A new study by Markel Direct, the specialist insurer of small businesses, has revealed the best locations to be a freelancer in the UK, with Exeter taking the top spot.
Across the UK, many people are making the move into self-employment to have more autonomy, flexibility and a better work-life balance.
The new study compared 49 locations in the UK across five key metrics to determine the best locations to be a freelancer in the UK. These included freelancer availability, percentage of freelance jobs paying more than £40,000, full-fibre internet coverage, train connectivity and the number of free Wi-Fi working spaces, with each factor ranked out of 49 depending how it compared to the other locations (1 being the highest, 50 being the lowest).
Exeter emerged as the highest-ranking location in the UK for freelancers. It came out on top for the number of freelance jobs per 10,000 people in the area and ranked at number eight for the free workspaces.
Leeds was the second-best ranking city in the UK for freelancers and, although this location didn’t rank number one for any single factors, it scored well for railway station connectivity and the number of free workspaces.
This is a similar story for the third-highest ranking city, which was also in Yorkshire, Wakefield. This location ranked fourth for the number of freelance jobs and ninth for train connectivity.
Heading north seems like a good option for freelancers, with six out of the top-10 cities all located in northern England or Scotland.
| Ranking | Location |
| 1 | Exeter |
| 2 | Leeds |
| 3 | Wakefield |
| 4 | Manchester |
| 5 | Aberdeen |
| 6 | Edinburgh |
| 7 | Bristol |
| 7 | Brighton |
| 9 | Milton Keynes |
| 10 | Liverpool |
Freelancers wanting to be where the higher-paying opportunities are should head to Portsmouth, according to the research. The study found that this location ranked first for the highest percentage of jobs paying more than £40,000. According to the ONS, £40,000 is the benchmark of a high-paying salary. Out of all the freelance roles advertised in Portsmouth, 70% offered a salary of more than £40,000. This was followed by Walsall (with 67%) and Blackpool (with 64%).
Locations that ranked at the top for each factor
| Ranking factor | Location that ranked #1 |
| Number of freelance jobs | Exeter |
| Percentage of freelance jobs offer more than £40,000 | Portsmouth |
| Full-Fibre coverage | Kingston upon Hull |
| Train Connectivity | London |
| Free Wi-Fi Workspace | Brighton |
Money tops the list of challenges for the self-employed in 2024
The study, which asked 500 self-employed people a series of questions related to their business or work, also explored the key challenges that the self-employed are facing in 2024. Over half (51%) said that “irregular income due to economic issues” was top of their list.
Second in the list of challenges being faced was a “limited client/customer base” for 34% of respondents, followed by struggling with the “seasonal fluctuations in demand” by 33% of respondents.
But despite these challenges, an overwhelming 92% of those surveyed said they intend on remaining self-employed in the future, with “being their own boss”, “flexibility” and “pursuing a passion” cited the biggest benefits of going it alone.
You can read the full results of the study here: https://www.markeluk.com/state-of-self-employment