Freelancer

Freelancer Salary

$61.5K

$133.5K

$148.5K

$130,079

/year

$62.54

/hour

Freelancer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$130,079

Columbus

Ohio

$125,643

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    How much does a Freelancer make?

    As of Aug 24, 2026, the average annual pay for a Freelancer in the United States is $130,079 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $62.54 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,501/week or $10,839/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $148,500 and as low as $61,500, the majority of Freelancer salaries currently range between $125,500 (25th percentile) to $142,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $147,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Freelancer varies little (about 16500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

    A Freelancer in your area makes on average $125,643 per year, or $4,436 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $130,079. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Freelancer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Freelancer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Freelancer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Freelancer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Freelancer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Maywood, CA, and Spearfish, SD, close behind in the second and third positions. Spearfish, SD, beats the national average by $196,999 (151.4%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $234,130 (180.0%) above the $130,079 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Freelancer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 17% between Pennington County, SD, and Kalamazoo, MI, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Freelancer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Pennington County, SD

    $364,209

    $175.10

    Maywood, CA

    $344,319

    $165.54

    Spearfish, SD

    $327,078

    $157.25

    Reading, PA

    $322,975

    $155.28

    Miramar, FL

    $320,912

    $154.28

    Radnor, PA

    $315,781

    $151.82

    Mansfield, OH

    $315,757

    $151.81

    Akron, OH

    $309,863

    $148.97

    Jefferson County, KY

    $309,584

    $148.84

    Kalamazoo, MI

    $305,248

    $146.75

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Freelancer Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Freelancer job category, we found that Freelance Job jobs have average salaries similar than Freelancer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Freelance Job

    $99,230

    $47.71

    Video Design

    $88,303

    $42.45

    Freelance Communications Consultant

    $81,198

    $39.04

    Freelance Contractor

    $47,772

    $22.97

    Dubbing

    $44,921

    $21.60

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Freelancer salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $130,079 per year or $62.54 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.