CITY LIFE AND THE GIG ECONOMY
There are more jobs in the city, more opportunities and more access to technology. There are several reasons why more people are moving to the city, job opportunities and gigs are among the top reasons.
The development of new technology, better online connections, and stronger workplace mobility has led to the rise of the gig economy. When the gig economy era first began, it was intended as a way to help independent contractors find work to supplement other, more sustainable forms of income. As the internet made accessing and finding “gigs” easier, the gig economy became more pervasive, and some employees decided to take on freelancing as a full-time career.
In metropolitan areas, the gig economy is strongest with greater demands for service industry needs; think ridesharing services, short-term rentals like Airbnb, and freelance task services, like TaskRabbit. These areas are also popular for startups and tech companies that rely more on non traditional employees because the mass population in the urban areas uses on the spot services that do not require much effort.
Top 5 Best US Cities for Freelancers
- San Francisco
Ranked first on the list. The city had a per capita revenue of $9,272 for technical gig based jobs, and experienced a 93% growth rate in its gig economy industries between 2012 and 2014 alone.
- Atlanta
As the city’s cost of living is known to be expensive the city specialises in the gig economy jobs brought in $4.7 billion in 2017, giving Atlanta a per capita revenue of $9,665.
- Los Angeles
The city’s per capita revenue for specialized gig jobs was $4,575 in 2017.
- Boston
Boston’s per capita gig revenue was $7,882 in 2017, with gig economy growth at 59%. With home to many top universities, Boston’s cost of living is 6th on the list.
- Washington, D.C.
The overall cost of living makes it the third most affordable city on the list however, the nation’s capital had the second highest per capita gig revenue on the list, at $11,240 in 2017.
