Freelancing is no longer a fringe segment of the labor market. It has become an important part of how companies access specialized talent, how professionals diversify their income and how entrepreneurs build businesses without the overhead of a traditional organization.
More than 72 million Americans performed independent work in 2025, according to MBO Partners. Earlier research from Upwork found that 64 million Americans freelanced in 2023, representing 38% of the U.S. workforce and generating
