72.9 million people did independent or freelance work in the United States in 2025, according to MBO Partners’ 15th annual State of Independence report, fielded in April 2025. A separate survey by Upwork puts the figure differently: 28%, or about 1 in 4, of US skilled knowledge workers now freelance or work independently, together generating $1.5 trillion in 2024 earnings. Both numbers describe the same shift, they just draw the line around “freelancer” in different places.
That gap matters more than either number alone. How you count freelancers changes the headline by tens of millions, and the definition you pick determines whether the story is “a large, stable share of the workforce” or “a fast-growing minority of high earners.” Below is what each major source actually measured, and where the two data sets agree.
How many people freelance in the US?
The honest answer is that it depends on which survey you read, and both are legitimate. MBO Partners counts 72.9 million independent workers in 2025, a broad definition covering anyone who did paid independent work in the past 12 months, whether full-time, part-time, or occasional. That figure breaks down into 37.4 million occasional independents, 27.6 million full-time independents, and 7.9 million part-time independents.
Upwork’s Future Workforce Index uses a narrower lens: 28% of skilled knowledge workers, a category built from Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation data covering management, professional, and related roles (42% of the US workforce, or 71.5 million people). Extrapolated against that base, Upwork’s own historical Freelance Forward survey found 64 million Americans freelanced in some capacity in 2023, or 38% of the total workforce, up from 34% in 2014.
Figure 1: Self-reported freelance participation rate, 2014 to 2023. Source: Upwork Freelance Forward, annual survey via Edelman Intelligence.
Neither figure is wrong. MBO’s 72.9 million measures a wider population that includes side-gig and occasional work, while Upwork’s 28% measures a specific slice of higher-skilled knowledge work. Use MBO’s number when you want the total addressable freelance population, and Upwork’s when you want the skilled, higher-earning segment.
Which generation freelances the most?
Gen Z, by a wide margin. 52% of Gen Z professionals freelance, compared with 44% of Millennials, 30% of Gen X, and 26% of Baby Boomers, according to a 2023 Upwork Research Institute survey of 1,070 US Gen Z workers. Among Gen Z freelancers specifically, 53% work 40 or more hours a week across their freelance portfolio, meaning more than half are functionally full-time independent workers rather than side-giggers.
Figure 2: Freelance participation by generation. Source: Upwork Research Institute, n=1,070 Gen Z workers surveyed October to November 2023, compared against Upwork’s broader generational tracking.
The generational gap is consistent with MBO Partners’ separate finding that full-time independent work has more than doubled since the pandemic: 27.6 million people freelanced full-time in 2025, up from 13.6 million in 2020. Younger workers entering the labor market are choosing independent work earlier rather than shifting into it mid-career.
How much do freelancers earn?
US skilled knowledge freelancers generated a collective $1.5 trillion in earnings in 2024, per Upwork’s Future Workforce Index. On the higher end of the income distribution, MBO Partners counted 5.6 million independents earning more than $100,000 in 2025, a 19% jump from 4.7 million in 2024 and nearly double the 3 million six-figure earners in 2020. MBO also reports that 59% of independents say they earn more working on their own than they did as traditional employees, though that figure is self-reported and not verified against tax or payroll data.
| Metric | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total US independent workers | 72.9 million | 2025 | MBO Partners |
| Skilled knowledge workers who freelance | 28% ($1.5T earned) | 2024 | Upwork Future Workforce Index |
| Independents earning $100,000+ | 5.6 million | 2025 | MBO Partners |
| Full-time independent workers | 27.6 million | 2025 | MBO Partners |
Income growth at the top of the freelance market is real, but it sits alongside a persistent payment-reliability problem for the freelance population as a whole, covered next.
Do freelancers get paid on time?
Not consistently. 29% of freelance invoices are paid at least one day late, based on Bonsai’s analysis of three years of invoicing data covering more than 100,000 freelancers. The delay is not evenly distributed: female freelancers see late payment on 31% of invoices, compared with 24% for male freelancers, a gap Bonsai found persisted across industries and project sizes. Separately, Remote’s State of Freelance Work 2025 survey found that 85% of freelancers worldwide experience late payment at least some of the time, and 21% are paid late or not paid at all more than half the time. Remote does not publish the underlying sample size for that figure in its public report, so treat it as directional rather than precise.
Figure 3: Share of invoices paid at least one day late, by gender. Source: Bonsai, 3-year analysis of 100,000+ freelancers.
Late payment risk is highest for freelancers who never put payment terms in writing. A clear scope of work and payment schedule will not stop every late payer, but it gives a freelancer a documented basis to enforce a deadline or add a late fee. Freelancers who work directly with clients rather than through a platform can set out payment timelines, late fees, and cancellation terms in written terms and conditions before a project starts, rather than negotiating them after an invoice is already overdue.
Figure 4: How written terms change payment risk for freelancers. Source: constructed from Bonsai and Remote late-payment findings above.
Is the freelance market still growing?
Yes, on every measure available. The global freelance platforms market was valued at $6.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $24.16 billion by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of 18.6%, according to Grand View Research. That platform growth sits on top of a freelance workforce that has grown steadily since Upwork began tracking it in 2014, alongside rising AI adoption: MBO Partners found 74% of independents used generative AI tools in 2025, versus 69% of traditionally employed workers, with AI users reporting it saved them roughly nine hours a week.
Figure 5: Key measurement milestones in the US freelance economy. Sources: Upwork Freelance Forward, MBO Partners State of Independence.
Even where the platform market forecasts vary by research firm, the direction is the same across every source in this article: more people are freelancing, a growing share are doing it full-time, and the platforms and tools built around freelance work are expanding with them. The creator economy shows a similar pattern of independent, non-traditional income growing faster than the traditional labor market, covered in creator economy statistics for 2026.
The Bottom Line
Two credible surveys, two different definitions, and both point the same direction: independent work is now a permanent, large share of the US labor market, not a fringe category. MBO Partners’ 72.9 million is the number to use for the total freelance population, Upwork’s 28% and $1.5 trillion are the numbers to use for the higher-skilled, higher-earning segment. What both data sets share is a payment reliability problem, with roughly 3 in 10 invoices paid late even as top earners double their six-figure ranks. If you take on freelance clients directly, the cheapest protection against that gap is a clear, current terms and conditions document that states your payment schedule, late fees, and cancellation terms before the first invoice goes out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many freelancers are there in the US? 72.9 million people did independent or freelance work in the US in 2025, up from 72.7 million in 2024, according to MBO Partners’ 15th annual State of Independence report. Separately, Upwork’s Future Workforce Index found 28% of US skilled knowledge workers now freelance.
How much money do US freelancers earn? US skilled knowledge workers who freelance generated a collective $1.5 trillion in earnings in 2024, according to Upwork’s Future Workforce Index. A record 5.6 million independents earned more than $100,000 in 2025, nearly double the 3 million who did in 2020, per MBO Partners.
Which generation freelances the most? Gen Z. 52% of Gen Z professionals freelance, compared with 44% of Millennials, 30% of Gen X, and 26% of Baby Boomers, according to a 2023 Upwork Research Institute survey of 1,070 Gen Z workers. 53% of Gen Z freelancers work 40 or more hours a week on freelance projects.
Do freelancers get paid on time? Not consistently. 29% of freelance invoices are paid at least one day late, based on Bonsai’s analysis of three years of invoicing data from more than 100,000 freelancers. Remote’s State of Freelance Work 2025 survey found 85% of freelancers worldwide experience late payment at least some of the time.
Sources and References
- MBO Partners. (2025). “2025 State of Independence in America Report.” 15th annual study, fielded April 2025, weighted to reflect US demographics.
- Upwork Inc.. (2025). “Upwork Study Finds 1 in 4 U.S. Skilled Knowledge Workers Now Work Independently, Generating $1.5 Trillion in Earnings.” Future Workforce Index, n=3,000, fielded December 2024 to February 2025, margin of error plus or minus 1.8% at 95% confidence.
- Upwork Inc.. (2024). “Upwork Study Finds 64 Million Americans Freelanced in 2023, Adding $1.27 Trillion to U.S. Economy.” Freelance Forward annual survey via Edelman Intelligence.
- Upwork Research Institute. (2023). “Gen Z Is Abandoning Conventional 9-to-5 Corporate Jobs for More Diverse, Flexible Careers in Freelancing.” Survey of 1,070 US Gen Z workers, October to November 2023.
- Bonsai. (2025). “How Often Do Freelancers Get Paid Late? It Depends If You’re a Woman or Man.” Analysis of 3 years of invoicing data from over 100,000 freelancers.
- Remote. (2025). “The State of Freelance Work 2025.” Global freelancer survey; underlying sample size not disclosed in the public report.
- Grand View Research. (2025). “Freelance Platforms Market to Reach $24.16 Billion by 2033.” Market sizing and CAGR forecast, 2025 to 2033.
Note: All figures verified as of August 2026. Freelance workforce counts are refreshed annually by their primary sources, so headline figures in this article are revisited at least twice a year.
