Get job alerts in TelegramOpen in Telegram

Research · Updated monthly

Upwork jobs in 2026: 96,028 new jobs in 30 days, by hour, niche, rate and client

flconsole tracked 96,028 new Upwork jobs between 13 September and 13 October 2026 — about 3,200 a day. Most are posted on weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm US Eastern Time, design and marketing make up half of all jobs, 60% pay by the hour, and 59% come from clients with a verified payment method and a hiring history.

Alex VarenUpdated Next update: mid-November9 min read

This page is updated every month with fresh data. Cite it as: flconsole, "Upwork jobs in 2026", flconsole.com/research/upwork-jobs-2026.

On this page
  • 96,028new Upwork jobs in 30 days
  • ~3,200new jobs a day on average
  • 1 pm ETbusiest hour to post
  • 60%pay by the hour
  • $100median fixed-price budget
  • 59%clients with verified payment and past hires

How many jobs are posted on Upwork each day?

About 3,700 a day on weekdays and 2,200 on weekends. The busiest day in the period was Wednesday, 7 October, with 4,185 new jobs.

New jobs per day

The busiest day was Wednesday, 7 October, with 4,185 new jobs.

01,0002,0003,0004,0004,18514 Sep21 Sep28 Sep5 Oct
01k2k3k4k4,18514 Sep21 Sep28 Sep5 Oct

Weekends are lighter.

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: New jobs per day
DayNew jobs
Mon 14 Sep3,632
Tue 15 Sep3,994
Wed 16 Sep4,156
Thu 17 Sep3,959
Fri 18 Sep2,874
Sat 19 Sep2,325
Sun 20 Sep2,239
Mon 21 Sep2,393
Tue 22 Sep3,661
Wed 23 Sep3,474
Thu 24 Sep3,945
Fri 25 Sep2,961
Sat 26 Sep2,191
Sun 27 Sep2,318
Mon 28 Sep4,031
Tue 29 Sep4,176
Wed 30 Sep4,105
Thu 1 Oct3,710
Fri 2 Oct2,944
Sat 3 Oct2,315
Sun 4 Oct1,716
Mon 5 Oct4,011
Tue 6 Oct4,155
Wed 7 Oct4,185
Thu 8 Oct3,924
Fri 9 Oct3,361
Sat 10 Oct2,253
Sun 11 Oct2,141
Mon 12 Oct3,424

New jobs by day of the week

Tuesday and Wednesday average about 4,000 new jobs a day; weekends about 2,200.

Mon3,703Tue3,981Wed4,012Thu3,714Fri3,068Sat2,220Sun2,099
Mon3,703Tue3,981Wed4,012Thu3,714Fri3,068Sat2,220Sun2,099

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time. Average per day.

Show data
Data: New jobs by day of the week
DayAverage new jobs a day
Mon3,703
Tue3,981
Wed4,012
Thu3,714
Fri3,068
Sat2,220
Sun2,099

When are Upwork jobs posted?

Weekdays, US business hours. 45% of jobs are posted between 9 am and 5 pm Eastern Time, with the peak at 1 pm. Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days, with about 4,000 new jobs each; Sunday gets about half that.

New jobs by hour of day

45% of jobs are posted between 9 am and 5 pm Eastern Time, with the peak at 1 pm.

02,0004,0006,0005,77212 am6 am12 pm6 pm
02k4k6k5,77212 am6 am12 pm6 pm

In UTC, add 4 hours: the peak is at 17:00 UTC.

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: New jobs by hour of day
Hour (ET)New jobs, 30 days
12 am2,578
1 am2,479
2 am2,527
3 am3,082
4 am3,430
5 am3,904
6 am4,073
7 am4,181
8 am4,526
9 am4,792
10 am5,394
11 am5,574
12 pm5,701
1 pm5,772
2 pm5,458
3 pm5,202
4 pm5,034
5 pm4,472
6 pm3,833
7 pm3,237
8 pm2,898
9 pm2,778
10 pm2,591
11 pm2,512

Best time to apply on Upwork

The busiest hours are 10 am to 3 pm on Monday to Thursday — up to about 245 new jobs an hour. Saturday and Sunday nights are the quietest, at 55–75.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun12 am6 am12 pm6 pm
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun12 am3 am6 am9 am12 pm3 pm6 pm9 pm

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time. Average new jobs in that hour of one day.

Show data
Data: Best time to apply on Upwork
Hour (ET)MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12 am6513894112757173
1 am8213095115645955
2 am939597122747156
3 am123143124121827076
4 am134150152145917478
5 am1481611741601109492
6 am15917318216910610585
7 am1541561801801579881
8 am17119618418716810677
9 am17820820718318610883
10 am21222422622021011589
11 am229246239233151127110
12 pm223242228237182125134
1 pm226244238223191133130
2 pm219240224218178105126
3 pm20121521420018196143
4 pm186208203178175111152
5 pm166181188165135100142
6 pm14313716613211894132
7 pm13311012911610580104
8 pm12811812474967082
9 pm11310612476837292
10 pm10811210676787070
11 pm1099911269736672

Best time to apply, by category

The same day × hour view for the five largest categories.

  • Design & Creativepeak Wed 1 pm

  • Sales & Marketingpeak Tue 11 am

  • Web, Mobile & Software Devpeak Tue 12 pm

  • Admin Supportpeak Thu 11 am

  • Engineering & Architecturepeak Wed 2 pm

Rows: Monday to Sunday. Columns: 12 am to 11 pm Eastern Time. Each map is shaded from its own quietest to its busiest hour.

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time. Average new jobs in that hour of one day.

Which kinds of jobs are on Upwork?

Three categories make up two thirds of new jobs: Design & Creative (27%), Sales & Marketing (23%) and Web, Mobile & Software Development (18%). Digital marketing and video each bring more jobs than all of web development.

Categories by share of new jobs

Design & Creative (27%), Sales & Marketing (23%) and Web, Mobile & Software Development (18%) make up two thirds of new jobs.

Design & Creative27.3%Sales & Marketing22.7%Web, Mobile & Software Dev17.9%Admin Support8.7%Engineering & Architecture5.0%Accounting & Consulting4.8%Writing3.5%Data Science & Analytics2.6%Customer Service2.2%IT & Networking1.9%Translation1.9%Legal1.5%
Design & Creative27.3%Sales & Marketing22.7%Web, Mobile & Software Dev17.9%Admin Support8.7%Engineering & Architecture5.0%Accounting & Consulting4.8%Writing3.5%Data Science & Analytics2.6%Customer Service2.2%IT & Networking1.9%Translation1.9%Legal1.5%

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Categories by share of new jobs
CategoryShare of new jobs
Design & Creative27.3%
Sales & Marketing22.7%
Web, Mobile & Software Dev17.9%
Admin Support8.7%
Engineering & Architecture5.0%
Accounting & Consulting4.8%
Writing3.5%
Data Science & Analytics2.6%
Customer Service2.2%
IT & Networking1.9%
Translation1.9%
Legal1.5%

Top 10 subcategories

Digital marketing and video each bring more jobs than all of web development.

  • Design & Creative
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Web, Mobile & Software Dev
  • Admin Support
  • Accounting & Consulting
Digital Marketing12.9%Video & Animation12.5%Lead Generation & Telemarketing7.3%Graphic, Editorial & Presentation Design7.3%Web Development6.2%Virtual Assistance5.1%Web & Mobile Design4.5%Marketing, PR & Brand Strategy2.5%Ecommerce Development2.4%Accounting & Bookkeeping2.0%
Digital Marketing12.9%Video & Animation12.5%Lead Generation & Telemarketing7.3%Graphic, Editorial & Presentation Design7.3%Web Development6.2%Virtual Assistance5.1%Web & Mobile Design4.5%Marketing, PR & Brand Strategy2.5%Ecommerce Development2.4%Accounting & Bookkeeping2.0%

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Top 10 subcategories
SubcategoryCategoryShare of new jobs
Digital MarketingSales & Marketing12.9%
Video & AnimationDesign & Creative12.5%
Lead Generation & TelemarketingSales & Marketing7.3%
Graphic, Editorial & Presentation DesignDesign & Creative7.3%
Web DevelopmentWeb, Mobile & Software Dev6.2%
Virtual AssistanceAdmin Support5.1%
Web & Mobile DesignWeb, Mobile & Software Dev4.5%
Marketing, PR & Brand StrategySales & Marketing2.5%
Ecommerce DevelopmentWeb, Mobile & Software Dev2.4%
Accounting & BookkeepingAccounting & Consulting2.0%

Which skills have the most jobs?

Graphic design and video editing each appear in almost one job in ten. An average job lists 5–6 skills.

Graphic Design9.7%Video Editing9.5%Social Media Marketing7.8%Lead Generation6.2%Web Design5.4%Web Development5.2%Data Entry5.2%Adobe Photoshop5.2%Adobe Illustrator4.5%Video Production4.3%English3.8%Marketing Strategy3.8%Video Post-Editing3.7%Facebook3.7%Sales3.7%Adobe Premiere Pro3.6%WordPress3.6%Content Writing3.6%Administrative Support3.6%Social Media Management3.5%
Graphic Design9.7%Video Editing9.5%Social Media Marketing7.8%Lead Generation6.2%Web Design5.4%Web Development5.2%Data Entry5.2%Adobe Photoshop5.2%Adobe Illustrator4.5%Video Production4.3%

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time. Share of jobs that list the skill.

Show data
Data: Which skills have the most jobs?
SkillShare of jobs listing it
Graphic Design9.7%
Video Editing9.5%
Social Media Marketing7.8%
Lead Generation6.2%
Web Design5.4%
Web Development5.2%
Data Entry5.2%
Adobe Photoshop5.2%
Adobe Illustrator4.5%
Video Production4.3%
English3.8%
Marketing Strategy3.8%
Video Post-Editing3.7%
Facebook3.7%
Sales3.7%
Adobe Premiere Pro3.6%
WordPress3.6%
Content Writing3.6%
Administrative Support3.6%
Social Media Management3.5%

How much do Upwork jobs pay?

The median hourly job asks for $10–25 an hour; one in ten offers $60 or more at the top of its range. Half of fixed-price jobs have a budget of $100 or less. Pay depends a lot on the niche: IT & Networking jobs ask up to $45 an hour, customer service up to $11.

Hourly or fixed price, and what level

60% of jobs pay by the hour; 61% ask for intermediate experience.

Type of payHourly 60%Fixed price 40%Experience levelIntermediate 61%Expert 28%Entry level 11%
Type of payHourly60%Fixed price40%Experience levelIntermediate61%Expert28%Entry level11%

Entry-level jobs are the only group that is mostly fixed-price (58%).

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Hourly or fixed price, and what level
GroupShare
Type of pay: Hourly60%
Type of pay: Fixed price40%
Experience level: Intermediate61%
Experience level: Expert28%
Experience level: Entry level11%

What rates and budgets clients set

The median hourly job asks for $10–25 an hour; one in ten offers $60 or more at the top of its range. Half of fixed-price jobs have a budget of $100 or less.

Hourly jobs, $ an hour$0$20$40$60$80$10$25$60Fixed-price jobs, $ budget$0$100$200$300$400$25$100$350
Hourly jobs, $ an hour$0$20$40$60$80$10$25$60Fixed-price jobs, $ budget$0$100$200$300$400$25$100$350
  • Typical range
  • Median
  • Up to the top tenth

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time. Hourly: medians of the low and high end of each job's range. Fixed price: middle half of budgets.

Show data
Data: What rates and budgets clients set
MeasureValue
Hourly, median low end of range$10
Hourly, median high end of range$25
Hourly, 90th percentile of high end$60
Fixed price, 25th percentile$25
Fixed price, median$100
Fixed price, 75th percentile$350

Which Upwork niches pay the most?

IT & Networking jobs ask up to $45 an hour, customer service up to $11.

Pay by category
CategoryShare of jobsHourly, top of range (median)Fixed budget (median)
IT & Networking1.9%$45$140
Data Science & Analytics2.6%$38$100
Writing3.5%$35$90
Design & Creative27.3%$30$90
Web, Mobile & Software Dev17.9%$30$150
Engineering & Architecture5.0%$30$150
Accounting & Consulting4.8%$25$150
Sales & Marketing22.7%$20$120
Admin Support8.7%$12$55
Customer Service2.2%$11$50

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Who posts jobs on Upwork?

Clients from the United States post 42% of new jobs, followed by the United Kingdom, India, Australia and Canada.

Where clients are

Clients from the United States post 42.0% of new jobs, followed by the United Kingdom with 8.1% and India with 6.3%.

United States42.0%United Kingdom8.1%India6.3%Australia5.3%Canada4.9%Pakistan2.8%United Arab Emirates2.1%Germany1.7%Netherlands1.6%France1.3%
United States42.0%United Kingdom8.1%India6.3%Australia5.3%Canada4.9%Pakistan2.8%United Arab Emirates2.1%Germany1.7%Netherlands1.6%France1.3%

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Where clients are
Client countryShare of new jobs
United States42.0%
United Kingdom8.1%
India6.3%
Australia5.3%
Canada4.9%
Pakistan2.8%
United Arab Emirates2.1%
Germany1.7%
Netherlands1.6%
France1.3%

Which Upwork clients actually hire?

59% of new jobs come from clients with a verified payment method who have already hired and paid freelancers on Upwork. Another 39% come from clients who have never hired anyone — most of them without a verified payment method.

Client profile

58.9% of new jobs come from clients with verified payment who have already hired and paid freelancers.

Clients by profileVerified payment, has hired and paid58.9%Verified payment, no hires yet15.9%Payment not verified23.0%Other2.3%
Clients by profileVerified payment, has hired and paid58.9%Verified payment, no hires yet15.9%Payment not verified23.0%Other2.3%

Almost all jobs from clients without verified payment (22.8% of all jobs) also come from clients with no hires.

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Client profile
Client profileShare of new jobs
Verified payment, has hired and paid58.9%
Verified payment, no hires yet15.9%
Payment not verified23.0%
Other2.3%

Client signals one by one

77% of new jobs come from clients with verified payment; 39% from clients who have never hired.

  • Payment verified77%
  • Phone verified73%
  • Rated 4.5 or higher49%
  • No hires yet39%
  • Nothing spent yet41%
  • Joined in the last 30 days31%
  • Contract-to-hire24%
  • Asks screening questions20%

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

Show data
Data: Client signals one by one
Client signalShare of new jobs
Payment verified77%
Phone verified73%
Rated 4.5 or higher49%
No hires yet39%
Nothing spent yet41%
Joined in the last 30 days31%
Contract-to-hire24%
Asks screening questions20%

What clients have paid before

  • 34%median client hire rate
  • $13.40median hourly rate clients actually paid
  • $4,820median spend of clients who have spent

Clients ask for $10–25 an hour, and past contracts paid a median of $13.40 an hour; one in ten paid $36 or more.

Source: new Upwork jobs flconsole tracked, 13 September – 13 October 2026. Times in US Eastern Time.

What this means if you freelance on Upwork

  1. Apply on weekdays, during US business hours. Most new jobs land between 9 am and 5 pm Eastern; Tuesday and Wednesday around 11 am to 2 pm are the busiest.

  2. Weekends are quieter, not empty. About 2,200 new jobs a day — fewer proposals to compete with.

  3. Check the client before you spend Connects. Two in five jobs come from clients with no hires yet.

  4. Know your niche's rate. Hourly jobs ask for $11 to $45 at the top of the range, depending on the category.

  5. Fixed-price jobs are mostly small. Half have a budget of $100 or less — scope them carefully.

Use this data

You can quote these numbers and use the charts with a link to this page.

Cite it as: flconsole, "Upwork jobs in 2026", flconsole.com/research/upwork-jobs-2026.

Data licensed under CC BY 4.0

Charts are free to embed with a link back.

Writing about Upwork? Email hello@flconsole.com for the latest numbers.

Questions

In the 30 days to 13 October 2026, flconsole tracked about 3,200 new Upwork jobs a day on average: around 3,700 on weekdays and 2,200 on weekends.

Weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm US Eastern Time, when 45% of new jobs are posted. The busiest hour is 1 pm ET (17:00 UTC); Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days.

The median hourly job asks for $10 to $25 an hour; one in ten goes up to $60 or more. It varies by niche: from about $11 in customer service to $45 in IT & Networking.

Graphic design, video editing, social media marketing, lead generation and web design. Design & Creative and Sales & Marketing together make up half of new jobs.

No. flconsole tracked 96,028 new jobs in 30 days. Picking clients is the harder part: 39% of jobs come from clients who have never hired, so checking the client matters more than applying everywhere.

Every month. The date at the top shows the latest update.

flconsole is a free service that watches new Upwork jobs and delivers matching ones to your Telegram or to your AI agent over MCP.

About this data

  • Counts are new Upwork job posts flconsole tracked from 13 September to 13 October 2026 (96,028 jobs).
  • Times are in US Eastern Time. The chart by day shows the 29 full days from 14 September to 12 October. Weekday and hour figures are averages per day.
  • Categories, skills, rates and budgets are the ones clients set in the job post. Jobs without a rate or budget are left out of those charts.
  • Client details — country, payment verification, hires, spend and rating — are as shown on the job post when it was published.
  • Shares are rounded to one decimal or the nearest whole percent.
  • Next update: mid-November 2026. Earlier versions: —

Alex Varen

Builds flconsole. Writes Python, Telegram bots and MCP servers for AI agents.

Get new Upwork jobs in Telegram, free

New jobs from your own search and client filters, within a minute of posting.

Get job alerts in Telegram

Free forever · No card, no API keys · 3 steps, 5 minutes

Telegram on your phone? Scan

Using an AI agent? Connect it over MCP →