Original research
How many creatives work for themselves?
· by the Slice team, from US Census Bureau, BLS and DCMS figures.
The short answer
In the US, 1,115,783 independent artists, writers and performers ran a business with no employees in 2024, up 40% since 2014 (Census Nonemployer Statistics). Across seven creative industries, including photography, design, film and music, the count is 2.14 million. Most of these businesses are small: 55% of independent artists, writers and performers took in under $10,000 in the year. In the UK, 29% of creative industries jobs are self-employed, about twice the rate for all jobs.
How many creatives in the US work for themselves?
The Census Bureau counts every business with no paid employees from tax records. These are the creative industries, 2024. The first two are exactly the industries named; the rest are the narrowest groups the Census publishes that contain them, so they include some non-creative work (see the notes below the table).
| Industry (NAICS) | Businesses | Since 2014 | Receipts | Average each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent artists, writers and performers (71151) | 1,115,783 | +40% | $36 billion | $32,015 |
| Specialised design, including graphic design (5414) | 284,294 | +26% | $13 billion | $46,837 |
| Photographers (54192) | 243,502 | +52% | $7.2 billion | $29,379 |
| Advertising, PR and related (5418) | 221,163 | +52% | $14 billion | $62,029 |
| Film and video (5121) | 132,060 | +80% | $6.0 billion | $45,318 |
| Performing arts companies, including musical groups (7111) | 103,239 | +18% | $2.8 billion | $27,245 |
| Sound recording and music publishing (5122) | 44,240 | +91% | $1.4 billion | $30,737 |
- 71151: NAICS 711510 exactly (the 5-digit and 6-digit codes are the same industry).
- 54192: Photographic services: portrait photography and commercial photography (541921 and 541922, merged as 541920 in NAICS 2022).
- 5414: All specialised design services: graphic design (541430), plus interior, industrial and other design. Graphic design alone is not published below this level in the bulk files.
- 5121: Motion picture and video industries: production (512110), teleproduction and postproduction (512191), plus distribution, cinemas and other services.
- 5122: Sound recording industries: recording studios (512240), plus record production and distribution, music publishers and other sound recording.
- 7111: Performing arts companies: musical groups and artists (711130), plus theatre and dance companies and other performing arts companies.
- 5418: Advertising, public relations and related services: advertising agencies (541810), plus PR, media buying, display advertising, direct mail, distribution and other.
Marketing consulting (541613) is not included: it is published only inside management consulting, which is mostly not creative work. A person can own more than one of these businesses, and a weekend side business counts the same as a full-time one.
Is the number of self-employed creatives growing?
Yes, steadily, apart from 2020. Independent artists, writers and performers went from 798,730 in 2014 to 1,115,783 in 2024, about 3.4% a year. Film and video grew fastest of the large groups (+80%), and photographers by 52%.
Independent artists, writers and performers (711510)
All seven creative groups
The 2020 dip is the pandemic year, when live performance stopped: performing arts companies fell by about a quarter that year. Industry codes were revised in 2017 and 2022; the groups used here kept the same boundaries.
| Year | Artists, writers, performers | Photographers | Design | Film and video | Sound recording | Performing arts | Advertising and PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 798,730 | 160,296 | 224,946 | 73,405 | 23,143 | 87,629 | 145,377 |
| 2015 | 819,224 | 167,455 | 228,237 | 76,123 | 23,970 | 93,829 | 147,150 |
| 2016 | 849,176 | 172,048 | 230,644 | 83,331 | 25,206 | 94,017 | 150,091 |
| 2017 | 885,900 | 180,750 | 238,088 | 97,699 | 28,920 | 87,186 | 158,036 |
| 2018 | 942,011 | 203,998 | 253,911 | 106,354 | 31,136 | 90,132 | 168,608 |
| 2019 | 969,978 | 208,530 | 253,500 | 112,567 | 34,081 | 95,783 | 172,007 |
| 2020 | 874,421 | 209,205 | 253,883 | 93,158 | 34,106 | 69,458 | 167,824 |
| 2021 | 972,280 | 218,577 | 269,016 | 122,192 | 38,636 | 79,464 | 180,756 |
| 2022 | 1,067,295 | 231,865 | 278,464 | 128,289 | 41,282 | 92,984 | 199,163 |
| 2023 | 1,088,020 | 236,666 | 277,731 | 128,682 | 42,969 | 98,401 | 207,863 |
| 2024 | 1,115,783 | 243,502 | 284,294 | 132,060 | 44,240 | 103,239 | 221,163 |
How much do self-employed creatives take in?
Receipts are money coming in before costs, not take-home pay. The averages are pulled up by a few large earners; the bands below show the typical business is small. For independent artists, writers and performers, 76% took in under $25,000 and 12% took in $50,000 or more.
| Industry | Under $10k | Under $25k | $50k or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artists, writers, performers | 55% | 76% | 12% |
| Photographers | 47% | 69% | 17% |
| Design | 43% | 64% | 22% |
| Film and video | 43% | 64% | 21% |
| Sound recording | 49% | 71% | 15% |
| Performing arts | 60% | 80% | 11% |
| Advertising and PR | 38% | 60% | 26% |
Which states have the most self-employed creatives?
California, New York and Texas lead on raw numbers; they are also the most populous states. Search for your state below.
| State | All seven groups | Artists, writers, performers | Photographers | Film and video | Receipts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 328,340 | 170,663 | 29,202 | 33,786 | $17 billion |
| New York | 194,888 | 110,871 | 16,125 | 13,920 | $9.1 billion |
| Texas | 164,192 | 78,089 | 21,142 | 9,389 | $5.5 billion |
| Florida | 156,918 | 73,770 | 16,770 | 8,265 | $6.8 billion |
| Illinois | 73,202 | 38,692 | 7,918 | 3,724 | $2.1 billion |
| Georgia | 72,540 | 33,788 | 8,684 | 5,540 | $2.3 billion |
| Pennsylvania | 68,386 | 37,197 | 8,132 | 3,240 | $2.0 billion |
| North Carolina | 62,151 | 32,195 | 7,602 | 2,905 | $1.7 billion |
| New Jersey | 59,537 | 29,775 | 6,426 | 3,401 | $2.5 billion |
| Ohio | 57,974 | 30,057 | 7,907 | 2,530 | $1.6 billion |
| Tennessee | 55,922 | 31,094 | 5,580 | 3,075 | $3.0 billion |
| Michigan | 53,335 | 26,930 | 7,241 | 2,461 | $1.4 billion |
| Virginia | 50,034 | 27,400 | 6,147 | 2,375 | $1.5 billion |
| Washington | 49,873 | 27,012 | 6,078 | 2,847 | $1.6 billion |
| Massachusetts | 49,726 | 28,312 | 4,992 | 2,326 | $1.7 billion |
| Colorado | 49,632 | 25,514 | 6,174 | 2,710 | $1.5 billion |
| Minnesota | 40,109 | 22,601 | 4,688 | 1,740 | $1.1 billion |
| Arizona | 40,075 | 20,404 | 4,658 | 2,263 | $1.4 billion |
| Maryland | 39,414 | 21,592 | 4,464 | 2,107 | $1.1 billion |
| Oregon | 35,261 | 19,514 | 3,751 | 2,056 | $1.0 billion |
| Missouri | 31,265 | 16,164 | 4,399 | 1,429 | $822 million |
| Wisconsin | 31,250 | 16,983 | 4,406 | 1,242 | $773 million |
| Indiana | 29,740 | 15,455 | 4,248 | 1,374 | $732 million |
| South Carolina | 28,562 | 13,993 | 3,995 | 1,152 | $849 million |
| Utah | 25,610 | 11,562 | 3,644 | 1,909 | $845 million |
| Connecticut | 24,879 | 12,915 | 2,571 | 1,319 | $1.1 billion |
| Nevada | 23,877 | 13,356 | 2,165 | 1,508 | $1.2 billion |
| Louisiana | 22,771 | 11,403 | 2,891 | 1,186 | $675 million |
| Alabama | 20,475 | 9,655 | 3,049 | 895 | $573 million |
| Kentucky | 18,205 | 9,594 | 2,526 | 848 | $481 million |
| Oklahoma | 17,673 | 8,647 | 2,626 | 916 | $497 million |
| Kansas | 13,724 | 7,056 | 2,053 | 574 | $376 million |
| Iowa | 13,626 | 7,068 | 2,261 | 483 | $322 million |
| New Mexico | 12,166 | 7,653 | 1,111 | 737 | $320 million |
| Arkansas | 11,421 | 5,454 | 1,772 | 517 | $277 million |
| Idaho | 11,053 | 5,126 | 1,838 | 565 | $329 million |
| Maine | 10,678 | 6,512 | 1,219 | 430 | $291 million |
| Mississippi | 10,297 | 4,956 | 1,420 | 360 | $256 million |
| Hawaii | 9,901 | 5,273 | 1,542 | 569 | $364 million |
| New Hampshire | 9,587 | 5,255 | 1,172 | 443 | $326 million |
| Nebraska | 8,786 | 4,498 | 1,442 | 339 | $224 million |
| Montana | 8,309 | 4,429 | 1,329 | 463 | $253 million |
| Rhode Island | 7,968 | 4,537 | 826 | 350 | $241 million |
| District of Columbia | 7,140 | 4,235 | 530 | 404 | $282 million |
| Vermont | 6,376 | 4,023 | 600 | 239 | $167 million |
| Delaware | 5,658 | 2,871 | 593 | 285 | $489 million |
| West Virginia | 5,525 | 3,063 | 934 | 197 | $130 million |
| South Dakota | 4,746 | 2,408 | 853 | 177 | $128 million |
| Wyoming | 4,210 | 1,977 | 602 | 216 | $307 million |
| Alaska | 4,111 | 2,574 | 586 | 180 | $104 million |
| North Dakota | 3,183 | 1,618 | 618 | 94 | $78 million |
Which creative jobs are most often self-employed?
The BLS counts people by occupation rather than businesses by industry. In its 2025 figures, about two-thirds of photographers, writers and authors, animators, fine artists and art directors are self-employed. Graphic designers, producers and editors mostly have employers.
BLS self-employment here is unincorporated self-employment. A creative who has formed a company and pays themselves through it is counted as that company’s employee, so these shares are a floor. BLS projects them to stay roughly flat to 2035.
How many creatives are self-employed in the UK?
About 703,000 of 2,464,000 creative industries jobs (29%) were self-employed in 2025, against 15% of all UK jobs. The share is highest in music, performing and visual arts.
Self-employed creative industries jobs, UK
From the ONS Annual Population Survey, as published by DCMS on 16 July 2026. These are survey estimates of jobs with a margin of error; crafts and design are too small to publish a self-employed figure. Survey response fell after 2020, so recent years are less certain.
How we did it
- US businesses. Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics state files for 2014 to 2024 (the latest year published), all legal forms, summed to a national figure and checked against the national file. The Census Data API now requires a key for every request, so we used the published files, which stop at 4- and 5-digit industry codes. Receipts are in current dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
- US occupations. BLS Employment Projections, National Employment Matrix, 2025 base year, the “self-employed workers” line for each occupation.
- UK. DCMS Sector Economic Estimates: Employment, January 2011 to December 2025, self-employed filled jobs by creative industries sub-sector.
- Why the numbers differ. Census counts businesses from tax returns, including side businesses. BLS and DCMS estimate jobs from surveys of people. Neither is “the” number of self-employed creatives; together they bracket it.
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Questions
How many artists, writers and performers are self-employed in the US?
1,115,783 in 2024: that is the number of businesses with no paid employees in Census industry 711510, independent artists, writers and performers. It was 798,730 in 2014, so the count grew 40% in ten years.
How much do self-employed creatives earn?
The Census counts business receipts, not profit. Independent artists, writers and performers took in $36 billion in 2024, an average of $32,015 each, but the average hides a long tail: 55% took in under $10,000 and only 12% took in $50,000 or more.
What share of creative workers are self-employed?
It depends on the job. In the BLS 2025 figures, 67% of photographers and 65% of writers and authors are self-employed, against 21% of graphic designers. In the UK, 29% of creative industries jobs were self-employed in 2025, about twice the 15% across all UK jobs.
Which state has the most self-employed creatives?
California, with 328,340 nonemployer businesses across the seven creative groups in 2024, then New York (194,888) and Texas (164,192).
What is a nonemployer business?
The Census Bureau’s term for a business with no paid employees that has at least $1,000 a year in receipts and is subject to federal income tax. Most are sole proprietors filing a Schedule C. One person can run more than one, and a side business counts the same as a full-time one.
Download the data
The aggregates on this page as a CSV: self-employed-creatives-2026.csv. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Please credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page.
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