Freelance Rates Survey Results
November 21, 2009 by Lillie
A few weeks ago, I discovered that freelance editing rates is the most popular search term people use to find this blog and the most popular post is How Much Will It Cost? Average Freelance Editing Rates. I decided to update the information in a new series and created an online survey to gather information.
The results of the survey are available as a PDF download. Only 45 people responded, and most of them were writers rather than editors. I’m not sure how statistically significant the results are, but political polls make headlines with only a thousand or two responses representing millions of voters.
The report includes the following:
- The data as compiled by Survey Monkey: each question with the number of responses and the corresponding percentage for each multiple choice answer
- Comments submitted on each question
- A summary of the results by the length of time the respondents have freelanced—the time frames were compressed in the report because of the small number of respondents
- Charts showing the breakdown for the length of time (5 or fewer years, 5 to 15 years, and more than 15 years) and for the kind of freelancer (writer, editor, writer-editor)
Highlights of the results:
- There is a wide range in freelance prices, from less than $5/hour to more than $150/hour.
- The results are skewed toward less experienced freelancers. Nearly 1/4 of the respondents have freelanced 1 to 5 years part-time; more than 15% have freelanced less than 1 year part-time.
- More than half are primarily Web writers; only 1 is an editor only; 7 are writer-editors.
- Regular clients and referrals are the primary ways the respondents find work, but other sources are also important.
- About 22% charge an hourly rate; an equal number charge by the project.
- Three respondents charge less than $5/hour. Two charge $100 to $125/hour, and one charges more than $150/hour. The most popular rate is $20 to $30/hour.
- Rates seemed more closely correlated to length of time freelancing than whether the freelancer is part-time or full-time. All those charging less than $5/hour are part-timers who have freelanced less than 5 years. The writer who charges more than $150/hour is also a part-timer (10 to 15 years as a freelancer).
- Nearly 2/3 require clients to request a quote and do not post their rates.
I’m not a statistician; in fact, I’m not even good at math. Let me know if you find an error in the report.
Look over the survey results. Do you think the numbers have any statistical validity? Did anything either surprise you or validate your current ideas about freelance rates? Is there anything in the results useful to you, either as a freelancer setting your own prices or as a client wondering how much work will cost? Please leave your thoughts in a comment.
In the next installment in this series (in a week or two), I’ll discuss how to go about setting prices.
Updated 12/3/09 with two points:
- I have become extremely busy and don’t have time to devote to the research and writing needed to continue this series right away. The series will resume in January.
- One question I did not ask that I should have was where the freelancer was located. Someone suggested that I can look up the IP addresses of the respondents and correlate them to a country. I will attempt to do that when I have more time. Perhaps that will give a better picture—$5/hour is less than minimum wage in the US but is respectable pay in some parts of the world.
Hi Lillie, I responded to the survey and am surprised more did not. While the sample is small it does validate that new freelancers charge far less than experienced. In my own experience, new freelancers lack the confidence or business savvy to set prices that represent a fair living wage. I’ve been around long enough to prefer working with fewer clients at higher prices but admittedly it takes courage to own your value and stick to your price points. Thanks for conducting the survey and sharing the results!
.-= Karen Swim @Marketing Consulting´s last blog ..What Story are You Writing? =-.
Karen,
I had hoped for more participation from experienced freelancers, but it didn’t happen. I’m going to write more about pricing strategies.
Seeing how the survey skews toward newer and less experienced freelancers, it’s not surprising that the average hourly rate is a little on the low side. Thanks for compiling this.
.-= Michael Kwan @ Freelance Writer´s last blog ..Working at Home = Urban Cabin Fever? =-.
Michael,
Everyone tends to charge less when they start out, and they should because they don’t have the experience to justify a higher price. But I started at $40/hour more than 13 years ago, so I was flabbergasted to see some people actually charging less than $5/hour.
I’m not sure of the validity of the statistics, but I find it interesting. I have to believe that the average rate will only go up over time ad demand for free lancers increases.
Eric,
I think the average would have been higher if the survey hadn’t been so skewed to beginning writers.
Unfortunately, I must have missed this survey
I agree that perhaps the results are slightly skewed towards more inexperienced writers, but in terms of online writers, I am not so sure that this wouldn’t actually be representative of the field. That is, I know/see many more people who are very new to writing, than I do those who have been at it for many years.
Deviating slightly, in my experience the influx of newer writers in many ways is responsible for bringing down rates and leading publishers to have unrealistic expectations //end rant
.-= Steve@Lift Chairs´s last blog ..Senior Health: Osteoporosis and Arthritis =-.
Steve,
I’m sorry you missed it. The final announcement of the survey was shortly after you started leaving comments on my blog.
You are probably right about the survey representing online writers. I had hoped to get more participation from writers of all kinds, both online and offline, but maybe offline writers don’t frequent blogs that much.
Wow! That is a huge range, but I’m happy to see people are charging up to $150. I am making more than ever freelancing, which is pretty great for the recession.
C,
Glad to hear you’re doing well. Writers can make a good living freelancing.
I suppose those experienced freelancer were so busy, they weren’t able to fill up the forms. On the other hand, it seemed that the amount paid begets the kind of writing ability of a freelancer. Of course, quality is what matters. Although sometimes, there are beginners who can demand higher pay provided he/she has what it takes for such amount.
.-= Jeff@Avoid foreclosure in Las Vegas´s last blog ..Hard times for Hi-Rise lender =-.
Jeff,
Maybe my readership skews more toward inexperienced writers.
Those are interesting results and I have to agree with Steve@Lift Chairs. I am an online writer and not a freelancer. I have been doing this for almost two years now as a part time job (which always tends to go full time due to the work load) and my average rate is somewhere between $5 and $10 per hour. I didn’t know until now that I could earn more if I simply go freelance. You’re right, I didn’t trust myself much.
Jenny,
You usually need to make more money if you freelance than if you are an employee. When you work for someone else, they generally provide you a work place, computer, office supplies, and other materials. They may provide benefits like insurance and certainly pay payroll taxes (at least in the US and I suspect in most other countries). When you freelance, you are responsible for all those expenses yourself. I’ll be talking about this more in the next installment of the series.
That’s a wide range of rates, Lillie. I have two bands of rates myself – an hourly rate and a per-item rate, which is roughly based on the hourly rate. It’s interesting to hear that people are charging as much as $150 an hour – maybe my next rates increase won’t hit clients that hard.
.-= Sharon Hurley Hall´s last blog ..Writing Pay – How Low Will You Go? =-.
Sharon,
Yes, that $150/hour is a goal to strive for.
Freelance is a great way to earn money because this is the only place where you don’t have to go any where. If you are having knowledge then just take work from here. Anyways keep it up and keep continue.
Rock,
Freelance is a great way to make a living, but it isn’t easy getting started and finding clients. Some people work better when they receive direction from others, so it’s important to make sure you have the personality to freelance.
Thanks for the compilation Lillie! Now, i had already an idea for my rates in freelancing..
I’m glad you found this helpful, Jackie.
Thanks, Lillie, for pulling all the responses together. If time permits, maybe you could re-post the survey yearly? That way, people who missed it this time around might catch it next time–and, too, you might be able to get a sense of how things change over time.
Next year, I’ll be more than happy to add my votes to your survey; I didn’t this year because, having only just hung out my freelance shingle, I had nothing to report!
Regarding the actual numbers… I have to say I was shocked that *anyone* would be willing to accept freelance pay at $5/hour. Since you have to set aside 30% of that for taxes… that works out to barely what you’d earn busing tables in a restaurant. I understand the desire to “earn money doing what you love” but working for that kind of pay isn’t really working for *pay* in my book.
.-= Leanne@AcademicEditor’sDesk´s last blog ..Ask the Editor: When should I follow up on my submission? =-.
Leanne,
I’ll consider repeating this yearly—or at least on some kind of schedule.
Regarding the actual rates, the one question I didn’t ask that I should have was where the freelancer was located. In some parts of the world, $5/hour compares to a much higher rate in the US and other Western countries. Someone suggested I might be able to find the IP addresses related to each response and make a reasonable determination of where the freelancer is located. I have not had the time to dig that deep yet, but I will try to do so.
It is understandable that freelancers set their rates based on the cost of living and living standards in their own country. However, it does make it difficult for those in countries with higher costs of living to compete price-wise.
One thing that can be pointed out, though, is that in many—though certainly not all—cases a freelancer for whom English is not their native tongue does not write as well in English as a native-born speaker. I can’t even speak another language fluently, much less write professionally (or even non-professionally) in another language, so I understand. On the other hand, I would never try to pass myself off as a writer in another language.
You’re right of course, about the language/location issue. Being here in the US I was commenting from the assumption that we are talking about US-based writers. Even so, it would be interesting to see the geographic variation from, say, NY to Kansas to California as well as the variation around the world.
.-= Leanne@AcademicEditor’sDesk´s last blog ..The Not-So-High Cost of Academic Books =-.
Leanne,
If/when I do the survey again, I will definitely ask freelancers where they are located, both country and region.
Given that may of the freelancers participating in the survey are online based, it doesn’t suprise me at all. As an example there’s a little known site on the web that allows you to hire a freelancer from anywhere in the world. I’m based in the UK and a number of my sites have freelancers working on them in the Phillipines, at less than $3.00 per hour. My fear is that such low rates, although a considerable wage in the Phillipines, will ultimately been seen as competition by others in higher paid countries. Could this be a reason why some are charging $5.00 per hour?
.-= Richard the recycler´s last blog ..IT-Green granted WEEE AATF license for computer/ electronics recycling =-.
Richard,
You make an excellent point. I should have asked where the freelancer was located. Someone suggested that, but the survey was already open and had responses, so I didn’t want to make any changes to the questions at that point. I am going to try to get an idea from the IP addresses of the responders of where they are locate.
Yes Lillie, i agree with you next time please ask for there location. As i have experience, I have a freelancer in the Philippines his rate is only $ 2.0-3.0/hr. I think it is already enough for them. I can say they are trustworthy, Dedicated and got quality of work!
Trina,
If I do the survey again, I’ll definitely include the location question.
i am also interested for freelance writing jobs at $5 per hour
myakub,
It appears that you are in Bangladesh. Is that correct? Does writing for $5/hour provide an adequate income based on the cost of living there?
I’m glad that you did this survey. This sort of information is really needed.
Hopefully, others will take the initiative and conduct similar surveys so that we can have a range of accurate information.
Laura,
Yes, we definitely need more of this kind of information. Many writers don’t know what others charge so they have no idea if their prices are realistic or not.
[...] posts weren’t considered because they didn’t contain anything original from me. The freelance rates survey took a huge amount of time and energy to compile. Recognition of special days, such as World [...]
I loved the detailed outline of this article. Freelancing is a tough gig if you’re unable to find the right niche. It’s a case of finding something comfortable that pays moderately well without the whole scam attached to the backside.
Kyle,
I only wish I’d had more response to the survey to have more complete information.
I would imagine one worry of using freelance writers is originality. Wouldn’t it be a concern that they are just rehashing variations of already written content to several clients ?
jeff,
That’s like asking “Wouldn’t it be a concern that the doctor is just using the same diagnosis that he used for previous patients?” While there may be unethical writers who “just rehash …”, a freelancer cannot stay in business without providing a valuable service. Check references. Read the writer’s blog and website. Ask for samples of the writer’s work. That doesn’t mean asking them to write samples exclusively for you but asking to read other material they have written. If you don’t think the writer’s work is original or if you just don’t like the style, look for another writer.
On the other hand, repurposing previously written content does not necessarily indicate a lack of originality. There are only a handful of plots in fiction, but one basic plot can be written into thousands or millions of different ways. It’s said that you can tell a dozen writers to write about a specific situation, and you’ll get a dozen totally different stories.
The writer can use information they’ve included in other articles but approach the assignment from a different perspective that benefits your company and is fresh and original reading. After all, if your purpose is to educate people about something, you have to use existing information. It’s how the information is presented that makes the original or stale.
I live in bangladesha and based on the cost of living I would say $5 per hour is reasonable. I have been working as a freelance writer for two years and now I get a lot more than that. But $5 is really a good rate for anyone living in Bangladesh. I understand that it is nowhere near reasonable for People living in US. But that is the reason for outsourcing, isn’t it? To offer a platform that is profitable for both parties.
Tarik@freelancing in Bangladesh recently posted..Freelancing in Bangladesh
Tarik,
I wish you success, and I’m glad people in developing countries have the opportunity to earn money from clients around the world.
In many cases, however, I believe writers for whom English is a second language may not be as effective as a native speaker because they don’t understand the syntax of the language and they don’t know the idioms. The client has to evaluate the writing and the price and determine which freelancer gives the best value to meet the client’s needs.
My reasonable budget is $15/hour for copywriting. That’s what i expect to pay when i have a project. The creative and quality content writer may always cost more. After all you get what you pay for.
Kim,
If you get what you pay for, the quality of my work is more than five times the quality of yours.
I doubt that is the case. You don’t mention where you live, but I wonder if it somewhere other than the US. I don’t see how anyone can afford to operate a freelance writing business charging only $15/hour. How can you pay your labor costs (your own pay); cover your business expenses such as phone, computer, office supplies, and more; and still make a profit … all for $15/hour?
Looking into the location of the respondents makes sense. There are very few who will charge around $5 an hour for a freelance project in the US for sure. The rates highly depends on the location. In some countries for example, there are people who have been doing freelance work for years but have not charged more than $10 an hour.
Jane,
Failing to ask for location was the major failing of the survey. It would have been useful information.