Independent Contractor Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 12 sourced statistics
How many independent contractors are there in the US? The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 11.9 million people working as independent contractors on their sole or main job in July 2023, 7.4% of total employment and up from 6.9% in 2017. Most choose it: 80.3% preferred contracting to a traditional job. On the tax side, businesses filed 54.6 million Forms 1099-NEC in 2024, and the reporting threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 for tax years after 2025. This page covers who contractors are, where they work, and the current IRS and Department of Labor rules, each from the official source. Contractor earnings are on our freelance income statistics page.
Key takeaways
- 11.9 million people, 7.4% of US workers, were independent contractors on their main job in July 2023, up from 6.9% in May 2017 (BLS).
- Contractors skew older: 36% are 55 or over, vs 22% of workers in traditional jobs (BLS).
- 80.3% of independent contractors prefer their arrangement; 8.3% would rather have a traditional job (BLS).
- 54.6 million Forms 1099-NEC were filed in calendar year 2024 (IRS).
- The 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000 for tax years beginning after 2025, up from $600 (IRS).
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.9M | 11.9 million people were independent contractors on their sole or main job in July 2023, 7.4% of total US employment, up from 6.9% in May 2017. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 36% | 36% of independent contractors were 55 or older, compared with 22% of workers in traditional arrangements; 11.5% of all workers 55 and over were independent contractors. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 8.7% vs 5.8% | Men were more likely than women to be independent contractors: 8.7% of employed men vs 5.8% of employed women. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 70.7% | 70.7% of independent contractors worked full time, even though part-time workers were about twice as likely as full-time workers to be contractors (13.1% vs 6.2%). | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 28.1% | Independent contracting was most common in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations (28.1% of workers), personal care and service (19.7%) and construction and extraction (15.1%). | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 24.2% | By industry, 24.2% of workers in real estate and rental and leasing and 18.5% in construction were independent contractors. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 80.3% | 80.3% of independent contractors preferred their work arrangement, while 8.3% would have preferred a traditional job. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 84.6% | 84.6% of independent contractors were self-employed, and nearly two-thirds of the self-employed were independent contractors. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 74.2% | 74.2% of independent contractors had health insurance from any source, compared with 84.9% of workers in traditional arrangements. | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023 | 2023 |
| 54.6M | 54.6 million Forms 1099-NEC (54,619,668) were filed with the IRS in calendar year 2024, alongside 38.3 million Forms 1099-MISC. | IRS Statistics of Income, Publication 6961, Calendar Year Projections of Information and Withholding Documents (Rev. 9-2025), Table 2 | 2024 |
| $2,000 | For tax years beginning after 2025, businesses file Form 1099-NEC for each payee paid at least $2,000 for services, up from $600; the threshold may be adjusted for inflation from 2027. Forms are due to the IRS and the recipient by January 31. | IRS, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (Rev. 12/2026) | 2026 |
| Proposed 2026 | The Department of Labor's independent contractor rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act took effect March 11, 2024. On February 26, 2026, DOL proposed a rule to replace it (91 FR 9932); comments closed April 28, 2026, and DOL's rulemaking page showed no final rule as of October 28, 2026. | US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Independent Contractor rulemaking | 2026 |
The statistics
11.9 million people were independent contractors on their sole or main job in July 2023, 7.4% of total US employment, up from 6.9% in May 2017.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
36% of independent contractors were 55 or older, compared with 22% of workers in traditional arrangements; 11.5% of all workers 55 and over were independent contractors.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
Men were more likely than women to be independent contractors: 8.7% of employed men vs 5.8% of employed women.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
70.7% of independent contractors worked full time, even though part-time workers were about twice as likely as full-time workers to be contractors (13.1% vs 6.2%).
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
Independent contracting was most common in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations (28.1% of workers), personal care and service (19.7%) and construction and extraction (15.1%).
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
By industry, 24.2% of workers in real estate and rental and leasing and 18.5% in construction were independent contractors.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
80.3% of independent contractors preferred their work arrangement, while 8.3% would have preferred a traditional job.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
84.6% of independent contractors were self-employed, and nearly two-thirds of the self-employed were independent contractors.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
74.2% of independent contractors had health insurance from any source, compared with 84.9% of workers in traditional arrangements.
Source:US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 20232023
54.6 million Forms 1099-NEC (54,619,668) were filed with the IRS in calendar year 2024, alongside 38.3 million Forms 1099-MISC.
For tax years beginning after 2025, businesses file Form 1099-NEC for each payee paid at least $2,000 for services, up from $600; the threshold may be adjusted for inflation from 2027. Forms are due to the IRS and the recipient by January 31.
Source:IRS, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (Rev. 12/2026)2026
The Department of Labor's independent contractor rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act took effect March 11, 2024. On February 26, 2026, DOL proposed a rule to replace it (91 FR 9932); comments closed April 28, 2026, and DOL's rulemaking page showed no final rule as of October 28, 2026.
Source:US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Independent Contractor rulemaking2026
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- BLS counts people who are independent contractors on their sole or main job, from a household survey supplement run in July 2023 (previous edition May 2017). People who contract on the side of a regular job are not in the 11.9 million.
- The IRS count is of Forms 1099-NEC filed, not people: one contractor with several clients receives several forms, and payments below the reporting threshold are not counted.
- The 1099-NEC reporting threshold changed to $2,000 for tax years beginning after 2025, so form counts for 2026 onward are not comparable with earlier years.
- Worker classification law is unsettled. The US Department of Labor's 2024 rule is still the final rule on its website, but DOL has proposed replacing it, and state tests (such as California's ABC test) can be stricter. This page is not legal advice.
- All figures are US data.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed 2026-10-28. We replaced the approximate BLS share with the exact figures in the BLS July 2023 Contingent Worker Supplement release (published November 2024), removed an MBO Partners count that belongs on our freelance statistics page, updated the Form 1099-NEC threshold from $600 to $2,000 using the current IRS instructions (Rev. 12/2026, compared with the April 2025 edition), added the IRS count of Forms 1099-NEC filed in 2024 from Publication 6961 (Rev. 9-2025) and restated the DOL rule status from DOL's own rulemaking page. A California ABC-test item was removed because it carried no statistic. Each figure was checked against the linked page on the review date.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How many independent contractors are there in the US?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 11.9 million people working as independent contractors on their sole or main job in July 2023, 7.4% of total employment, up from 6.9% in May 2017.
Who works as an independent contractor?
Contractors skew older and male: 36% are 55 or over (22% in traditional jobs), and 8.7% of employed men vs 5.8% of women are contractors. Contracting is most common in arts, design and media occupations (28.1%), personal care (19.7%) and construction (15.1%).
Do independent contractors want to be contractors?
Mostly yes. 80.3% preferred their arrangement and 8.3% would have preferred a traditional job in July 2023. But only 74.2% had health insurance from any source, compared with 84.9% of traditional workers.
What is the 1099-NEC threshold now?
For tax years beginning after 2025, a business files Form 1099-NEC for each nonemployee paid at least $2,000 for services, up from $600. Forms are due to the IRS and the contractor by January 31. Payments below the threshold are still taxable income for the contractor.
What is the current DOL independent contractor rule?
The rule that took effect March 11, 2024 is still the final rule on DOL's rulemaking page. DOL proposed a replacement on February 26, 2026; comments closed April 28, 2026, and no final rule had been posted as of October 28, 2026. State tests can be stricter, so check with an employment lawyer.
Put these figures to use
- Tax hub: Guides on self-employment tax, quarterly payments and invoice tax details.
- Year-end tax planning checklist: December deadlines, collecting W-9s and the $2,000 Form 1099-NEC threshold for 2026 payments.
- Client contract clauses that get you paid: Payment terms, late fees, kill fees and IP transfer on payment, with sample wording.
- Late fee calculator: Work out simple-interest late fees on an overdue invoice from the amount, rate and days late.
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