Which locales are best for digital nomads? A new report has assessed different U.S. cities and ranked them based on their freelance attractiveness score.
A recent study by the company Hostinger has ranked the top ten U.S. cities for freelancers based on key indicators such as Internet quality, freelance income potential, cost of living, and professional resources.
Data for metrics like download speed, average revenue per freelance worker, self-employment tax rates, co-working spaces, and cost of living were collected from publicly available sources.
To draw up the rankings, each metric was normalized to allow comparability, and weighted scores were used to calculate the final rankings. In the end, the cities were ranked based on their freelance attractiveness score. The study highlights cities offering the best balance of infrastructure, affordability, and economic opportunities for freelancers.
This found that Miami is the leader with zero self-employment income tax and a high proportion of freelance workers.
The top ten are:
- Miami
- Las Vegas
- Nashville
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- Austin
- Philadelphia
- Houston
- Denver
As mentioned above, Miami ranks first with a composite score of 100. The city’s zero self-employment tax makes it a financially attractive choice for freelancers. With nearly half of its workforce engaged in freelance work (45.79 percent) and 433 co-working spaces to choose from, Miami offers a level of flexibility.
Las Vegas takes second place with a score of 87.10. It offers one of the highest average revenues per freelance worker at $50,056. Nashville ranks third with a composite score of 85.44. Freelancers benefit from no self-employment tax, fast internet speeds (3,317 Mbps), and affordable housing.
San Francisco comes in fourth with a score of 79.45. Freelancers here earn more on average than in any other city, with $51,903 per worker. While the cost of living and self-employment taxes are higher, the city’s opportunities in technology and innovation make it a key hub for high-earning independent professionals.
Boston takes fifth place with a composite score of 79.03. With nearly 20 percent of its workforce freelancing, Boston offers a well-established network of co-working spaces at 172. The city’s professional opportunities make it a strong choice for freelancers looking to build lasting careers. Los Angeles ranks sixth with a composite score of 77.27. It has the largest freelance workforce on the list.
Austin ranks seventh with a score of 76.11. The city leads in co-working spaces, with 569 available. Philadelphia ranks eighth with a composite score of 75.09. The city stands out for its relatively low cost of living and a freelance workforce that continues to expand.
Houston takes ninth place with a score of 74.30 and Denver rounds out the top ten with a composite score of 73.58.
The trends above suggest cities with high income potential and manageable living costs enable freelancers to grow their careers and maintain a better quality of life.
