Nashville leads in creative freelance pay
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Nashville is among the top cities in the nation for freelance professionals in the creative sector.
Why it matters: Nashville led the U.S. in the average annual salary for creative industry freelancers, according to a new report.
- The creative category accounts for freelancers working as artists, writers and performers, as well as video and sound professionals.
By the numbers: The estimated average annual earnings for Nashville's creative freelancers was $56,000, the report found.
- Creative freelancers in Los Angeles, which was second behind Nashville among the top 30 markets, earned an estimated $49,500.
- Nashville freelancers across all categories earned an average of $54,559.
Zoom in: The report, which freelance platform Fiverr published in partnership with market research firm Illuminas, is based on data from several government sources, researchers' estimates and a survey of 801 freelancers conducted between Jan. 26 and Feb. 7, 2024.
What they found: The country's freelancers seem a generally optimistic bunch, with 55% expecting to earn more this year than in 2023, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.
- 29% of freelancers also have a traditional job. But the share who solely freelance hit 71% in 2023, compared to 61% in 2021.
- A "striking" 75% of freelancers with a full-time gig say they're highly satisfied with their side hustle, per the report, compared to just 47% who feel the same way about their day jobs.
- The markets with the most new freelancers between 2018-2023: Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas, Houston, Tampa and Nashville.
The big picture: Along with Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the Fiverr report tabbed Nashville as a destination "where creative- and entertainment-related opportunities for independent professionals abound."
- "The markets sport diverse populations, growing and changing landscapes and large leisure-dominated economies, making them attractive to creative freelancers," according to the report.
Freelancers sue over labor rule
Earlier this year, Nashville joined the list of cities where freelancers filed federal lawsuits against the Biden administration.
Catch up quick: The dispute centers on a new Department of Labor rule for deciding whether a worker is a freelancer or an employee, who would then be entitled to legal protections like minimum wage and overtime pay.
- In its efforts to change the rule and extend those benefits to more workers, business groups say the Labor Department's rule could prevent businesses from hiring freelancers.
Zoom in: The Nashville lawsuit, filed in February, was brought by the nonprofit libertarian think-tank the Beacon Center on behalf of Tennessee freelance journalists Margaret Littman and Jennifer Chesak.
Go deeper: Read the Reuters story about the first federal lawsuit.