Freelance writing spans several markets, from general writing and copywriting to journalism. In the United States, self-employed workers represented 65% of writers and authors in 2025, while UK surveys show wide differences between copywriting and journalism income. The figures below keep those occupations, countries, currencies, and measurement periods separate.
Contents
- How large is the freelance writing occupation?
- What do writers and authors earn?
- How much do freelance copywriters charge?
- Who works in freelance copywriting?
- How do freelance writers find clients?
- How is generative AI being used?
- What do freelance journalism earnings show?
How large is the freelance writing occupation?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 140,300 writers and authors jobs in 2025. That occupation includes more than freelance work, but its employment mix provides an important indicator of how substantial independent writing is: self-employed workers accounted for 65% of U.S. writers and authors jobs in 2025. The BLS notes that its wage estimates exclude self-employed workers from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics collection, so employment and pay figures should not be treated as directly interchangeable. BLS, Writers and Authors
The occupation is distributed across several industries. Professional, scientific, and technical services employed 9% of U.S. writers and authors in 2025, while the information sector employed 8%. Educational services accounted for 3%, and religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations accounted for 2%. These percentages describe the industry distribution reported for the occupation, not the share of all freelancers working in each industry. BLS, Writers and Authors
Employment outlook
The BLS projects 139,900 writers-and-authors jobs in 2035, compared with 140,300 in 2025. That is a projected numeric decline of 500 jobs and a projected employment change of 0% over 2025–2035. At the same time, the BLS projects about 11,900 openings for writers and authors per year on average from 2025 through 2035. The openings figure is a flow of opportunities over the period; it does not mean the occupation is projected to add 11,900 net jobs each year. BLS, Writers and Authors
What do writers and authors earn?
For the broader U.S. writers-and-authors occupation, the median annual wage was $76,910 in May 2025. The corresponding median hourly wage was $36.98. Because the BLS wage collection excludes self-employed workers, these are occupation-wide employee wage benchmarks rather than a direct freelance-rate survey. BLS, Writers and Authors
The distribution is broad. In May 2025, the lowest-paid 10% of U.S. writers and authors earned less than $44,310 annually, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $139,870. The gap between those thresholds shows why a single median can hide substantial differences in specialization, employment arrangement, experience, and market.
Within religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations, the median annual wage was $80,480 in May 2025. That industry-specific figure is higher than the overall occupational median, but it still describes employees covered by the wage estimate rather than self-employed writers. The BLS source does not provide a freelance-only U.S. median in these figures. BLS, Writers and Authors
| U.S. writers and authors benchmark | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $76,910 |
| Median hourly wage, May 2025 | $36.98 |
| Lowest-paid 10% threshold | Less than $44,310 annually |
| Highest-paid 10% threshold | More than $139,870 annually |
| Median in selected civic and professional organizations | $80,480 annually |
How much do freelance copywriters charge?
The ProCopywriters Survey 2024 gives a UK-centered view of freelance copywriting rates. Respondents reported an average freelance copywriter day rate of £440 in 2024. That was up from £433 in 2023, £387 in 2021, and £379 in 2020. These are reported survey averages, not universal market prices or guaranteed earnings. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
Project pricing was the most common charging model in the 2024 survey: 56% of freelance copywriters charged by project fee. Another 38% charged a daily or hourly rate, while 1.3% charged per word. The categories show that freelance copywriting is commonly sold as a defined deliverable or block of time rather than through a single per-word standard.
Rate changes were not uniform. In 2024, 28% of freelance copywriters said they increased their rates annually, while 66% increased them infrequently. The two figures describe reported rate-setting patterns in the survey and should not be read as a complete distribution of every respondent’s pricing behavior. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
The survey also reported similar average gross copywriting income by gender for 2023. Female freelance copywriters reported £57,520, compared with £57,418 for male freelance copywriters. ProCopywriters reported the resulting gender pay gap as less than 1% in the 2024 survey. These are gross copywriting-income figures for survey respondents, not hourly rates or after-tax personal income. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
Who works in freelance copywriting?
The ProCopywriters sample was experienced and geographically concentrated. The average respondent age was 45 in 2024; the youngest respondent was 20 and the oldest was 77. Respondents based in England made up 79% of the sample, while international respondents made up 14%. Because this was a voluntary UK-centered survey, its participant profile is not a census of all freelance writers worldwide. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
Women represented 71% of respondents and men represented 28%. Freelancers represented 67% of the employment-model respondents. The survey therefore offers useful detail about people doing copywriting work, but the percentages should be interpreted as the composition of this respondent group rather than as population estimates for the entire profession.
Work types were varied. Marketing materials and content were part of the work of 86% of respondents in 2024. Digital and SEO writing were part of the work of 58%. Those figures overlap: a respondent could work in both areas, so they should not be added together to create a total share.
How do freelance writers find clients?
Word of mouth was a client source for 89% of ProCopywriters respondents in 2024, making it the most widely reported source in the survey. LinkedIn was a client source for 64%, networking events for 39%, and natural-search website traffic for 31%. These are overlapping channels rather than mutually exclusive alternatives; a single copywriter could use several of them. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
| Reported client source | Share of respondents, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Word of mouth | 89% |
| 64% | |
| Networking events | 39% |
| Natural-search website traffic | 31% |
Lead qualification also relied heavily on human judgment. Judgment based on initial communications was used by 92% of respondents to qualify leads, while 61% checked a prospect’s websites and social posts. These figures describe reported practices, not the conversion rate or profitability of any channel.
How is generative AI being used?
Generative AI was used in copywriting work by 59% of ProCopywriters respondents in 2024. However, AI-produced copy appeared in finished client or stakeholder work for 19%. The difference indicates that using an AI tool during a workflow was more common than allowing AI-produced copy to appear in the finished work, although the survey figures alone do not explain each respondent’s editing process.
Clients were aware of AI’s role in the work for 51% of respondents. Among respondents who used AI tools, ChatGPT was used by 84%. These measures have different denominators: the 59% figure covers copywriting respondents, the 51% figure concerns client awareness among respondents, and the ChatGPT figure concerns respondents who used AI tools. ProCopywriters Survey 2024
What do freelance journalism earnings show?
Freelance journalism is a distinct market from copywriting and general writers-and-authors employment. A CREATe survey of UK-based freelance journalists reported typical annual freelance-journalism income of £17,500 for journalists whose primary occupation was freelance journalism in the tax year ending 5 April 2023. Additional paid work raised typical annual income for that group to £25,500, while typical overall household income was £45,000. The primary-occupation subgroup spent at least 50% of working time on freelance journalism. Freelance journalists: A survey of earnings, contracts, and copyright
Journalists whose only occupation was freelance journalism reported typical annual income of £27,000 for the same tax year. The figures are different measures: one describes freelance-journalism income for the primary-occupation group, one adds other paid work, one reports household income, and one focuses on journalists with no other occupation.
Income was concentrated among the highest earners. The top 10% of freelance-journalism earners received 37.31% of total freelance-journalism earnings, while the top 1% received 7.69%. These shares describe the distribution reported in the 2023 report data and do not represent the income share of freelance writers across all sectors.
The survey found that arts and entertainment was the primary journalism area for 23% of primary-occupation freelance journalists. Writing was the main journalistic activity for 60% of surveyed freelance journalists. National publications were the main outlet for 60%, compared with 7% whose main outlet was local publications. Freelance journalists: A survey of earnings, contracts, and copyright
Contracts and copyright
Contract status was associated with different typical earnings in the survey. Primary-occupation freelance journalists with custom contracts reported typical earnings of £22,500, compared with £17,323 for those with no contract. Informal contracts were used by 65% of primary-occupation freelance journalists, while 40% reported no contract. These categories may overlap in how respondents understood and reported their arrangements, so they are not a complete additive breakdown.
Copyright and negotiating terms were also common parts of the working relationship. A copyright-assignation clause had been signed by 43% of primary-occupation freelance journalists, and 47% of surveyed freelance journalists had signed an exclusivity clause. Contract changes or negotiations had been attempted by 59% of surveyed freelance journalists. The CREATe results are UK-based survey statistics from 2023 reporting, not a global estimate of freelance journalism conditions. Freelance journalists: A survey of earnings, contracts, and copyright