

• More than 8% of US households gain over half of their funds by doing freelance work. (USA Today)

• 30% of freelance writers make under $10 per hour during their first year. (Small Business Trends)

• 31% of freelancers make $75k or more annually. (Forbes)

• 48% of female freelancers earn less than $25,000 per year. (And Co)

• Male freelancers are 4.5 times more likely to make over $150,000 in a year. (And Co)

• 63% of freelancers withdraw from their savings at least once a month. (Upwork)

• Junior software developers earn a base salary of around $119,000 while senior software developers earn around $150,000. (Triplebyte)

• Freelance graphic designers earn more than $85 per hour on major freelance sites such as UpWork and PeoplePerHour. (Freelancing Hacks)

• The ability to save money was the biggest worry for 76% of freelancers, closely followed by saving for retirement and an unpredictable income (75% and 72% respectively). (Website Planet)

Freelance Worker Statistics

Freelancers are definitely one of the most skilled people in their work field, or else companies wouldn’t hire them. Getting to know the crucial statistics of people who work as freelancers is vital for getting to know the mode of working in more detail. So here are the top freelance worker statistics for you to have a look at:

• 61% of freelancers specialize in 2 to 3 skills. (And Co)

• 61% of freelancers state that they freelance by choice. (Forbes)

• An average US freelancer has 4.5 clients per month. (Upwork)

• 63% of freelancers agree that having multiple clients is more secure than having just one. (Upwork)

• 70% of freelancers work on 2–4 projects at a time. (And Co)

• 13% of freelancers work on a single project at a time while again 13% of them work on 5–9 projects at a time. (And Co)

• 25% of freelancers say that their ideal working location is their home. (And Co)

• The average working hours per week for freelancers in the US ranges from 34 to 39 hours depending upon the field they work in. (Website Planet)

• 43% of freelancers feel that they became less financially stable after becoming self-employed. (And Co)

• 70% of freelancers are between the age of 18–34, and only 10% are above 45 years of age. (Website Planet)

Freelance Work Availability Statistics

The deep valley of uncertainty that most people get plunged into when they start as freelancers is around the question: will they get work? Are there enough work opportunities for you to get paid for your work even if you are on your own? If you have the necessary skills to get the job done, the answer is a big fat YES. The stats below will further prove our point:

• 42% of small businesses in the U.S employ freelancers. (Forbes)

• More than half of global freelancers (60%) reported a decrease in demand for their services in the past three months. However, nearly 17% of freelancers reported the opposite. (Website Planet)

• Freelancers find the majority of their clients from North America (36%), followed by Europe (27%).

• 69% of freelancers said technology has made it easier to find freelance work.

• 71% of freelancers said that they had more online work in 2020. (Upwork)

• 25% of freelancers say that they can find work within 24 hours. (The balance of careers)

• 41% of freelancers find work through a previous client. (Website Planet)

• 38% of freelancers find work through word of mouth and 13% through recruitment agencies. (Website Planet)

• The largest freelance platform by the number of users is Freelancer.com, with more than 31 million, followed by Upwork which has 17 million registered users. (Website Planet)

• During the last five years, 50% of all organizations had a substantial increase in their freelance workforce. (Website Planet)

Freelance Preference Statistics

Freelancing is becoming more and more popular as time goes by. There is a paradigm shift taking place and people are no longer dependent on getting a full-time job to get paid for their work. What are the perks that freelancing has to offer and what are its subtle but effective advantages that are attracting people towards them? Look at the stats below to find out:

• 41% of freelancers plan on freelancing forever as 45% of the freelancers feel more secure about their independent employment. (Slash Workers)

• 65% said freelancing as a career path is more respected today than it was three years ago. (Freelancers Union)

• 36% of moonlighters who have a primary job have thought about quitting to work completely independently. (Freelancers Union)

• The majority (79%) of full-time freelancers said it was so they could have more flexibility in their schedule, while 77% said it was to become their own boss. (Website Planet)

• Around 40% of all freelancers work less than once a week, and likely have other, more traditional income sources in addition to their freelancing. (Website Planet)

• Freelancers tend to value skill training over formal education, with 93% claiming skill training was useful, while only 79% said their college education was still useful for what they’re currently doing. (Website Planet)

• 77% of full-time freelancers believe they have a better work-life balance since going independent. (Website Planet)

• 80% of freelancers reported an increase in morale, while 82% said their stress levels had decreased. (Website Planet)

• Most freelancers (74%) are optimistic about the future, with more than half (53%) expecting to see an uptick in the long run. (Website Planet)

• In the U.S the freelance workforce grew by 13% between 2013 and 2020 while the non-freelance workforce grew by just 2%. (Website Planet)

Conclusion

Freelancing is one of the hottest career paths in today’s time. It allows you to work on projects you like, lets you be your own boss and at the same time, the work flexibility is unmatched. This is the reason why so many people are leaving their regular jobs and becoming full-time freelancers. We hope that the lucrative figures above have cleared your doubts that lingered around the topic and if you are thinking of becoming a freelancer, maybe it’s finally time to act on it.