When people talk about the "gig economy," they tend to picture the same thing: someone working too many hours for too little money, holding three apps open and hoping the next ride request comes in.

The data is starting to tell a very different story.

MBO Partners released its 2025 State of Independence in America report, tracking the independent workforce at a scale no one else does. One number in it is hard to ignore.

In 2025, 5.6 million independent workers earned more than $100,000 annually. That is a 19% jump from 4.7 million in 2024. It is nearly double the 3 million who were doing it in 2020. And it is almost three times the 1.9 million who were doing it when MBO first started tracking in 2011.

The six-figure solo worker is no longer a niche. It is a trend line that has not stopped climbing.

Who These People Are (And Why They're Doing Better)

The report points to two forces driving the income growth.

First: Millennials hitting their peak earning years while staying independent. They built the skills during their twenties. They built the client relationships. They kept the independence.

Second: workers who entered the independent economy during the pandemic-era surge have had five years to mature their practices, raise their rates, and choose clients more carefully. They are not the same people they were in 2020.

This is what compounding looks like in a solo business. The work gets better. The referrals get stronger. The rate goes up. The hours do not have to.

The Happiness Number

Here is the data point that tends to get buried in the income conversation.

84% of independent workers in the MBO survey say they are happier working on their own than they were in traditional employment. And 59% say they earn more.

Those two numbers are worth sitting with for a moment.

The common assumption is that earning more requires some sacrifice in happiness - the stress, the instability, the uncertainty of running your own thing. The data does not support that. People who went independent report higher levels of happiness, health, security, and self-expression compared to their traditionally employed peers.

The instability is real. The tradeoff in overall quality of life, apparently, is not.

Side Gigs Are the On-Ramp

One number in the report that speaks to what is coming: 36% of traditional employees now report having a side gig.

Nearly half of traditionally employed workers say they worry about losing their jobs. And a growing share of them are treating independent work not as a backup plan, but as a test drive.

This is the pattern that has held across the last fifteen years of this data: traditional employment loosens its grip, independent income proves viable, and people do not go back.

The Infrastructure Changed

The report also points to something that was not true ten years ago: the tools have caught up to the ambition.

Online platforms, talent marketplaces, global payment systems, and AI tools have scaled to support independent work in ways that removed the friction that used to make it impractical. You can now run a professional services practice, serve clients in three countries, manage your own invoicing and taxes, and market yourself effectively - with tools that cost less than a tank of gas per month.

Most independents in the MBO survey say AI boosts their capacity, creativity, and confidence. Not replaces them. Boosts them.

That is the infrastructure shift. The solo worker used to compete against teams. Now they have tools that make them operate more like one.

What the Number Is Actually Telling You

5.6 million people earning over $100,000 a year without a boss, without a salary cap, and without asking HR for a raise.

That is not a fringe outcome. That is a population larger than the entire workforce of many U.S. states.

If you are considering going independent, the question is no longer "is this possible?" The data has answered that. The question is: what would you need to build to get your practice to a place where the math works for you?

For most people, the answer is: fewer clients than you think, clearer positioning than you have, and longer runway than feels comfortable.

80% of independent workers in the MBO survey plan to stay independent or grow their business. The ones who left traditional employment and built something - most of them are not going back.

Source: MBO Partners, 2025 State of Independence in America Report. Full report at mbopartners.com/state-of-independence