How to read these rates
Employee references are annual US median wages for the cited BLS occupation, which may cover several career paths. Replacement targets add $15,000 for benefits and $20,000 for business costs, then divide by 1,200 billable hours a year. They show what you would need to charge, not what customers or platforms will pay. Everyday shift and gig roles show no inferred freelance rate: compare your actual worker receipts after costs and unpaid time. Annual figures are rounded to the nearest $1,000 and hourly figures to the nearest dollar. Figures are before personal taxes, with no percentage fees. Open a guide to see the source or adjust the assumptions in the calculator.
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Replacement target
- $93/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Translate a speaker's purpose and audience context into spoken language with a clear argument, natural rhythm, and credible supporting material.
View career → Speechwriter
Fitness & sport coaching
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Runs the practical systems behind a sports club, coordinating memberships, facilities, staff, volunteers, and service standards so coaching programs can function reliably.
View career → Sports club manager
Nutrition & wellness coaching
- Employee reference
- $76K/yr
- Replacement target
- $93/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Dietitians and Nutritionists
Provides credentialed nutrition support for athletic contexts, integrating training demands, individual assessment, and collaboration with appropriate health and performance professionals.
View career → Sports dietitian
Media & entertainment
- Employee reference
- $75K/yr
- Replacement target
- $92/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Camera operators, television, video, and film
Plan and assemble sport-focused video that makes action, participants, and the intended story understandable within available access and recording constraints.
View career → Sports video producer
Media & entertainment
- Employee reference
- $75K/yr
- Replacement target
- $92/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Camera operators, television, video, and film
Execute moving camera shots that preserve framing and story clarity while coordinating blocking, equipment preparation, rehearsal, and safe production movement.
View career → Stabilized camera operator
Retail & ecommerce
- Employee reference
- $18/hr
- $37K/yr reference
- Gig / shift income
- Check net pay
- Use receipts, costs, and all hours
BLS · May 2025 · Stockers and Order Fillers
Stock clerks receive goods, replenish shelves, check labels, and report missing or damaged items. Overnight and seasonal rosters can change an offer's value.
View career → Stock clerk
Content creation
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Special effects artists and animators
Construct short frame-by-frame sequences using physical objects, consistent lighting, and a production plan that anticipates painstaking capture and repairs.
View career → Stop-motion content creator
Design
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Special effects artists and animators
Translate a script into visual sequences that clarify staging, camera choices, continuity, and the intended rhythm of a production.
View career → Storyboard artist
Negotiation & communication coaching
- Employee reference
- $69K/yr
- Replacement target
- $87/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Training and development specialists
Helps communicators structure experiences into clear, relevant stories while preserving factual accuracy, audience understanding, and the consent of people represented in the narrative.
View career → Storytelling coach
Business & leadership coaching
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Guides leadership teams through priorities, tradeoffs, and implementation choices so planning produces clear decisions and ownership rather than an unranked list of aspirations.
View career → Strategic planning facilitator
Fitness & sport coaching
- Employee reference
- $47K/yr
- Replacement target
- $69/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Coaches and Scouts
Plans physical preparation for athletic demands, coordinating training loads, movement instruction, and recovery considerations with the athlete's wider support team.
View career → Strength and conditioning coach
Nutrition & wellness coaching
- Employee reference
- $64K/yr
- Replacement target
- $83/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Health Education Specialists
Teaches general stress awareness and practical workplace coping skills, creating learning experiences that distinguish everyday education from counseling or mental health treatment.
View career → Stress management educator
Architecture & construction
- Employee reference
- $101K/yr
- Replacement target
- $113/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Civil Engineers
Evaluate structural behavior and develop design evidence within the requirements of professional practice. Explain load assumptions, material evidence, and verification needs before engineering analysis informs any real construction decision.
View career → Structural Engineer
Education & learning
- Employee reference
- $64K/yr
- Replacement target
- $83/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · School and career counselors and advisors
Help learners connect interests and demonstrated experience with career research, application choices, and small experiments without presenting one route as a guaranteed outcome.
View career → Student career adviser
Music & audio
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Organize studio bookings, session readiness, asset handoffs, and equipment schedules so recording work proceeds predictably.
View career → Studio operations coordinator
Education & learning
- Employee reference
- $43K/yr
- Replacement target
- $65/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Tutors
Support adult learners in planning realistic study routines, choosing practice methods, and reflecting on what helps them understand and retain the material.
View career → Study strategies coach
Retail & ecommerce
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Coordinate recurring orders, subscription changes, customer exceptions, and operational communication so the service's recurring commitments remain understandable and manageable.
View career → Subscription commerce operator
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Replacement target
- $94/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Shape timed on-screen text so viewers can follow dialogue while respecting reading speed, scene changes, speaker clarity, and the supplied recording.
View career → Subtitling editor
Business & leadership coaching
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Helps organizations document critical role dependencies, capability gaps, and development options so transitions rely on evidence and continuity planning rather than informal assumptions.
View career → Succession planning consultant
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $82K/yr
- Replacement target
- $98/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Logisticians
A supply chain analyst studies demand, inventory, suppliers, and lead times to improve planning decisions. Their work helps a business understand the tradeoff between service availability, working capital, and the risk of disruption.
View career → Supply chain analyst
Transport & logistics
- Employee reference
- $82K/yr
- Replacement target
- $98/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Logisticians
Examines dependencies, disruption scenarios, and response options across a supply network, helping teams test assumptions rather than presenting resilience as a single score.
View career → Supply chain resilience analyst
Physical sciences
- Employee reference
- $118K/yr
- Replacement target
- $127/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Materials Scientists
Investigate how interfaces and surface structure influence material behavior. Combine characterization evidence and controlled comparisons while recognizing that contamination, preparation, and measurement conditions may dominate observed differences.
View career → Surface Scientist
Architecture & construction
- Employee reference
- $75K/yr
- Replacement target
- $92/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Surveyors
Support analysis and coordination of surveying evidence under qualified professional supervision. Check records, coordinate systems, and uncertainty while reserving boundary determinations and legally authoritative survey work for appropriately licensed professionals.
View career → Surveying Project Analyst
Environment & agriculture
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Examines organizational sustainability information, operating practices, and evidence gaps so teams can compare priorities without treating an attractive metric as proof of environmental improvement.
View career → Sustainability analyst
Architecture & construction
- Employee reference
- $82K/yr
- Replacement target
- $98/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Evaluate building sustainability questions using transparent boundaries, data, and performance assumptions. Compare options consistently and distinguish an analytical study from certification, licensed design, or independently verified environmental claims.
View career → Sustainable Building Analyst
Food & beverage
- Employee reference
- $82K/yr
- Replacement target
- $98/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Evaluate food-system decisions using explicit resource, waste, and sourcing assumptions. Compare scenarios consistently and explain tradeoffs rather than presenting a narrow footprint metric as a complete sustainability judgment.
View career → Sustainable Food Systems Analyst
Travel & hospitality
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Project management specialists
Coordinate a tourism improvement project through defined objectives, stakeholder responsibilities, practical evidence, and progress reporting that avoids unsupported environmental or community-benefit claims.
View career → Sustainable tourism project coordinator
Fitness & sport coaching
- Employee reference
- $47K/yr
- Replacement target
- $69/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Coaches and Scouts
Develops swimming skills through clear demonstrations, observable technique feedback, and progressive practice within an appropriately supervised aquatic environment.
View career → Swimming coach
Software & AI
- Employee reference
- $140K/yr
- Replacement target
- $145/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Database Architects
Create and evaluate artificial datasets for clearly defined testing or research uses. Document generation assumptions, privacy limits, and statistical differences rather than claiming that synthetic records automatically remove sensitive information or match reality.
View career → Synthetic Data Engineer
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $99K/yr
- Replacement target
- $112/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Keep an organization's computing environment usable and maintainable. Systems administrators manage identities, updates, backups, and troubleshooting, turning routine operational tasks into documented processes that other people can follow during an outage.
View career → Systems Administrator
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $76K/yr
- Replacement target
- $92/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Human resources specialists
A talent acquisition consultant improves the system used to attract and hire people. They analyze hiring demand, process friction, assessment quality, and reporting so an organization can make more consistent hiring decisions.
View career → Talent acquisition consultant
Media & entertainment
- Employee reference
- $76K/yr
- Replacement target
- $92/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Human resources specialists
Coordinate appearances by matching a production brief with availability, logistics, approval steps, and clearly documented booking responsibilities.
View career → Talent booking coordinator
Education & learning
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Replacement target
- $94/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Instructional Coordinators
Facilitate professional learning for educators around an agreed practice change using relevant examples, structured discussion, and opportunities to try and reflect.
View career → Teacher development facilitator
Business & leadership coaching
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Works with teams on collaboration patterns, shared goals, and working agreements, using collective reflection rather than treating organizational friction as an individual diagnosis.
View career → Team coach
Game development
- Employee reference
- $136K/yr
- Replacement target
- $142/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Software Developers
Connect artistic goals with technical production through asset checks, efficient workflows, shader support, and clear engine integration guidance.
View career → Technical artist
Negotiation & communication coaching
- Employee reference
- $69K/yr
- Replacement target
- $87/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Training and development specialists
Helps technical professionals explain complex work to different audiences through clearer structure, relevant examples, and rehearsal that preserves accuracy rather than hiding uncertainty.
View career → Technical presentation coach
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Project management specialists
A technical project manager connects delivery planning with engineering realities. They help teams sequence integrations, testing, releases, and operational readiness while making technical dependencies understandable to the people approving the work.
View career → Technical project manager
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Replacement target
- $104/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
A technical writer makes complex products and procedures easier to use. Accurate explanations, tested examples, and organized documentation help readers complete tasks and reduce avoidable confusion for support and engineering teams.
View career → Technical writer
Healthcare technology
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Improves telehealth scheduling, access, support, and handoffs while leaving clinical suitability, licensure, care decisions, and patient-specific advice with authorized professionals.
View career → Telehealth operations consultant
Media & entertainment
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Replacement target
- $93/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Investigate potential program subjects, contributors, and formats so a production team can evaluate feasibility before committing to a full development process.
View career → Television development researcher
Real estate & property
- Employee reference
- $102K/yr
- Replacement target
- $114/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Management analysts
Coordinates tenant communication, service follow-up, and relationship issues while distinguishing practical service resolution from legal decisions about tenancy rights or enforcement.
View career → Tenant relations manager
Fitness & sport coaching
- Employee reference
- $47K/yr
- Replacement target
- $69/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Coaches and Scouts
Helps players develop stroke skills, tactical choices, and practice habits through on-court instruction tailored to ability, goals, and available court time.
View career → Tennis coach
Cross-industry
- Employee reference
- $104K/yr
- Replacement target
- $116/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
Build automated checks that give teams useful feedback when software changes. Test automation engineers choose suitable test layers, manage reliable test data, and keep failures understandable enough to guide release decisions.
View career → Test Automation Engineer
Design
- Employee reference
- $63K/yr
- Replacement target
- $82/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Graphic designers
Develop repeatable visual patterns that maintain coherence across fabric scale, color variations, and practical production requirements.
View career → Textile pattern designer
Energy & clean technology
- Employee reference
- $104K/yr
- Replacement target
- $116/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Mechanical Engineers
Evaluate engineering concepts that store and recover thermal energy for a defined use. Compare material behavior, heat losses, operating assumptions, and qualified safety reviews before proposing implementation.
View career → Thermal Energy Storage Engineer
Physical sciences
- Employee reference
- $172K/yr
- Replacement target
- $173/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Physicists
Investigate heat transport and thermal behavior through models and measurements. Explain boundary conditions, material assumptions, and uncertainty before applying findings to a device, process, or physical environment.
View career → Thermal Physics Researcher
Legal & compliance
- Employee reference
- $129K/yr
- Replacement target
- $137/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Information Security Analysts
Assesses supplier-related evidence across security, operational, and compliance requirements, documenting uncertainty and exceptions so accountable owners can make informed relationship decisions.
View career → Third-party risk analyst
Cybersecurity & IT
- Employee reference
- $129K/yr
- Replacement target
- $137/hr
- Income goal, not available pay
BLS · May 2025 · Information Security Analysts
Evaluate technology supplier risk using authorized documents, requirements, and business context. Compare evidence and unresolved dependencies while avoiding unsupported conclusions that a completed questionnaire proves a supplier is secure or suitable.
View career → Third Party Technology Risk Analyst