Austin named fourth best city for freelancers

Feb. 18--Editor's note: This article was originally published February 26, 2014

If you've noticed the sea of laptops dotting coffeeshops around town during work hours, then you know plenty of Austinites are an office of one. According to new rankings, that might be because it's easier to be your own boss here.

In a list posted yesterday, financial website NerdWallet ranked Austin the No. 4 best city in the U.S. for freelance workers. The study considered three factors: presence of other successful freelancers in the city, affordability and availability of financially viable health insurance.

Mentioning that Austin's popularity with freelancers has boomed in recent years, the list said the 14 percent of Austinites designating themselves as self-employed solidified the city's standing. The prevalence of meet-ups and co-working spaces in Austin also helped, as did a comparatively low median health insurance rate -- $168.31 a month, according to NerdWallet.

The top three cities on the list are Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Miami. Other Texas cities missed the top ten but earned spots on the full list, with Houston at No. 12, Corpus Christi at No. 13 and Plano at No. 17.

(If you're already a free-range worker in Austin, Omar Gallaga included a few tips on what to look for in a coffeeshop work environment in the Digital Savant blog.)

Do you think Austin is an agreeable environment for freelancing? Tell us in the comments.

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