According to a 2020 survey, 36 percent of respondents were full-time freelancers, an increase from 17 percent of respondents in 2014. Conversely, the number of part-time freelancers decreased over this period, dropping from 59 percent in 2014 to 48 percent in 2020.
Freelancers here are broadly understood as individuals who engage in supplemental, temporary, project - or contract-based work.
Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status
Characteristic
Full-time freelancer
Part-time freelancer
Full-time employee who earns extra income from freelancing
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Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status
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adults who have done paid work in the past 12 months
Method of interview
Online survey
Supplementary notes
Freelancers are defined by the source as "individuals who have engaged in supplemental, temporary, project - or contract-based work, within the last 12 months".
Original question: "Term to describe your freelancing".
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Upwork. (September 15, 2020). Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 16, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/
Upwork. "Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status." Chart. September 15, 2020. Statista. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/
Upwork. (2020). Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/
Upwork. "Share of Freelance Workers in The United States from 2014 to 2020, by Employment Status." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Sep 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/
Upwork, Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/ (last visited April 16, 2025)
Share of freelance workers in the United States from 2014 to 2020, by employment status [Graph], Upwork, September 15, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128146/share-people-freelancing-employment-status-us/
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