Issue 001 — Private beta opening Q3 2026

What your work is
actually worth.

Axia is freelance rate intelligence — real market data on what clients pay independent designers, developers, photographers, and writers, by city, by skill, by experience level. Not a calculator. Not an average. The actual percentiles.

Free during beta. No card required.

Try it. This is real data.

Below is a working demonstration with sample percentiles drawn from BLS OEWS and platform data. The product covers 830 occupations across 600+ US metropolitan areas.

QUERY
SOURCESBLS OEWS · LinkedIn ranges · 23 verified reports
P50
P75
$68$145
P25
$68
Bottom quartile
P50
$88
Market median
P75
$115
Top quartile
P90
$145
Top 10% of market
FREELANCE RECOMMENDATION
$98–$130/hr
Adjusted for self-employment tax, overhead, and 70% billable utilization. Your rate should land in the P55–P75 of market for similar quality.

Three layers of evidence.
Cross-checked, not crowdsourced.

Layer I

BLS Occupational Wage Statistics

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes percentile wages for 830 occupations across 600+ metropolitan areas, refreshed annually. This is the statistical anchor. We adjust for self-employment using transparent multipliers.

Updated May 2024 · 830 occupations · 600+ MSAs
Layer II

Live platform signal

Salary range data from job listings (mandated in 12 US states) and freelance platform rate ranges. Refreshed monthly. Used as a market floor and ceiling — not as truth.

LinkedIn · Indeed · platform listings
Layer III

Verified contributor reports

Freelancers report their own rates with required context: years, city, client type, scope. No anonymous numbers. Sample sizes are always shown so you can judge confidence.

Honest sample sizes · context required

Three steps. No fluff.

I

Tell us your skill and city

Pick from 830 occupations and 600+ US metros. Specify your experience tier — junior, mid, senior — and we calibrate the percentiles to your level.

II

See the actual market

Real percentile data from BLS, cross-checked against current job listings and verified freelancer reports. We show you the sample size every time.

III

Set a defensible rate

Get a recommended freelance range adjusted for overhead, taxes, and billable utilization. Track how the market shifts in your city, quarter over quarter.

"

Most freelance rate calculators ask what you want to earn. Axia asks what the market actually pays. That's the difference between hoping and knowing.

Editorial note
From the Axia methodology

Private beta opening this quarter.

The first 200 contributors get lifetime Pro access in exchange for one verified rate report. Everyone else joins the waitlist.

Free during beta. No card required.