This statistic shows the number of freelancers in the United States from 2017 to 2028. It is projected that in 2027, 86.5 million people will be freelancing in the United States and will make up 50.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in United States was reported at 6.0822 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Self-employed; total (% of total employed) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2023, there were an estimated 64 million people doing freelance work in the United States. This is an increase from 2014, when there were about 53 million people freelancing. The number of freelancers in the U.S. has been increasing since 2014.

United States Employment: sa: Non Agriculture: Self-employed data was reported at 8,728.000 Person th in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9,013.000 Person th for May 2018. United States Employment: sa: Non Agriculture: Self-employed data is updated monthly, averaging 7,489.000 Person th from Jan 1948 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 846 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,973.000 Person th in Dec 2006 and a record low of 5,015.000 Person th in May 1968. United States Employment: sa: Non Agriculture: Self-employed data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G014: Current Population Survey: Employment: Seasonally Adjusted.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Agriculture and Related Industries, Self-Employed Workers, Unincorporated (LNS12032185) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about unincorporated, self-employed, agriculture, workers, 16 years +, household survey, employment, industry, and USA.

United States Employment: sa: Agriculture: Self Employed Workers data was reported at 736.000 Person th in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 742.000 Person th for May 2018. United States Employment: sa: Agriculture: Self Employed Workers data is updated monthly, averaging 1,590.000 Person th from Jan 1948 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 846 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,826.000 Person th in Oct 1948 and a record low of 698.000 Person th in Mar 2013. United States Employment: sa: Agriculture: Self Employed Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G014: Current Population Survey: Employment: Seasonally Adjusted.

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Freelance Platforms Market Size 2025-2029

The freelance platforms market size is forecast to increase by USD 24.97 billion, at a CAGR of 29.1% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing focus on cost effectiveness and the growing number of partnerships and acquisitions. Companies are recognizing the value of engaging freelance talent to reduce operational costs and increase agility. This trend is further fueled by the expanding pool of skilled freelancers, offering businesses access to a diverse range of expertise. However, this market landscape is not without challenges. The increasing reliance on digital platforms for work collaboration and data exchange heightens the risks related to data security and privacy.
The market is thriving, driven by digital transformation and a growing freelance talent pool. As more businesses adopt freelance platforms, they must address these concerns to maintain trust with their clients and protect sensitive information. Effective data security measures and transparent privacy policies are essential for companies seeking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the market while mitigating potential risks.

What will be the Size of the Freelance Platforms Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
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The freelancing industry continues to evolve, presenting both opportunities and challenges for participants. Platform owners, recognizing the potential of this decentralized workforce, have been quick to expand their offerings, incorporating software development, data analysis, consulting, web design, and workforce management, among others. Freelancing rates vary significantly across different skill sets and customer segments, shaping the competitive landscape. Venture capital investments have fueled the growth of freelancing ecosystems, providing funding for innovative business models and solutions. Ethical considerations, such as fair pay and work conditions, are increasingly important in the freelancing industry. Customer segmentation and marketing strategies are essential for freelancers to target their services effectively. Freelancing trends include the rise of remote work and the increasing use of technology to streamline operations. Regulations and partnerships are shaping the future of the freelancing industry, offering new opportunities for growth.
Freelancing revenue models continue to evolve, with subscription-based and project-based models gaining popularity. Success stories abound in the freelancing industry, demonstrating the potential for high earnings and flexible work arrangements. The freelancing industry's impact on the economy is significant, with market share continuing to grow. Research and analysis are crucial for freelancers to stay informed about industry trends and best practices. Freelancing acquisitions and collaborations are creating new opportunities for growth and innovation. As the world embraces the metaverse and NFT marketplaces, the potential for freelance platforms to evolve and adapt is immense.

How is this Freelance Platforms Industry segmented?

The freelance platforms industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD million' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

End-user

  Freelancers
  Employers


Application

  Project management
  Sales and marketing
  IT
  Web and graphic design
  Others


Business Segment

  B2B platforms
  B2C platforms
  Hybrid models


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada
    Mexico


  Europe

    France
    Germany
    UK


  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan
    The Philippines


  Rest of World (ROW)

By End-user Insights

The freelancers segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The freelance marketplace continues to evolve, with freelancers offering on-demand services to businesses at competitive prices, driving market growth. In 2024, the freelancer segment is predicted to remain dominant, as more independent workers join the gig economy. These platforms facilitate connections between employers and freelancers, enabling businesses to find skilled candidates based on various criteria. Freelance consulting was once a niche offering, but it's increasingly pervasive, fueled by digital networking. Freelancers provide businesses with flexibility and cost savings, while offering them access to a vast talent pool. Freelance data privacy, invoicing, automation, business development, tax compliance, cybersecurity, revenue generation, augmented reality, and other services are essential for freelancers to thrive in this market.

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Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Agriculture and Related Industries, Self-Employed Workers, Unincorporated (LNU02032185) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about unincorporated, self-employed, agriculture, workers, 16 years +, household survey, employment, industry, and USA.

A 2023 survey found that around 59 million workers in the U.S. are classified as independent workers - equating to 36 percent of the U.S. workforce. Comparatively, around 100 million workers are classified as permanent workers.

According to a 2020 survey, about 46 percent of American freelancers who have participated in work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic stated that a previous client is a main source of finding more freelance work. This figure stood at 36 percent for freelancers who paused their freelance work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Male: % of Male Employment data was reported at 12.184 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.064 % for 2016. United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Male: % of Male Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 13.531 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.432 % in 1993 and a record low of 12.064 % in 2016. United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Male: % of Male Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a 'self-employment jobs.' i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include four sub-categories of employers, own-account workers, members of producers' cooperatives, and contributing family workers.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - All Industries Self-Employed, Unincorporated (LNS12027714) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about unincorporated, self-employed, 16 years +, household survey, employment, industry, and USA.

United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Female: % of Female Employment data was reported at 7.336 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.239 % for 2016. United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Female: % of Female Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 8.183 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.389 % in 1994 and a record low of 7.239 % in 2016. United States US: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: Female: % of Female Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a 'self-employment jobs.' i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include four sub-categories of employers, own-account workers, members of producers' cooperatives, and contributing family workers.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Unit Characteristics: Percent Homeowner with Mortgage by Occupation: Self-Employed Workers (CXU980230LB1202M) from 1984 to 2023 about self-employed, consumer unit, occupation, homeownership, mortgage, workers, percent, and USA.

United States - Self-employed persons: Manufacturing was 323.00000 Thous. in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Self-employed persons: Manufacturing reached a record high of 355.00000 in January of 2001 and a record low of 258.00000 in January of 2018. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Self-employed persons: Manufacturing - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - All Industries, Self-Employed, Unincorporated, and Unpaid Family Workers (LNU04035181) from Jan 2000 to May 2025 about unincorporated, self-employed, paid, workers, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, industry, rate, and USA.

Release Date: 2016-02-23.[NOTE: Includes firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees. Data are based on the 2012 Economic Census, and the estimates of business ownership by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status are from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to total due to rounding or because a Hispanic firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore is included in each race selected. Respondent firms include all firms that responded to the characteristic(s) tabulated in this dataset and reported gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status for at least one owner and were not publicly held or not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. The 2012 Survey of Business Owners asked for information for up to four persons owning the largest percentage(s) of the business. Percentages are for owners of respondent firms only and are not recalculated when the dataset is resorted. Percentages are always based on total reporting (defined above) within a gender, ethnicity, race, veteran status, and/or industry group for the characteristics tabulated in this dataset. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. and state totals for all sectors. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see Survey Methodology.].Data User Notice posted on September 1, 2016: Census Bureau staff identified a processing error that affects selected data from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO) Statistics, Characteristics of Business Owners tables. As a result, we removed the 2012 "All owners of respondent firms" line from the table. This processing error did not affect other categories in this table. Removed values can be derived by adding the Total reporting and Item not reported rows...Table Name. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Whether the Owner Previously Owned a Business or Had Been Self-Employed by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012. ..Release Schedule. . The data in this file was released in February 2016.. ..Key Table Information. . This data is related to all other 2012 SBO files.. Refer to the Methodology section of the Survey of Business Owners website for additional information.. ..Universe. . The universe for the 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) includes all U.S. firms operating during 2012 with receipts of $1,000 or more which are classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sectors 11 through 99, except for NAICS 111, 112, 482, 491, 521, 525, 813, 814, and 92 which are not covered. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. total.. For Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) data, all estimates are of owners of firms responding to the SBO. That is, estimates are based only on firms providing gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status; or firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status that returned an SBO questionnaire with at least one question answered. The SBO questionnaire provided space for up to four owners to report their characteristics.. CBO data are not representative of all owners of all firms operating in the United States. The data do not represent all business owners in the United States.. ..Geographic Coverage. . The data are shown at the U.S. level only.. ..Industry Coverage. . The data are shown for the total of all sectors (00) and at the 2-digit NAICS code level.. ..Data Items and Other Identifying Records. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Whether the Owner Previously Owned a Business or Had Been Self-Employed by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012 contains data on:. . Number of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. Percent of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. . The data are published by whether the owner had another business or was self-employed prior to establishing, pruchasing, or acquiring the business and by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.. ..Sort Order. . Data are presented in ascending levels by:. . Geography (GEO_ID). NAICS code (NAICS2012). Ethnicity, race, and veteran status (CBOGROUP). Gender status (CBOSEX). Whether the owner owned another business or was self-employed prior to establishing, pruchasing, or acquiring the business (PRIORBUS). . The data are sorted on underlying control field values, so control fields may not appear in alphabetical order.. ..F...

United States - Self-employed persons: Information was 151.00000 Thous. in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Self-employed persons: Information reached a record high of 161.00000 in January of 2015 and a record low of 119.00000 in January of 2006. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Self-employed persons: Information - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

United States - Self-employed persons: Farms was 683.00000 Thous. in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Self-employed persons: Farms reached a record high of 907.00000 in January of 2002 and a record low of 664.00000 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Self-employed persons: Farms - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in North America was reported at 7.4542 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Self-employed; total (% of total employed) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.