More than one in three (35%) Americans freelanced this year.
The freelance workforce grew from 53 million to 56.7 million, or 7%, in five years. The non-freelance U.S. workforce meanwhile grew just 2% (from 103 million to 105.3 million) in five years, making the freelance workforce’s rate of growth much faster.
Over the last five years, people are increasingly starting to freelance by choice. Asked whether they started freelancing more by choice or necessity, 61% of freelancers said by choice -- up eight points (from 53%) since 2014.
This is driven especially by growth among younger generations and full-time freelancers (as opposed to part-time freelancers).
The younger generations are freelancing more than any other generation in the workforce, and full-time freelancers now make up 28% of freelancers (up 11 points since 2014).