Why the United States Is a Tier A Market
The United States offers the strongest occupational wage data of any country we track. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey each year, covering approximately 830 occupations across every state and metropolitan area. The May 2025 release is the foundation of TransparentRate's US estimates.
For freelancers, that means you're not guessing. You're starting from the same data that employers, staffing agencies, and government economists use to understand what skills are worth. When a client asks "where did that number come from?", you have a source they can look up themselves.
Disclaimer: TransparentRate provides estimates only — not financial advice. Your actual rate will depend on your experience, portfolio, niche, client type, and negotiation. These figures are benchmarks, not guarantees.
Sample Hourly Rates for Top Freelance Skills
The table below converts BLS May 2025 occupation median wages into freelance-equivalent hourly rates. We apply a standard W-2-to-freelance conversion that accounts for self-employment tax (an extra 7.65%), health insurance, retirement, paid time off, and non-billable hours. The mid rate reflects the occupation median; the senior rate represents the 75th percentile.
All rates are in USD per hour.
| Skill | Mid Rate | Senior Rate | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | $114/hr | $154/hr | $74–636/hr |
| Data Scientist | $101/hr | $136/hr | $58–244/hr |
| Copywriter | $67/hr | $90/hr | $39–218/hr |
| Graphic Designer | $52/hr | $70/hr | $35–260/hr |
| Project Manager | $86/hr | $116/hr | $53–242/hr |
| Virtual Assistant | $35/hr (Model Estimate) | — | $25–65/hr |
Note: Virtual Assistant uses a TransparentRate Model Estimate because the BLS does not publish a direct "Virtual Assistant" occupation code. The range reflects administrative assistant and executive assistant wage bands blended with remote-work market data. Software Developer and Data Scientist ranges are wide at the top end because they include specialized subfields, FAANG-level compensation, and enterprise consulting premiums.
How BLS Data Works for US Freelancers
The BLS reports median annual wages for employed workers. Here's how we get to a freelance hourly rate:
- Start with the median annual wage. For software developers, the BLS May 2025 median is approximately $136,000/year for applications developers and $125,000/year for systems developers. We use a blended occupation code median.
- Convert to an hourly wage. Divide by 2,080 hours (52 weeks × 40 hours). That yields roughly $65.38/hr for software developers, $57.80/hr for data scientists, $38.31/hr for copywriters, and $29.47/hr for graphic designers at the median.
- Apply the freelance uplift. Freelancers pay self-employment tax (the employer half of FICA, 7.65%), buy their own health insurance (~$7,000–$12,000/year for a single person), fund their own retirement with no match, and lose income during holidays, sick days, and business development. We factor roughly 20% for benefits, 10% for non-billable time, and self-employment tax to arrive at a multiplier of approximately 1.75× over the raw hourly wage.
- That gives the mid rate. Senior rate uses the 75th percentile instead of the median, following the same conversion.
Client Market: Premium Metro vs. US Baseline
Not every US client pays the national median. The BLS publishes metro-level data that reveals significant regional gaps:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City: Software developer median annual wage is roughly 25–35% above the national median. Expect rates 15–25% higher than the table above.
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: The highest-paying metros for tech roles. SW dev medians can run 40–55% above the national figure. Senior developers in the Bay Area routinely bill $180–250/hr.
- US baseline (non-metro): Rural and small-city clients often pay 10–20% below the national median. Your floor rate still applies — don't go below your cost of doing business.
- Remote-first companies: Increasingly benchmark against a national band rather than their HQ city. This narrows the gap but doesn't eliminate it entirely.
The calculator on this site lets you adjust for metro premiums when estimating your target rate.
What These Numbers Don't Tell You
Occupation data is the best starting point, but it doesn't capture everything that determines your actual rate:
- Niche expertise — A developer who specializes in legacy COBOL systems or AI/ML infrastructure commands a premium above even the 90th percentile.
- Portfolio and reputation — Clients pay more for known quantities. Published work, case studies, and referrals shift you toward the senior end of the range.
- Client type — Enterprise clients have larger budgets than small businesses. Agencies pay less but provide volume. Startups may offer equity in lieu of top-of-market cash rates.
- Project complexity and urgency — A rush job with a 48-hour turnaround is not the same rate as a retainer with six weeks of runway.
Use these benchmarks as your baseline, then adjust upward for everything you bring that the median worker in your occupation code doesn't.
Get Your Rate Benchmark
Plug your skills, experience level, and location into the TransparentRate calculator. It pulls the latest BLS occupation data and applies all the adjustments discussed here — in about 30 seconds.
Calculate Your Rate →