Study Reveals the Best and Worst US Cities for Freelancers
Monday, May 16th, 2022
For many, working full-time in the office feels like a lifetime ago. With the introduction of working from home and hybrid working as a response to COVID-19, many workers in the US no longer use traditional office spaces. This growing flexibility and lack of commute has resulted in an increase in freelancers, with nearly 51% of the US workforce expected to be freelancing by 2027*.
Deciding to go freelance is a large decision in itself, given the importance of insurance coverage, the headache of self-employment taxes, and other factors, choosing where to be a freelancer can make-or-break the potential benefits. Is it going to be financially viable with the additional resources a freelancer might require, such as Wi-Fi costs or the price to rent a meeting room? Will you need access to coworking spaces and desks to fulfill the requirements of your role?
A new study from ToolTester has analyzed exactly that, in order to educate potential freelancers on where they’ll make the most of their income.
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Dallas is the Best City in the US for Freelancers to Work (& Play)
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Texas Is the Best State in the U.S. to Be a Freelance Worker
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Torrance, California is the worst US city to be a freelance worker
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San Diego has the most expensive Wi-Fi in the US with costs twice the price of Seattle
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NYC has the most coworking spaces in the US with 1 for every 6000 commuters
The 15 best cities in the US to be a freelancer
Rank
|
City
|
State
|
No. coworking spaces
|
Avg. cost coworking spaces/month
|
Avg. Wi-Fi cost/ pm
|
No. coworking desks
|
No. meeting rooms
|
Avg. cost meeting room /ph
|
Index Score
|
1
|
Dallas
|
TX
|
50
|
$267.39
|
$92.49
|
140
|
47
|
$32.04
|
79.4
|
2
|
Jacksonville
|
FL
|
10
|
$244.57
|
$78.17
|
89
|
18
|
$37.06
|
76.4
|
3
|
Houston
|
TX
|
62
|
$254.28
|
$68.33
|
366
|
88
|
$34.47
|
76.0
|
4
|
Memphis
|
TN
|
24
|
$310.75
|
$78.17
|
60
|
9
|
$27.30
|
76.0
|
5
|
Indianapolis
|
IN
|
39
|
$229.83
|
$96.49
|
65
|
20
|
$29.25
|
74.8
|
6
|
Kansas City
|
MO
|
34
|
$249.88
|
$103.33
|
70
|
12
|
$29.40
|
74.3
|
7
|
Salt Lake City
|
UT
|
32
|
$288.44
|
$55.00
|
26
|
14
|
$28.75
|
74.1
|
8
|
Knoxville
|
TN
|
7
|
$254.00
|
$78.17
|
22
|
5
|
$31.30
|
73.1
|
9
|
Denver
|
CO
|
94
|
$283.92
|
$54.16
|
69
|
36
|
$35.60
|
72.6
|
10
|
Miami
|
FL
|
33
|
$219.78
|
$78.17
|
170
|
33
|
$42.78
|
72.6
|
11
|
Durham
|
NC
|
11
|
$222.33
|
$92.49
|
37
|
13
|
$34.53
|
72.4
|
12
|
Charlotte
|
NC
|
44
|
$274.54
|
$92.49
|
100
|
30
|
$29.28
|
71.9
|
13
|
Tampa
|
FL
|
30
|
$270.44
|
$86.66
|
77
|
21
|
$39.43
|
71.2
|
14
|
Irving
|
TX
|
6
|
$207.00
|
$88.33
|
41
|
12
|
$25.30
|
70.9
|
15
|
Fort Worth
|
TX
|
11
|
$280.60
|
$92.49
|
42
|
11
|
$24.94
|
70.5
|