15 Cities With the Most Self-Employed Workers

baranq / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This tale at first gave the impression on Self.
Prior to the pandemic, self-employment was once at the decline and were falling since 2004. When the commercial shutdown befell within the spring of 2020, just about 22 million staff misplaced their jobs and the self-employment price rose to ten.5%.
The following yr, staff started quitting their jobs on the absolute best charges because the Great Recession, and because of this, the self-employment price held secure as a few of the ones staff sought to begin companies.
While some industries and occupations have a lot upper charges of self-employment, all trade sectors noticed will increase of their self-employment charges when put next with pre-pandemic ranges.
Manufacturing has the smallest self-employment price, however noticed the biggest building up in overall self-employed staff at 13.3%. Similarly, the finance trade noticed a 7.0% building up within the overall selection of self-employed staff.
These trade variations in self-employment additionally create regional variations.
To in finding the metropolitan spaces with essentially the most self-employed staff, researchers on behalf of Self Financial analyzed the most recent knowledge from the U.S. Census Bureau. Find main points on our method on the finish.
Here are the U.S. metropolitan spaces with essentially the most self-employed staff.
15. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Nate Hovee / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.4%
- Total self-employed staff: 350,713
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $50,000
- Population: 7,206,841
14. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.5%
- Total self-employed staff: 126,262
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $45,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $45,000
- Population: 2,601,788
13. Oklahoma City, OK
Natalia Bratslavsky / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.6%
- Total self-employed staff: 72,666
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $40,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $45,000
- Population: 1,441,647
12. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.6%
- Total self-employed staff: 323,989
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $54,000
- Population: 6,144,050
11. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.9%
- Total self-employed staff: 137,893
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $59,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $60,000
- Population: 2,511,612
10. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Kevin Ruck / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.9%
- Total self-employed staff: 177,204
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $62,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $60,000
- Population: 2,972,566
9. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
Bertl123 / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 10.9%
- Total self-employed staff: 256,567
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $70,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $82,000
- Population: 4,623,264
8. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Tim Roberts Photography / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.0%
- Total self-employed staff: 62,112
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $48,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $50,000
- Population: 1,261,726
7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.0%
- Total self-employed staff: 169,080
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $52,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $59,000
- Population: 3,286,069
6. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
Silvio Ligutti / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.2%
- Total self-employed staff: 142,711
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $60,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $60,000
- Population: 2,352,426
5. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
songquan-deng / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.2%
- Total self-employed staff: 145,480
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $45,000
- Population: 2,691,925
4. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
kevin-j-king / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.5%
- Total self-employed staff: 175,962
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $48,000
- Population: 3,219,514
3. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN
jdross75 / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 11.6%
- Total self-employed staff: 120,898
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $50,000
- Population: 2,012,476
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 13.2%
- Total self-employed staff: 820,969
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $50,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $53,000
- Population: 12,997,353
1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
GagliardiImages / Shutterstock.com
- Percentage of staff who’re self-employed: 15.8%
- Total self-employed staff: 468,070
- Median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff: $40,000
- Median source of revenue for all full-time staff: $44,200
- Population: 6,091,747
Methodology
Wright Studio / Shutterstock.com
To in finding the metropolitan spaces with essentially the most self-employed staff, researchers on behalf of Self Financial analyzed the most recent knowledge from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.
The researchers ranked metro spaces in keeping with the share of staff who’re self-employed. In the development of a tie, the metro with the bigger selection of self-employed staff was once ranked upper.
Researchers additionally calculated the median source of revenue for full-time self-employed staff and the median source of revenue for all full-time staff the use of knowledge from 2020, the most recent to be had.
To support relevance, best metropolitan spaces with a minimum of 100,000 other people had been integrated within the research.