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Tech Contract & 1099 Demand Forecast

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Top 10 In-Demand Tech Contract Roles

United States · 30 days · Modeled demand index

#1
Hot

Frontend Engineer (React/TypeScript)

Demand Index
94
+18%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$70·$100·$140/hr
Contract 68%C2H 32%
#2
Hot

Backend Engineer

Demand Index
91
+14%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$75·$105·$150/hr
Contract 62%C2H 38%
#3
Hot

Full-Stack Engineer

Demand Index
89
+12%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$80·$115·$160/hr
Contract 71%C2H 29%
#4
Rising

Data Engineer

Demand Index
87
+22%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$85·$120·$165/hr
Contract 58%C2H 42%
#5
Rising

DevOps / Cloud Engineer

Demand Index
85
+15%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$90·$125·$170/hr
Contract 64%C2H 36%
#6
Rising

SRE (Site Reliability Engineer)

Demand Index
78
+9%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$95·$135·$180/hr
Contract 55%C2H 45%
#7
Rising

Cybersecurity Engineer

Demand Index
82
+26%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$90·$130·$180/hr
Contract 49%C2H 51%
#8
Rising

QA / Test Automation

Demand Index
71
+4%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$55·$80·$110/hr
Contract 74%C2H 26%
#9
Cooling

Data Analyst / BI

Demand Index
68
-3%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$55·$80·$115/hr
Contract 66%C2H 34%
#10
Cooling

Mobile Engineer (iOS/Android)

Demand Index
65
-5%
Hourly Pay (USD) Technology pay rangesBlended U.S. 1099 contractor rates for mid-level talent (3–7 yrs). U.S.-based freelancers/consultants only.Low = junior or lower-cost metros · Mid = national median · High = senior or major-metro premium.Rates are contractor bill rates (loaded for self-employment tax, benefits, insurance). They exclude equity, bonuses, and per-diem.Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES (15-12xx computer occupations, May 2024 release); Robert Half 2025 Technology Salary Guide; Dice Tech Salary Report 2025.
low · mid · high
$70·$100·$140/hr
Contract 70%C2H 30%

Supply & Demand at a Glance

Visual breakdown of demand momentum, top roles, and the supply gap by market.

Demand vs. Supply — last 12 weeks

Indexed 0–100. Widening gap = more openings than available freelancers.

Demand
Supply
025507510012w10w8w6w4w2wnow

Top roles by Demand Index

United States · 30 days

Demand Index
Frontend Engineer (React/TypeScript)94
Frontend Engineer (React/TypeScript)
Index 94+18%Hot
68% contract · 32% C2H
Backend Engineer91
Backend Engineer
Index 91+14%Hot
62% contract · 38% C2H
Full-Stack Engineer89
Full-Stack Engineer
Index 89+12%Hot
71% contract · 29% C2H
Data Engineer87
Data Engineer
Index 87+22%Rising
58% contract · 42% C2H
DevOps / Cloud Engineer85
DevOps / Cloud Engineer
Index 85+15%Rising
64% contract · 36% C2H
SRE (Site Reliability Engineer)78
SRE (Site Reliability Engineer)
Index 78+9%Rising
55% contract · 45% C2H
Cybersecurity Engineer82
Cybersecurity Engineer
Index 82+26%Rising
49% contract · 51% C2H
QA / Test Automation71
QA / Test Automation
Index 71+4%Rising
74% contract · 26% C2H

Geographic supply & demand map

Bubble size = demand · color = supply gap. Hover a metro for details.

Under-supplied (gap ≥ 25)
Tight (gap 15–24)
Balanced (gap < 15)
+34Austin, TX+16SF Bay Area+18New York+18Seattle+28Denver+12Boston+24AtlantaREMOTE (US)Demand 95 · Supply 70Gap +25 (nationwide)

Supply gap by metro

Openings vs. available Pro Verified freelancers. Positive = under-supplied.

Demand
Supply
Gap
0255075100+34Austin, TX+16SF Bay Area+18New York+18Seattle+28Denver+12Boston+24Atlanta+25Remote (US)Bars: Demand (blue) vs. Supply (amber) · Label = gap
Modeled contract openings
18,420
+11% MoM
Median blended rate
$118/hr
+4% MoM
Fastest-rising role
Cybersecurity
+26%

Where demand is rising fastest

Modeled from BLS, aggregated job feeds, and hiring signal indices. Refreshed daily.

  • Austin, TX+22%
  • Denver, CO+18%
  • Remote (US)+15%
  • New York, NY+12%
  • Atlanta, GA+9%

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