There’s a misconception that independent workers can’t make enough money but the reality is, of those who quit a traditional job in order to freelance, 73% of full-time freelancers say they earn more now than they did at a traditional employer.
We compiled a list of the 20 highest-paying skills for U.S. freelancers out of more than 5,000 on our site. The data shows some independent professionals are earning more than $250 an hour for work in categories spanning nearly every industry, including legal, tech, finance, and marketing.
According to Upwork Chief Economist Adam Ozimek: “This data illustrates that work of a very high skilled nature is being done by professionals on Upwork. Highly-paid skills aren’t just anecdotes or limited to one field. They range from law to marketing to finance to high tech, and a significant percentage of U.S. freelancers earn quite high hourly wages on the platform.”
Check out the skills that companies are paying the big bucks for:
Want more industry-specific information? Here’s a look at tech and marketing skills.
Top tech skills and their average hourly rates
[Download the infographic]
Top marketing skills and their average hourly rate
[Download the infographic]
This data was sourced from the Upwork database and is based on average hourly rates charged by U.S. freelancers from Jan 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019. Each skill had a minimum of 2 contracts and 40 hours billed (equivalent of 1 week of work and more than 1 project) for reliability.
The post The 20 Highest-paying Skills for Independent Professionals Right Now appeared first on Upwork Blog.
