Freelancer and contractor statistics
64 million Americans did freelance work in 2023, and skilled knowledge freelancers earned $1.5 trillion in 2024, according to Upwork. These freelancer statistics cover the size of the freelance workforce, rates, the big platforms and how agencies use contractors, with the source and year for each figure.
Key Takeaways
- 64 million Americans (38% of the workforce) freelanced in 2023, earning $1.27 trillion (Upwork).
- The World Bank estimates 154 to 435 million online gig workers worldwide, 4.4% to 12.5% of the global labor force.
- Small agencies lean hardest on freelancers: studio agencies’ contractor benches equal 94% of their full-time headcount (Promethean Research).
- AI work is the fastest-growing category on Upwork, above $300 million in annualized GSV by Q4 2025.
| Measure | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Americans who did any freelance work | 64M (38% of workforce) | Upwork Freelance Forward, 2023 |
| US workers who freelance (separate survey) | 39% | Upwork Future Workforce Index, 2026 |
| US skilled knowledge freelancers | ~20M, $1.5T earned | Upwork Future Workforce Index, 2024 data |
| US independent professionals | 6.9M, $319B output | Fiverr Freelance Economic Impact Report, 2024 data |
| Online gig workers worldwide | 154M-435M | World Bank, 2023 |
Estimates differ because each source defines “freelancer” differently: any freelance income, skilled knowledge work only, full-time independents, or online platform work. Upwork and Fiverr run freelance marketplaces.
How many freelancers are there?
64M
Americans did freelance work in 2023, 38% of the US workforce and 4 million more than in 2022. Upwork counts anyone who did any freelance work in the year, including part-time and side work.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
$1.27T
in annual earnings contributed by US freelancers in 2023, up 78% from an estimated $715 billion in 2014, the first year of Upwork’s study.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
$1.5T
earned in 2024 by roughly 20 million US workers doing skilled knowledge freelance work.
154M-435M
people worldwide do online gig work, 4.4% to 12.5% of the global labor force, according to the World Bank’s 2023 Working Without Borders report. Demand for online gig work grew 41% from 2016 to early 2023.
Source: World Bank (September 2023)
6.9M
independent professionals in the US generate $319 billion in output, about 1.1% of GDP. Their numbers grew 4.3% a year across the top 30 US cities (2024 data).
$208B
earned in 2024 by the 4.0 million independent professionals in the 30 largest US freelance markets, up 6.8% from 2023. These markets hold most of the 6.9 million US independent professionals and 65% of their revenue.
47%
of US freelancers, about 30 million people, provided knowledge services such as programming, marketing, IT and business consulting in 2023. Another 23% (14.7 million) created influencer content.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
Freelancer rates and pricing
Published freelancer rate data is thin and mostly comes from payment platforms. Rates vary widely by skill, experience and country. If you are setting a rate, use our freelance rate calculator and our guide to freelance invoicing.
$23/hr
average worldwide hourly rate in Payoneer’s 2023 survey, with rates highest in North America and lowest in Central America. An earlier version of this page cited $21 (up from $19), which are 2020 figures.
Source: Payoneer, 2023 Freelancer Report
$44 / $31
average hourly rates for freelancers in North America and Western Europe in Payoneer’s 2022 survey, the two highest regions. South America averaged $24, and Central America, Asia, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe about $22. Payoneer’s 2023 report does not break rates out by region, so these are the latest regional figures.
$36 vs $16
average hourly rate for freelancers aged 55-64 versus those aged 18-24 in Payoneer’s 2020 survey: more than double. Payoneer has not published newer rates by age.
38% / 15%
of freelancers raised their hourly rates in the past year; 15% saw rates fall. From a survey of 2,000+ freelancers in 122 countries.
$22 vs $24
average hourly rate for women and men freelancers respectively, 92 cents on the dollar. Freelancers who mix hourly and project fees earn more on average than those using one method.
55% / 41%
of freelancers took on more work and 41% raised rates in response to the rising cost of living.
44% / 32%
of US Fiverr sellers raised their rates in 2023, by an average of 32% (down from 36% in 2022). Across all US independent workers surveyed, 38% raised rates, by an average of 21%. Fiverr’s December 2025 report does not repeat the measure.
Source: Fiverr, Freelance Economic Impact Report (May 2024, PDF)
Upwork and Fiverr platform data
The two largest public freelance marketplaces report flat overall volume but growth in AI work and in spend per client.
44%
more per hour earned in 2024 by Upwork freelancers doing AI-related work than by those doing other work. That year Upwork’s revenue grew 12% to a record $769.3 million on about $4.0 billion of GSV.
$4.03B
gross services volume on Upwork in 2025, up 1%, on revenue of $787.8 million (up 2%). GSV per active client rose 7% to $5,129 in the fourth quarter.
$300M+
annualized GSV from AI-related work on Upwork in Q4 2025, up more than 50% year over year. AI-related GSV had already grown 60% in 2024.
$430.9M
Fiverr revenue in 2025, up 10.1%. Active buyers fell 13.6% to 3.1 million while spend per buyer rose 13.3% to $342, and GMV from transactions over $1,000 grew 22.8%: fewer, larger buyers.
51% / 58%
growth in Upwork’s ads and monetization revenue and in Freelancer Plus subscription revenue in 2024. Freelancers are paying more to be seen on platforms.
How agencies use freelancers
Agencies use contractors to add capacity without adding payroll. A written freelance contract and a clear billing process protect both sides.
94% vs 6%
Studio agencies (under 10 FTEs) run contractor benches equal to 94% of their full-time headcount on average; large agencies (50+ FTEs) use contractors equal to 6%. Contractor use has risen sharply since 2022.
Source: Promethean Research, Digital Agency Growth Guide (2026)
2/3
of a typical agency’s staff work in production, rising to about three-quarters with project managers included. This is the work agencies most often hand to freelancers.
Source: Promethean Research, Digital Agency Industry Report (2026)
29%
of executives say freelancers are highly essential and they could not operate without them (Upwork survey, January 2025).
Source: Upwork, freelancing statistics
$14M+
in unpaid bills logged by freelancers on the Freelancers Union “World’s Longest Invoice” tracker. It is a self-reported tally, but it shows why written contracts and clear payment terms matter on both sides.
Source: Freelancers Union
Freelancers, AI and younger workers
18,347%
rise in Fiverr searches for freelancers who can build and implement AI agents over the six months to spring 2025, from Fiverr’s Business Trends Index. Percentage jumps from a small base look dramatic; read it as a direction, not a market size.
8.3M
US freelancers were aged 59 or older in 2023, 13% of all US freelancers.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
20% vs 9%
of freelancers used generative AI tools multiple times a week in 2023, compared with 9% of non-freelance professionals.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
52% / 44%
of Gen Z and millennial professionals respectively did freelance work in 2023.
Source: Upwork, Freelance Forward 2023
39%
of US workers freelance, up 4 points from 2025, according to Upwork’s 2026 Future Workforce Index. This is a different Upwork survey from the 2023 Freelance Forward study (38%), so the two are not a like-for-like trend.
Source: Upwork, freelancing statistics
About these statistics
- AgencyPro did not survey freelancers for this page and has no original freelancer data of its own. Every figure is secondary: it summarizes published third-party research and company filings and links each figure to its source.
- Three kinds of source appear here. Audited company results: Upwork and Fiverr full-year results (revenue, GSV, buyers). Surveys and modeled estimates by the platforms: Upwork Freelance Forward 2023 and Future Workforce Index, Fiverr’s Freelance Economic Impact Reports and Payoneer’s freelancer reports (2,000+ freelancers in 122 countries in 2023). Independent research: the World Bank’s 2023 Working Without Borders estimate and Promethean Research’s agency data. Freelancers Union’s unpaid-invoice tally is self-reported.
- Upwork, Fiverr and Payoneer run freelance marketplaces or payment services and have an interest in a growing freelance economy. Their survey figures are labeled with the year collected.
- Figures were re-checked against their sources in October 2026. A global freelancer count of 1.57 billion attributed to the World Bank is replaced with the World Bank’s own 154-435 million estimate. Payoneer rate figures are corrected to the report each comes from, and the AI rate premium (44%) is now linked to Upwork’s 2024 results, where it appears. A second check in October 2026 found the $44 and $31 regional rates in Payoneer’s 2022 report and the Fiverr rate-increase figures (44% of sellers, 32% average) in Fiverr’s 2024 Freelance Economic Impact Report, so both are shown with those sources.
Work with freelancers from the same workspace as your clients
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