What Is Self-Employment? | The Motley Fool

Self-Employed: Overview, Types, Benefits

By Kristi Waterworth – Updated Dec 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

17 million U.S. self-employed workers have diversified roles across all industries.
Self-employed individuals choose their clients and working conditions, maintaining autonomy.
IRS criteria for self-employment focus on control in behavior, finances, and relationships.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were almost 17 million self-employed workers in the country as of September 2025, a workforce about 10% the size of full-time and part-time workers combined. But what does it mean to be self-employed? Read on to better understand this unique labor status.

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Person walking several dogs on street. — Image source: Getty Images.

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About the Author

Kristi Waterworth has been a contributing real estate and financial expert at The Motley Fool, covering real estate, investing, and personal finance topics, since 2020. Kristi has been interviewed by various TV media outlets and podcasts for her real estate investing expertise – from residential real estate to digital real estate and everything in between. Kristi’s journalist career spans over 25 years, and she has written about real estate investing, homeownership, and home construction specifically for the last decade. She was also previously a licensed Realtor and general building contractor before the Great Recession and housing market collapse. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Columbia College in Missouri.

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