Florida has long been a hub for those settling into retirement, and it’s also becoming a destination for freelancers and other independent workers.
A recent report from freelance platform Fiverr and market research firm Illuminas showed which big US cities have seen the biggest estimated changes in independent professionals from 2019 to 2024 using government data. The report said since the most recent available data was for 2023, Illuminas estimated the 2024 figures “based on more recent macroeconomic data.”
Michelle Baltrusitis, head of community at Fiverr, said there’s been a “freelancing boom” in major Sun Belt cities. Orlando and Miami had the highest growth in independent professionals among 30 large US metro areas, at 32% each. Nashville followed, with a growth of 24%. The rest of the top-ten cities were all in the South or Southwest:
“The Sun Belt really represents the sweet spot between lifestyle and opportunity,” Baltrusitis, head of community at Fiverr, told Business Insider, adding it tends to offer a lower cost of living, nice weather, and booming economies.
Census Bureau data showed more people have moved into than out of Florida over the past few years, as has the South as a whole.
In the stagnant job market, where hiring opportunities are often harder to come by, building a business, freelancing, or independent contract work could be an attractive option.
Baltrusitis thinks the rise of independent professionals will continue in the Sun Belt and nationwide because people want more work flexibility, multiple income streams, and control over their careers.
Other data suggested a rise in working for yourself. ADP Research found the number of independent contractors rose by 50% between 2019 and 2024, adding growth has been steady since 2021, when the labor force was recovering from pandemic-induced job losses. Ege Aksu, an economist at Revelio Labs, found that the share of job switchers transitioning into entrepreneurship has surged over the past few years while hiring has slowed.
“It’s maybe speaking to work culture and autonomy, flexibility that are more talked about in today’s job market,” Aksu said, who also thinks it could be due to necessity due to the fewer job prospects.
Baltrusitis said people looking to freelance should consider what skills they could monetize and be willing to go through trials and errors. She also suggested that people research how others advertise their skills on freelance platforms.
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