Average Hourly Rates for Freelancers & Consultants (2024)

Freelancers are independent contractors hired to do a specific job for a client. The project is finished when the freelancer delivers their work and gets paid. Companies may choose to work with freelancers on a regular basis if they’ve developed a strong working relationship.

Consultants, on the other hand, are usually full-time employees employed by a consulting firm that external companies employ for expert advice or to plan and execute on long-term projects.

The work that consultants do has lasting impacts. Instead of solving a short-term problem, they give clients the tools and skills to get results for years to come. Because of this long-term value, consultants tend to earn more than freelancers.

According to Bonsai, a marketing consultant charges between $25 to $300 per hour, with $100 being the average.

Generally speaking, consultants earn higher average hourly wages ($40) than freelancers ($21) across all industries.

Freelancers are independent contractors hired to do a specific job for a client. The project is finished when the freelancer delivers their work and gets paid. Companies may choose to work with freelancers on a regular basis if they’ve developed a strong working relationship.

Consultants, on the other hand, are usually full-time employees employed by a consulting firm that external companies employ for expert advice or to plan and execute on long-term projects.

The work that consultants do has lasting impacts. Instead of solving a short-term problem, they give clients the tools and skills to get results for years to come. Because of this long-term value, consultants tend to earn more than freelancers.

According to Bonsai, a marketing consultant charges between $25 to $300 per hour, with $100 being the average.

Generally speaking, consultants earn higher average hourly wages ($40) than freelancers ($21) across all industries.

The average freelancer wage in 2024 is $48/hour, according to ZipRecruiter. 

However, the exact amount that freelancers charge varies depending on an array of factors. Read on for freelance rates sorted by country and region.

Freelancing and consulting hourly rates vary widely because many things affect how much that person charges. These include:

• Industry

• Location

• Skill level

• Education level

• Gender

• Reviews and proven deliverables

Statistics on "Average wage and salary in the U.S."

According to Statista, the average hourly earnings of all American workers have decreased from $11.22 in July 2021 to $11.15 in May 2024. For freelancers, the global average hourly rate is nearly double at $21 per hour. 

Of course, these rates vary by age. Millennials and Gen-Z represent nearly 70% of the global freelance workforce, but the top earners are between the ages of 55 and 64. Here’s a detailed breakdown of freelancer earnings by age: 

• 18-24 years: $16

• 25-34 years: $19

• 34-44 years: $24

• 45-54 years: $27

• 55-64 years: $36

• Over 65: $34

Payoneer explains that despite the fears of a global economic slowdown in 2023, 46% of the respondents saw an increase in demand for their work. Digital businesses saw one of the bigger increases, growing across borders with a need to augment their teams. 29% saw demand at the same level as last year.

Freelancers and consultants can work from anywhere in the world, but where they live still impacts how much they make. For instance, many English-speaking clients prefer to work with someone fluent in English. Freelancers based in English-speaking regions often charge more because of this preference.

Similarly, the cost of living in some countries is low compared to North America, meaning freelancers residing in those areas can afford to charge less.

According to a survey by YouTeam covering the wages of offshore developers, the average hourly rate of a software engineer in California is $57.07. In Eastern Europe and Latin America, you would pay less (anywhere between $30 to $47 per hour). The lowest hourly wages for the same level of expertise are in Asia ($24-$35) and Africa ($22-$30). However, the most expensive freelance software engineers are in Western Europe.

Location

Average freelancer salary by region

Here is a breakdown of average hourly freelancer earnings by region (in US dollars) from the 2023 Freelancer Insights Report:

A 2024 study from OnDeck found that male freelancers charge 26.4% more than their female counterparts. According to the 2023 Payoneer report, the gender pay gap is slightly smaller than the one reported last year (90 cents to $1), and it is also significantly smaller than the gap reported in the general population (77 cents to $1).

However, this gap fluctuates depending on the freelancer's location. Here’s how much freelancers who are women make compared to men on average around the world in 2022:

Hourly rates for freelance jobs vary based on the industry. For example, according to Upwork, an intermediate Android developer charges an average of $32 per hour, whereas an intermediate legal professional charges $66 per hour.

One of the many reasons for such differences is the oversaturation in specific fields, driving down pay. For example, freelancers and consultants who cash in on the demand for technical skills might find their income has declined as competition has increased.

The most appealing freelancer industries are web/graphic design, programming, and IT. By contrast, the most untapped field is finance.

Here is a list of the fields where freelancing is most prominent, according to the 2023 Freelancer Insights Report:

• Web & Graphic Design: 21%

• Other: 13%

• Content writing: 11%

• Programming: 9%

• Translation: 9%

• IT: 7%

• Marketing: 7%

• Multimedia production: 6%

• Administrative tasks: 6%

• Sales: 3%

• Customer support: 2%

• QA: 2%

• Finance: 2%

• Project management: 2%

Now, let’s look at how much freelancers make on average in the top 10 highest-paying fields:

• Finance: $41/hour

• Marketing: $34/hour

• Multimedia production: $33/hour

• IT: $29/hour

• Project management: $28/hour

• Other: $26/hour

• Programming: $25/hour

• Content writing: $24/hour

• HR: $22/hour

• Web and graphic design: $21/hour

According to Upwork, there was an increase in freelancers who held a postgraduate degree last year. In 2022, 1 in 4 (26%) freelancers hold a postgraduate degree, up from 1 in 5 in 2021.

• Freelancers with a high school diploma or less: 27%

• Freelancers with an associate degree: 25%

• Freelancers with a bachelor’s degree: 23%

• Freelancers with a postgraduate degree: 26%

Still, the freelancing field remains diverse in the scope of education levels.

According to Zippia, here is how hourly rates break down by level of education, on average, in 2023.

Freelancers and consultants worldwide charge average hourly rates depending on their location, freelance projects, experience level, desired income, industry, gender, and ratings. However, potential clients don't necessarily pay attention to diplomas and degrees. Instead, they focus on how much value the freelancer brings to their team and how many hours they work.

There’s an insignificant difference in the average hourly wage when comparing freelancers with postgraduate degrees to freelancers with just high school diplomas. This suggests that clients are most likely to hire freelancers who demonstrate their skills and pay a consistent market rate.

Freelancers in countries with a low cost of living charge less, especially if they are not native English speakers. Similarly, clients from developing countries have lower budgets for projects than those living in industrialized nations.

Unfortunately, the gender pay gap still exists between male and female freelancers and consultants. However, this has decreased in recent years and will hopefully continue.

But the good news is that The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows positive insights about the recent changes in the average hourly earnings of American workers overall.

How to pay freelancers

When considering hiring a freelancer, it's crucial to consider various factors, including freelancer rates and minimum hourly rates. While cost-efficiency is essential, it's equally important to recognize the value experienced freelancers bring.

Before finding a freelancer, set a budget and determine the minimum hourly rate or minimum acceptable rate for the task you’re looking to hire someone to help with. Then, determine the average hourly rate and set money aside in your budget. When you find a freelancer you would like to work with, ask them their freelance rates and determine if it fits your budget.

Use a time tracking tool

We’re obviously biased, but time tracking tools are among the best apps for freelancers is a huge help. Paying full-time employees is a challenge in its own right, but paying freelancers often leads you to make transactions in different currencies, different pay rates, or payroll tools. 

With Hubstaff, you can forget about calculating billable hours manually. Streamline payments with intuitive time tracking, seamlessly convert hours into automated timesheets, and set custom pay rates from this powerful time tracking app. You can also see real-time productivity data on each of your freelancers right from the Hubstaff Dashboard.