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 Varen · Updated 13 October 2026 · Next update: mid-November · 9 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.

-   **96,028** — new Upwork jobs in 30 days
-   **~3,200** — new jobs a day on average
-   **1 pm ET** — busiest hour to post
-   **60%** — pay by the hour
-   **$100** — median 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.

Weekends are lighter.

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

Data: New jobs per day

| Day | New jobs |
| --- | --- |
| Mon 14 Sep | 3,632 |
| Tue 15 Sep | 3,994 |
| Wed 16 Sep | 4,156 |
| Thu 17 Sep | 3,959 |
| Fri 18 Sep | 2,874 |
| Sat 19 Sep | 2,325 |
| Sun 20 Sep | 2,239 |
| Mon 21 Sep | 2,393 |
| Tue 22 Sep | 3,661 |
| Wed 23 Sep | 3,474 |
| Thu 24 Sep | 3,945 |
| Fri 25 Sep | 2,961 |
| Sat 26 Sep | 2,191 |
| Sun 27 Sep | 2,318 |
| Mon 28 Sep | 4,031 |
| Tue 29 Sep | 4,176 |
| Wed 30 Sep | 4,105 |
| Thu 1 Oct | 3,710 |
| Fri 2 Oct | 2,944 |
| Sat 3 Oct | 2,315 |
| Sun 4 Oct | 1,716 |
| Mon 5 Oct | 4,011 |
| Tue 6 Oct | 4,155 |
| Wed 7 Oct | 4,185 |
| Thu 8 Oct | 3,924 |
| Fri 9 Oct | 3,361 |
| Sat 10 Oct | 2,253 |
| Sun 11 Oct | 2,141 |
| Mon 12 Oct | 3,424 |

### New jobs by day of the week

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

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

Data: New jobs by day of the week

| Day | Average new jobs a day |
| --- | --- |
| Mon | 3,703 |
| Tue | 3,981 |
| Wed | 4,012 |
| Thu | 3,714 |
| Fri | 3,068 |
| Sat | 2,220 |
| Sun | 2,099 |

## 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.

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.

Data: New jobs by hour of day

| Hour (ET) | New jobs, 30 days |
| --- | --- |
| 12 am | 2,578 |
| 1 am | 2,479 |
| 2 am | 2,527 |
| 3 am | 3,082 |
| 4 am | 3,430 |
| 5 am | 3,904 |
| 6 am | 4,073 |
| 7 am | 4,181 |
| 8 am | 4,526 |
| 9 am | 4,792 |
| 10 am | 5,394 |
| 11 am | 5,574 |
| 12 pm | 5,701 |
| 1 pm | 5,772 |
| 2 pm | 5,458 |
| 3 pm | 5,202 |
| 4 pm | 5,034 |
| 5 pm | 4,472 |
| 6 pm | 3,833 |
| 7 pm | 3,237 |
| 8 pm | 2,898 |
| 9 pm | 2,778 |
| 10 pm | 2,591 |
| 11 pm | 2,512 |

### 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.

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.

Data: Best time to apply on Upwork

| Hour (ET) | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 12 am | 65 | 138 | 94 | 112 | 75 | 71 | 73 |
| 1 am | 82 | 130 | 95 | 115 | 64 | 59 | 55 |
| 2 am | 93 | 95 | 97 | 122 | 74 | 71 | 56 |
| 3 am | 123 | 143 | 124 | 121 | 82 | 70 | 76 |
| 4 am | 134 | 150 | 152 | 145 | 91 | 74 | 78 |
| 5 am | 148 | 161 | 174 | 160 | 110 | 94 | 92 |
| 6 am | 159 | 173 | 182 | 169 | 106 | 105 | 85 |
| 7 am | 154 | 156 | 180 | 180 | 157 | 98 | 81 |
| 8 am | 171 | 196 | 184 | 187 | 168 | 106 | 77 |
| 9 am | 178 | 208 | 207 | 183 | 186 | 108 | 83 |
| 10 am | 212 | 224 | 226 | 220 | 210 | 115 | 89 |
| 11 am | 229 | 246 | 239 | 233 | 151 | 127 | 110 |
| 12 pm | 223 | 242 | 228 | 237 | 182 | 125 | 134 |
| 1 pm | 226 | 244 | 238 | 223 | 191 | 133 | 130 |
| 2 pm | 219 | 240 | 224 | 218 | 178 | 105 | 126 |
| 3 pm | 201 | 215 | 214 | 200 | 181 | 96 | 143 |
| 4 pm | 186 | 208 | 203 | 178 | 175 | 111 | 152 |
| 5 pm | 166 | 181 | 188 | 165 | 135 | 100 | 142 |
| 6 pm | 143 | 137 | 166 | 132 | 118 | 94 | 132 |
| 7 pm | 133 | 110 | 129 | 116 | 105 | 80 | 104 |
| 8 pm | 128 | 118 | 124 | 74 | 96 | 70 | 82 |
| 9 pm | 113 | 106 | 124 | 76 | 83 | 72 | 92 |
| 10 pm | 108 | 112 | 106 | 76 | 78 | 70 | 70 |
| 11 pm | 109 | 99 | 112 | 69 | 73 | 66 | 72 |

### Best time to apply, by category

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

-   **Design & Creative** — peak Wed 1 pm
    
-   **Sales & Marketing** — peak Tue 11 am
    
-   **Web, Mobile & Software Dev** — peak Tue 12 pm
    
-   **Admin Support** — peak Thu 11 am
    
-   **Engineering & Architecture** — peak 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.

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

Data: Categories by share of new jobs

| Category | Share of new jobs |
| --- | --- |
| Design & Creative | 27.3% |
| Sales & Marketing | 22.7% |
| Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 17.9% |
| Admin Support | 8.7% |
| Engineering & Architecture | 5.0% |
| Accounting & Consulting | 4.8% |
| Writing | 3.5% |
| Data Science & Analytics | 2.6% |
| Customer Service | 2.2% |
| IT & Networking | 1.9% |
| Translation | 1.9% |
| Legal | 1.5% |

### 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

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

Data: Top 10 subcategories

| Subcategory | Category | Share of new jobs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Marketing | Sales & Marketing | 12.9% |
| Video & Animation | Design & Creative | 12.5% |
| Lead Generation & Telemarketing | Sales & Marketing | 7.3% |
| Graphic, Editorial & Presentation Design | Design & Creative | 7.3% |
| Web Development | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 6.2% |
| Virtual Assistance | Admin Support | 5.1% |
| Web & Mobile Design | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 4.5% |
| Marketing, PR & Brand Strategy | Sales & Marketing | 2.5% |
| Ecommerce Development | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 2.4% |
| Accounting & Bookkeeping | Accounting & Consulting | 2.0% |

### 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.

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

Data: Which skills have the most jobs?

| Skill | Share of jobs listing it |
| --- | --- |
| Graphic Design | 9.7% |
| Video Editing | 9.5% |
| Social Media Marketing | 7.8% |
| Lead Generation | 6.2% |
| Web Design | 5.4% |
| Web Development | 5.2% |
| Data Entry | 5.2% |
| Adobe Photoshop | 5.2% |
| Adobe Illustrator | 4.5% |
| Video Production | 4.3% |
| English | 3.8% |
| Marketing Strategy | 3.8% |
| Video Post-Editing | 3.7% |
| Facebook | 3.7% |
| Sales | 3.7% |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | 3.6% |
| WordPress | 3.6% |
| Content Writing | 3.6% |
| Administrative Support | 3.6% |
| Social Media Management | 3.5% |

## 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.

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.

Data: Hourly or fixed price, and what level

| Group | Share |
| --- | --- |
| Type of pay: Hourly | 60% |
| Type of pay: Fixed price | 40% |
| Experience level: Intermediate | 61% |
| Experience level: Expert | 28% |
| Experience level: Entry level | 11% |

### 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.

-   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.

Data: What rates and budgets clients set

| Measure | Value |
| --- | --- |
| 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

| Category | Share of jobs | Hourly, top of range (median) | Fixed budget (median) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| IT & Networking | 1.9% | $45 | $140 |
| Data Science & Analytics | 2.6% | $38 | $100 |
| Writing | 3.5% | $35 | $90 |
| Design & Creative | 27.3% | $30 | $90 |
| Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 17.9% | $30 | $150 |
| Engineering & Architecture | 5.0% | $30 | $150 |
| Accounting & Consulting | 4.8% | $25 | $150 |
| Sales & Marketing | 22.7% | $20 | $120 |
| Admin Support | 8.7% | $12 | $55 |
| Customer Service | 2.2% | $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%.

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

Data: Where clients are

| Client country | Share of new jobs |
| --- | --- |
| United States | 42.0% |
| United Kingdom | 8.1% |
| India | 6.3% |
| Australia | 5.3% |
| Canada | 4.9% |
| Pakistan | 2.8% |
| United Arab Emirates | 2.1% |
| Germany | 1.7% |
| Netherlands | 1.6% |
| France | 1.3% |

## 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.

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.

Data: Client profile

| Client profile | Share of new jobs |
| --- | --- |
| Verified payment, has hired and paid | 58.9% |
| Verified payment, no hires yet | 15.9% |
| Payment not verified | 23.0% |
| Other | 2.3% |

### Client signals one by one

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

-   Payment verified — 77%
-   Phone verified — 73%
-   Rated 4.5 or higher — 49%
-   No hires yet — 39%
-   Nothing spent yet — 41%
-   Joined in the last 30 days — 31%
-   Contract-to-hire — 24%
-   Asks screening questions — 20%

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

Data: Client signals one by one

| Client signal | Share of new jobs |
| --- | --- |
| Payment verified | 77% |
| Phone verified | 73% |
| Rated 4.5 or higher | 49% |
| No hires yet | 39% |
| Nothing spent yet | 41% |
| Joined in the last 30 days | 31% |
| Contract-to-hire | 24% |
| Asks screening questions | 20% |

### What clients have paid before

-   **34%** — median client hire rate
-   **$13.40** — median hourly rate clients actually paid
-   **$4,820** — median 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.

### Want only clients who hire?

flconsole sends new Upwork jobs to Telegram within a minute, already filtered by hire rate, money spent and payment verified. Spend Connects on clients who actually hire.

[Get job alerts in Telegram](https://t.me/flconsole_upwork_job_alerts_bot?start=site_research_mid)

## 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](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Charts are free to embed with a link back.

Writing about Upwork? Email [hello@flconsole.com](mailto:hello@flconsole.com) for the latest numbers.

## Questions

### How many jobs are posted on Upwork per day?

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.

### What is the best time to apply for jobs on Upwork?

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.

### What is the average hourly rate on Upwork?

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.

### What are the most in-demand skills on Upwork?

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

### Is Upwork dead in 2026?

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.

### How often is this page updated?

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

### What is flconsole?

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: —

---

96,028 new Upwork jobs in 30 days: jobs per day, the best time to apply, top niches and skills, rates by category and which clients hire. Updated monthly.

Source: https://flconsole.com/research/upwork-jobs-2026