The best cities for America's freelancers

Spokane, Washington, is the best city for freelancers with a relatively low cost of rent and adequate internet service, according to a new study from Neighborhoods.com

Why it matters: The 56.7 million Americans who work as freelancers often don't work in a traditional office setting, so being in a city that has sufficient internet service and is easy to navigate is important. American freelancers contribute about $1 trillion to the economy, per the Freelancers Union.

The study: Neighborhoods.com ranked 150 cities based on median rent, average internet speed, number of coffee shops per capita, income tax and ease of getting around using U.S. Census Bureau data.

• The study defined a freelancer as "anyone who is employed on a contract basis rather than being a permanent full-time employee for one company."

The worst cities for freelancers:

1. Lexington, Kentucky
2. Palmdale, California
3. Port St. Lucie, Florida
4. Jackson, Mississippi
5. Memphis, Tennessee
6. Corona, California
7. Oceanside, California
8. Worcester, Massachusetts
9. Santa Clarita, California
10. Lincoln, Nebraska

Go deeper:

• The gig economy mismatch
• The two-faced freelance economy
• A California bill could upend the gig economy