Gig Economy Statistics in the U.S.

The U.S. gig economy is evolving rapidly and reshaping how people earn a living. From ride-sharing and food delivery to freelance consulting or property rentals, gig work offers flexibility and autonomy, but it also presents new challenges.

As digital platforms become more embedded in daily life, millions are turning to gig work as a primary or supplementary source of income. This shift reflects broader trends in remote work, technological adoption, and the demand for flexible employment.

Find out how big the economy is, how many Americans participate in freelancing, and whether it serves as a full-time role for most. Read on for the latest statistics on the gig economy.

Key findings

The most recent available data show that 64 million Americans perform freelance work, making up 38% of the workforce, which is four million more than the previous count.[1]
The gig economy contributed $1.5 trillion (5% of the total economy) to the U.S. economy in 2024, from high-skill freelancers alone, an 18% rise from the total contribution ($1.27 trillion) the previous year.[2]
Search interest in “gig work” has increased by 548% since 2019, showing a surge in public awareness and participation.
Transportation-based gig work leads the market, generating $61.3 billion in global disbursements, 90% of which comes from ride-sharing platforms like Uber, Lyft, Grab, Postmates, and Instacart.[3]
Uber is the largest gig economy platform globally, with approximately 7.8 million drivers and couriers using it for extra or sole income, according to recent data.[3]
Most gig workers do not treat their work as full-time employment. 96% work fewer than 35 hours per week, and 70% work under five.[4]

What is the gig economy?

The gig economy is a labor market where individuals earn income by performing short-term, flexible jobs. Gigs are typically arranged through digital platforms, such as apps and websites, and are task-based and independent, where a person earns a fee per job rather than a fixed salary or traditional employment model.

Many of us have used these services by calling freelance taxi drivers, booking a holiday rental, or ordering food through apps.[5]

How big is the gig economy in the U.S.?

The gig economy continues to grow, with 64 million Americans performing some form of freelance work in 2023. That accounts for 38% of the U.S. workforce, an increase of four million from the previous year. This growth reflects a broader shift toward flexible, non-traditional work arrangements, driven by rising demand for autonomy, remote work, and digital platforms that connect clients with skilled workers.

Due to the nature of gig work, it can be challenging to pinpoint the exact number of different gig workers, as some skilled workers only seek short-term work, while others use it as a means to earn additional income.[1]

How many people do freelance work?

Freelancers now comprise a significant portion of the workforce. That number has increased every year since 2018 and is expected to continue rising through 2027.[6][7]

Source: [6]

The number of U.S. freelance workers has grown steadily, rising from 59.7 million in 2018 to 73.3 million in 2023, with projections reaching 86.5 million by 2027. This reflects a long-term shift toward flexible work, driven by digital platforms and remote access.

How much do gig workers contribute to the economy?

In 2023, freelancers contributed $1.27 trillion to the U.S. economy in annual earnings. This figure encompasses all types of freelance work, offering the most comprehensive view of gig economy output currently available.

Over the past decade, total freelance earnings rose by 78% from $715 billion in 2014. By 2024, knowledge-based freelancers alone generated $1.5 trillion, an 18% increase in just one year. That figure accounts for around 5% of the total U.S. economy, which was valued at $29.2 trillion in 2024. This sharp rise in high-skill freelance work suggests the full gig economy now contributes even more than previously measured.[1][2][8]

Increase in searches for gig work

Search interest in “gig work” has continued to grow in the U.S. since 2019, rising from 1,381 monthly searches in 2019 to 8,947 in 2025, a 548% increase. This reflects a growing awareness of gig work and those who may be seeking employment.

There has been a steady rise in search volume for the term “gig work” every year since 2019, except for 2021, which may be attributed to the economic impact of COVID-19. Every other year shows a steady climb.

Data note: Search volume was assessed using Ahrefs, analysing data on July 1st of each year.

What type of work do gig workers do in the U.S.?

Gig workers in the U.S. perform a wide variety of roles, from physical service jobs to high-skill freelance work. Gigs include driving passengers, delivering food orders, short-term property rentals, tutoring, teaching, acting, and writing. Some roles are arranged through temporary agencies, while others are self-sourced or found through digital platforms.

The Federal Reserve adds that many gig workers also earn money by selling items or renting assets, while a smaller portion use digital platforms for task-based work. These platforms are most commonly used for driving and delivery jobs, placing a significant share of U.S. gig work within app-based service industries, such as those offered by Deliveroo or Uber.[4]

Transportation-based gig work is the largest segment

Transportation-based services accounted for $61.3 billion in disbursements, the highest of any gig work category. These on-demand platforms connect users with ride-sharing, carpooling, restaurant delivery, and goods delivery jobs. Ride-sharing made up 90% of disbursements within this sector. Leading platforms include Uber, Grab, Lyft, Postmates, and Instacart, which together dominate the global gig mobility space.[9] In fact, Uber is the largest gig economy platform, providing around 7.8 million drivers with income.[3]

Asset-sharing services

Asset-sharing platforms ranked second, with $52.7 billion in disbursements. These platforms allow gig workers to monetise property and other assets, most commonly through short-term rentals. Airbnb is the best-known example, facilitating peer-to-peer accommodation at scale. While this category includes fewer workers, disbursements remain high due to larger individual transaction values.[9]

Household services and handmade goods

Household and handmade service platforms generated $14.1 billion in disbursements. This category includes apps that help users find cleaners, handypeople, pet sitters, and custom goods creators. Examples include TaskRabbit, Handy, and Etsy. While not as dominant as transportation or asset-sharing, these platforms remain a key source of income for many skilled independent workers.[8]

Professional services

Professional service platforms contributed $6 billion in disbursements. These platforms specialise in high-skill, business-related work such as writing, design, consulting, or software development. Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are leading platforms in this space. Although disbursement volume is lower, these platforms support skilled freelancers and contract professionals across a wide range of industries.[9]

Source: [9]

Digital platforms for gig workers

Approximately 4.4% of U.S. adults have used digital platforms such as Uber, Fiverr, or Airbnb for income in the past six months, according to nationally representative survey data from EPOP (2021–2022) by NORC at the University of Chicago.[10]

This includes 1.6% who use platforms as their main job and 2.8% who do so occasionally.

These digital platforms may include the following:

Uber
Lyft
Deliveroo
DoorDash
Upwork
Fiverr
Peopleperhour
Freelancer
Airbnb
Amazon Flex
Spark
Roadie
Favor
Shipt

Who works in the gig economy?

Research shows that the gig economy is mostly made up of men under the age of 30, although there’s a bigger representation of women in gig work compared to the broader workforce.

Gig workers by gender

The majority of gig workers are men, accounting for 58% of the online gig economy, while women make up 42%. This breakdown comes from a 2021 World Bank survey of 956 online gig workers across 17 countries, with 554 men and 402 women participating in the study.

However, women’s representation in gig work exceeds their share of the overall labor force, which stood at 39.7% in 2021.[11][12]

Source: [11]

Gig workers by age

Younger adults are far more likely to have earned money through gig work, with nearly one-third (30%) of those aged 18-29 having done so, compared to 18% of those aged 30-49, 13% of those aged 50-64, and just 7% of those aged 65 and over.

These percentages do not total 100% because they represent the share of people within each age group who reported earning money through gig platforms, not the overall age breakdown of all gig workers. The steady decline across age brackets shows that gig work is significantly more common among younger adults, particularly those under 30.[13]

Source: [13]

How many hours do Americans work in the gig economy?

The majority of Americans who participate in gig work do so on a part-time basis. Around 96% of gig workers spend fewer than 35 hours per week on these activities, while 70% work fewer than 5 hours per week. Full-time engagement is uncommon, with most treating gig work as an occasional or supplemental source of income.

With the majority of gig workers spending less than five hours working freelance, it can be challenging to fully understand all of the statistics around the economy. In fact, only just over one-fifth (21%) consider it their primary job, showing that most rely on other income sources. This reinforces that gig work is often looked at as a part-time or supplementary income.

Many choose limited hours due to the flexibility that gig work can offer. Flexibility and control over schedule are the top reasons for participating in gig work, outweighing financial necessity alone. [4]

Reasons for doing gig and independent work

As gig and independent work continue to expand, understanding why people choose this type of employment is increasingly important.

While some do it for flexibility and autonomy, others turn to it out of necessity, stating that they do gig or freelance work to support their basic family needs. Nearly one-fifth (19.2%) of workers reported doing it for additional discretionary income, which again supports the notion that many use this type of work to support their households.

Although some use gig work as a source of additional income or for basic needs, there is still a significant portion that enjoy the work (24.7%) and others that choose this type of work for the freedom that it allows, with 24.9% of McKinsey survey respondents saying they do gig work for the autonomy and flexibility that it offers.[13]

Source: [13]

The challenges of gig work

Despite the appeal, many gig workers face considerable challenges. According to McKinsey, only 32% of independent workers receive health insurance through their employer or a union, compared to 50% of full-time, permanent employees. Many also struggle with access to nutritious food, stable housing, transportation, and childcare.

Financial insecurity is also a major issue. Gig workers often cover both employer and employee portions of Social Security taxes and must pay for their own tools, vehicles, or workspace. There’s no paid time off, and setting up retirement plans, disability cover, or unemployment insurance is more complicated and expensive than it is for traditional workers.

Because of these barriers, 62% of gig workers say they would prefer a permanent or non-contract job, despite the benefits that gig work can offer.[13]

Sources

Upwork. “Freelance Forward 2023 Research Report,” https://www.upwork.com/research/freelance-forward-2023-research-report. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Upwork. “Future Workforce Index 2025,” https://www.upwork.com/research/future-workforce-index-2025. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Backlinko. “Uber Users Statistics,” https://backlinko.com/uber-users. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Federal Reserve. “Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2024 – May 2025 Report,” https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2024-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202505.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2025.
World Economic Forum. “What Gig Economy Workers Need to Thrive,” https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/what-gig-economy-workers/. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Prosperity for America. “Freelance Statistics,” https://www.prosperityforamerica.org/freelance-statistics/. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Fortunly. “Gig Economy Statistics,” https://fortunly.com/statistics/gig-economy-statistics/. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Trading Economics. “United States GDP,” https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Mastercard. “Fueling the Global Gig Economy,” https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/public/mastercardcom/na/us/en/documents/mastercard-fueling-the-global-gig-economy-2020.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2025.
NORC. “The Online Platform-Based Gig Workforce in the U.S.,” https://epop.norc.org/content/dam/epop/media/publications/pdf/the-online-platform-based-gig-workforce-in-us.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2025.
World Bank. “Working Without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work,” https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/f7ba9f0f-c9cf-422b-9671-d6e76e941051/content. Accessed July 24, 2025.
Pew Research Center. “The State of Gig Work in 2021,” https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/12/08/the-state-of-gig-work-in-2021/. Accessed July 24, 2025.
McKinsey & Company. “Freelance, Side Hustles, and Gigs: Many More Americans Have Become Independent Workers,” https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/sustainable-inclusive-growth/future-of-america/freelance-side-hustles-and-gigs-many-more-americans-have-become-independent-workers. Accessed July 24, 2025.