The 2012 Freelance Industry Report, put together by Ed Gandia, is a valuable resource for any current freelancer, or anyone considering branching out into freelance work.

There’s evidence that the freelance sector of the professional population is large and predicted to grow rapidly. While that might sound like extra competition, the good news is that the more people who choose freelancing, the more politicians and society at large will have to pay attention and start improving the options available to self-employed workers.

With a sample set of nearly 1,500 freelancers in a variety of fields, the report’s data provides a useful snapshot of important information and trends relevant to the self-employed.

Some key points of interest:

• 90% of freelancers report being happier freelancing than they were before leaving their full time jobs
• The majority of freelancers work in design and writing
• Women make up over 70% of the freelance workforce
• Almost half are the primary income winners in their household
• Flexibility in work schedule was the top reason cited by respondents for choosing a freelance career
• 10% of new freelancers earn $100 or more an hour!
• Almost half of freelancers work with the same client for a year or more
• Referrals and word of mouth far outrank other methods for finding clients
• The marketing method with the largest increase in the number of respondents saying they’re planning to use it in the next year is SEO
• Even “accidental freelancers” that were pushed into the position based on economic factors largely report that they’re happier now than when working as an employee

To read the full report, either click on the image to the right or the link at the top of the page. Trust me, it’s worth the time.