Once a niche of “hipster/hippie” freelancers and entrepreneurs, digital nomads have now established themselves as a global force of professional remote workers who seize the opportunity to combine work with travel, turning the world into their office.
The rise of digital nomadism in the aftermath of the pandemic has reshaped the way companies interact with this new breed of workers who have redefined what “going to work” means, while prompting economic and cultural changes worldwide.
According to a study presented by MBO Partners on Aug. 20, location-independent workers now account for 18.1 million Americans or 11% of the total workforce.
The study surveyed 6,526 US residents aged 18+, including 1,055 current digital nomads.
These numbers, which are increasing by 4.7% annually, show that digital nomads can no longer be considered part of a niche but some sort of historical work transformation that must be recognized and treated as such.
“Today, leading organizations know they must attract top talent to survive, including allowing workers to operate when and where they want,” said Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, in a press release.
In fact, the number of digital nomads has jumped a staggering 147% in the last five years.
The study also found that a number of employers still distrust the idea of allowing their employees to work and travel at the same time.
This is reflected in the fact that 14% of digital nomads with “office” jobs hide their living status from their bosses.
Similarly, 22% of the remote workers who have received “green light” from their managers, say that their companies have no digital nomad policies in place. Thus, if their bosses change, their ability to keep traveling may be at risk.
Everson thinks that this uncertainty needs to be addressed: “Implementing formal policies to track and engage with remote and nomadic workers should be considered standard practice,” he says.
Another interesting finding is that the number of remote workers holding “traditional” jobs has decreased in 2024, while the number of independent workers keeps increasing. Apparently, the return-to-office policy enforced by many US companies over the last year may be why.
Who are they? How much do they earn? And What’s their lifestyle?
This study also revealed important insights into who they are, how much they earn and their typical lifestyle. Let’s take a look.
1. Demographics
To no one’s surprise, digital nomads are predominantly young, with 64% belonging to the Z and millennial generations.
Men slightly outnumber women, with 55% of the participants. The group is mostly made up of white people (67%), then we have black people (21%), (11%) Hispanic, and (6%) Asian.
Their average age is 37 and—who would have thought—over half of them are married or living with a partner.
2. Work and Income
Here, the study delved further into the data, giving us valuable information about work and income.
First and foremost, digital nomads really love their jobs, with a staggering 79% reporting high job satisfaction.
Income, however, is not as good for everyone since 17% of them make less than $25,000 annually. So this group often opts to travel and live in low-cost countries and areas to maximize their earnings. On the other hand, 46% of them make $75,000 or more.
Their professional activities are more diverse than expected, with 19% working in IT, 14% in creative services, and 9% in education and training. Other typical roles include sales, PR, finance, consulting and marketing.
3. Challenges and Lifestyle
Digital nomads love to have an active and dynamic lifestyle but face some important challenges, including financial stress (27%), homesickness (26%), and concerns about personal safety when traveling to faraway countries or unfamiliar places (24%).
Other difficulties include time zone differences, with 23% of them reporting it as an issue, and travel burnout (21%).
Do you feel identified with any of these categories? Let us know in the comment section!