American freelance business writers earn an average of $25-30,000 per year, according to an informal survey completed by 67 members of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW). The poll found that freelancers are paid between 75 cents and $1 per word, if they are paid by the word, or an average of $250 per assigment.

“The survey results seem to indicate that many of our freelancers are grossly underpaid, but still prefer freelancing to a full-time position because of the flexibility it provides,” SABEW board member Maya Payne Smart says in the release.

Some 40% of respondents had been laid off from full-time jobs.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Media Guild surveyed a larger sample of freelancers engaged by the CBC and found that one-quarter of the 173 respondents earn more than $35,000 in annual freelance income, typically from a variety of sources. Nearly half (42%) of respondents had no job other than freelancing.