The study from Tipalti analyzed factors such as the number of coworking spaces, the cost of living and broadband speeds to reveal which US states are the best to be a freelancer. Please view the research in full here: https://tipalti.com/the-freelance-index/Top 10 worst states for freelancers
| Rank | State | Number of self-employed people per 100,000 | Cost of Living (Monthly US$) | Number of Coworking Spaces per 100,000 | broadband speed (Mbps) | Annual Searches | Total score /10 |
| 1 | Delaware | 4,300 | $5,525.2 | 0.4 | 469.7 | 2,780 | 3.1 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 5,200 | $4,646.1 | 0.4 | 261.8 | 8,440 | 3.3 |
| 3 | Montana | 8,600 | $5,463.8 | 0.5 | 110.5 | 1,900 | 3.3 |
| 4 | South Dakota | 7,900 | $5,100.9 | 0.4 | 191.7 | 1,460 | 3.3 |
| 5 | Alaska | 6,700 | $6,639.4 | 0.7 | 285.1 | 1,510 | 3.4 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 7,400 | $5,049.8 | 0.4 | 244.3 | 1,420 | 3.4 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,100 | $4,973.2 | 0.5 | 277.1 | 10,880 | 3.5 |
| 8 | Mississippi | 5,500 | $4,400.7 | 0.3 | 226 | 5,420 | 3.6 |
| 9 | Hawaii | 6,900 | $9,859.4 | 0.9 | 221.4 | 4,560 | 3.7 |
| 10 | Idaho | 7,300 | $4,717.6 | 0.3 | 230.1 | 4,130 | 3.8 |
Delaware was revealed to be the worst state for freelancers, with a score of 3.1/10, largely due to a high monthly cost of living at more than $5,500 and only 0.4 coworking spaces per 100,000 people in the state.
All of the states in the top 5 worst freelance states have less than 1 coworking space per 100,000 people which significantly contributes to their low scores.
Texas can be crowned the top state for freelancers in the US, with a 8.2/10 score. Freelancers in the state are in high demand as it ranks in the top 3 for annual searches. The Lone Star State also has one of the fastest broadband speeds in the country, ranking in the top 10.
Further findings include:
- Montanna is the state with the highest proportion of self-employed workers, with 8,600 freelancers per 100,000 people.
- Colorado tops the ranking for the most coworking spaces – 2.4 spaces per 100,000 people – a lot more than in New York
- California has the highest demand for freelancers in the US, with 174,900 Google searches in 2021.
- The state with the highest monthly cost of living is Hawaii with an average spend of over $9,800 per month. Next up after Hawaiii is California, with just over a $6,200 monthly cost.
- The state with the slowest broadband speed, believe it or not is California, with just an average of 93 Mbps. In second place is Montana with speeds of just 110.5Mbps.
Find the full findings here: https://tipalti.com/the-freelance-index/
