MBO Partners’s 2025 State of Independence report shows the total number of independents rose slightly in 2025 while the number of full-time independents remained constant. The report states:
In a tumultuous year, there was a great deal of stability in the Independent workforce. In the US the total number of Independents rose marginally from 72.7 million in 2024 to 72.9 million in 2025. The number of Full-time Independents was essentially flat at 27.6 million (compared with 27.7 million for 2024). As the payroll job market remained strong, the number of Part-time Independents fell for the third straight year, to 7.9 million, and is now down 29% from 11.1 million in 2022. The number of Occasional Independents, those who earn money periodically and irregularly, and at least monthly by working independently, rose to 37.4 million, maintaining the explosive growth it saw in the pandemic.
Read the full 2025 State of Independence Report