According to a 2020 survey, about 46 percent of American freelancers who have participated in work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic stated that a previous client is a main source of finding more freelance work. This figure stood at 36 percent for freelancers who paused their freelance work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020
Characteristic
Always freelance*
Paused freelance**
Previous client (freelance)
46%
36%
Friends and family
46%
48%
Social media
42%
38%
Professional contacts
33%
31%
Online ads/classifieds
24%
25%
General freelance websites
22%
17%
Online job boards
22%
20%
Specialized freelance websites
15%
13%
Previous employer (full-time)
14%
18%
Sharing economy websites or apps
12%
12%
Local newspaper
11%
10%
Employment agency/staffing firm
10%
12%
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Share of respondents36%36%48%48%38%38%31%31%25%25%17%17%20%20%13%13%18%18%12%12%10%10%12%12%46%46%46%46%42%42%33%33%24%24%22%22%22%22%15%15%14%14%12%12%11%11%10%10%Always freelance*Paused freelance**Previous client (freelance)Friends and familySocial mediaProfessional contactsOnline ads/classifiedsGeneral freelance websitesOnline job boardsSpecialized freelance websitesPrevious employer (full-time)Sharing economy websites or appsLocal newspaperEmployment agency/staffing firm
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skilled freelancing adults who have done paid work in the past 12 months
Method of interview
Online survey
Supplementary notes
Respondents were asked to indicate the options that applied to them in response to the question "Where do you typically go to find freelance work?"
*The source defines always freelance as follows: Individuals who have participated in freelance work in the past 12 months and report still doing so after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
**The source defines paused freelance as follows: Individuals who have participated in freelance work in the past 12 months, but have not done freelance work since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Upwork. (September 15, 2020). Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 07, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
Upwork. "Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020." Chart. September 15, 2020. Statista. Accessed June 07, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
Upwork. (2020). Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 07, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
Upwork. "Main Information Sources Used by Freelancers to Find Work in The United States in 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Sep 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
Upwork, Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/ (last visited June 07, 2025)
Main information sources used by freelancers to find work in the United States in 2020 [Graph], Upwork, September 15, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
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