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Dallas clocks in as the 8th fastest-growing U.S. city for freelancers

More and more people in Dallas are working on their own schedules. Fiverr, a marketplace for connecting freelancers and new clients, released its fifth annual Freelance Economic Impact Report, ranking Dallas as the eighth fastest-growing city for freelancers.
According to the report, 177,556 independent workers in Dallas made about $7.6 billion in 2021. This, compared to the city's pool of 119,636 freelance workers who made about $4.6 billion 10 years ago, in 2011.
Austin was the highest-ranking city in Texas, at No. 4. Austin's 77,262-person independent workforce earned $3.4 billion in 2021, compared to approximately 57,000 independent workers who made $2.3 billion just five years ago, in 2016.
Houston landed at No. 10 on the list. About 144,000 freelance workers in Houston made $6.6 billion in 2021.
This means per-capita revenue was similar in all three top-10 Texas cities, with Houston leading (around $46,000), and Austin and Dallas trailing very close together (around $44,000 and $43,000, respectively).
In Dallas, creatives represented the smallest portion (17.5 percent) of the city’s freelance revenue last year. Skilled professional services made up the largest portion (53 percent), followed by skilled technical services (29 percent).
Professional workers, as a whole, earned more than those in other fields in 2021, as follows:
- Creative workers: $725,249,903
- Technical workers: $3,002,880,686
- Professional workers: $3,918,657,199
Joining the Austin, Dallas, and Houston in the top 10 fastest-growing cities for freelancers were:
1. Orlando, Florida
2. Nashville, Tennessee
3. Miami, Florida
5. Tampa, Florida
6. Las Vegas, Nevada
7. Charlotte, North Carolina
9. Portland, Oregon
Although on the surface the report focuses on geography, it collected data that shows eight out of 10 freelancers believe they can live anywhere and work anytime. However, fewer than half reported that it was “a primary factor” in becoming freelancers, and a third said that work was “a primary influence” in their choice of location.
Most important, 70 percent of respondents said they were “highly satisfied” with working independently.