I'm Taylor - the founder of Fractional Jobs. We're the largest network of fractional executives and other fractional talent in the world. We help companies hire fractional talent, and we help talent do fractional work successfully, including via introductions to potential clients.
Welcome to the largest survey on fractional work ever conducted. 1,733 participants!
In Summer 2026, we brought in an outside research firm to survey the fractional work world and help us better understand it.
The survey results below cover who is doing fractional work and why, how much they charge, how they find clients, how long engagements last, and what they expect from the year ahead.
Whether you've been doing fractional work for 10 years, or are just learning about it now for the first time, you're going to find some interesting takeaways here.
A few of my personal takeaways are:
Fully 90% of people doing fractional work today are not looking for a full-time job, which breaks some key stereotypes
A majority of fractionals have 2+ clients, but the most common number of clients to have is just one (36% have exactly one). So if you're in this bucket and looking for more clients, you're not alone.
20% of folks have found at least one client through talent platforms like Fractional Jobs. If we did this survey a year ago, this number would have been much smaller.
Browse all the survey highlights below.
Let's start with years of experience...
Fractional workers are already well into their careers. Two-thirds of respondents have more than 16 years of experience, and over 25% have 25 years or more. That experience carries through to seniority as well, with 80% holding a director-level title or above. People who break into fractional work do so after already having a successful career of full-time work under their belt.
Two thirds have 16+ years of experience
25+ years26%
21–25 years18%
16–20 years22%
11–15 years22%
Under 11 years13%
80% are director level or above
C-Suite37%
VP17%
Director12%
Head of / Leader14%
Senior individual contributor13%
Other6%
“Other” is write-ins: Chief of Staff, Controller, and a few who position
differently depending on the client
Why choose fractional in the first place?
Doing fractional work is a very intentional decision. 90% of fractionals are not looking for a full-time job, and more than 33% have turned one down after being offered it directly. Flexibility and autonomy is the most common reason, cited by 84% of respondents, and so is a better work-life balance (45%) and compensation (40%). Nearly all fractional workers, 93%, describe their role as hands-on execution rather than just advisory work.
9 in 10 fractionals are NOT looking for a full-time job
Open to full-time, but only if exceptional53%
Fractional long-term, not interested in full-time37%
Actively looking for full-time6%
Other4%
“Other”: use cases like holding a full-time job on top of fractional work
And many will turn down a full-time role
Offered a full-time role by a client, said no36%
Never been offered one51%
Converted to full-time13%
“Love fractional work. As I tell most folks, there’s no going back. The autonomy, freedom, and impact on small businesses and start-ups where I play is amazing.”
Fractional CFO · 2–3 years · $250–295/hr
So why even choose to do fractional work?
Flexibility and autonomy84%
Better work-life balance45%
Higher earning potential40%
Variety across companies37%
Choosing clients and projects33%
Couldn’t find a full-time role15%
* Multi-select question
Almost all fractionals are hands-on, not just advisory
Hands-on execution93%
Strategy and planning86%
Periodic advisory61%
Interim leadership31%
* Multi-select question
How many clients on average, and how many hours?
The majority of fractionals have 2+ clients at a time. But, having one client is the single most common answer (36%). Typically, these folks are on the hunt for more. Hours vary by fractional worker and engagement, but 20-24 client-facing hours is the sweet spot.
Most have one or two clients, a third have 3+
1 client36%
2 clients33%
3 clients17%
4 clients7%
5 or more7%
0 clients<1%
Our take: one client is the most common answer, but not the goal. Most
fractionals are always looking for new clients. And if you’re stuck at
one, know that you’re not alone :)
For client-facing hours, 20–24 is the sweet spot, but it varies!
Under 10 hrs14%
10–14 hrs17%
15–19 hrs14%
20–24 hrs21%
25–29 hrs14%
30–39 hrs14%
40+ hrs6%
On top of those hours, fractionals have to manage their back-office work
(e.g. bookkeeping), plus biz dev. 25 hours of client work will feel about
the same as a typical 40 hr full-time job
What to do fractional leaders charge their clients?
What fractional leaders charge comes down mostly to the seniority of the seat you are filling. Fractional VPs and C-suite executives report around $220 an hour, while Head-of, Director, and senior IC roles land closer to $150. Rates vary per engagement, though the hourly figure is really just a reference point. Only about 20% of fractionals actually bill hourly, instead a monthly retainer is the most common structure. Hourly rates are a good benchmark to level set, but the best practice is usually to price the engagement by the month, based roughly on how many hours will be worked.
Compensation for executives
$220average hourly rate for VP and C-suite
$400+4%
$300–39510%
$250–29516%
$200–24528%
$150–19525%
$100–14514%
Under $1004%
And for head of, director, senior IC and other
$150average hourly rate for head of, director, senior IC (individual contributor) and other
$400+1%
$300–3954%
$250–2954%
$200–24511%
$150–19520%
$100–14535%
Under $10025%
Although most fractionals don’t bill hourly…
Monthly retainer (fixed fee for a set scope or hours)47%
A mix that varies by client23%
Hourly billing21%
Project-based (fixed fee per project)8%
Equity-only or equity-heavy1%
How long do engagements last, and why do they end?
Fractional engagements are not short-term arrangements. Two-thirds run six months or longer, and when they end, it's most often because the work got done: 65% say the planned scope was completed successfully, and 27% say both sides agreed it had run its course.
Two thirds of engagements last six months or more
Under 3 months8%
3–6 months27%
6–12 months33%
12–18 months17%
18+ months15%
*Average length of the three most recent fractional engagements
Most engagements end because the work was done
Planned scope was completed successfully65%
Mutual agreement it had run its course27%
Client budget cuts or financial constraints25%
Client hired a full-time employee for the role18%
Change in client leadership, strategy, or priorities15%
I chose to take on other clients instead11%
Culture or working style mismatch10%
Client went out of business or pivoted9%
Scope creep beyond original agreement6%
I was converted to a full-time role5%
*Multi-select question (up to three)
Do fractionals ever fire their clients?
Yes, I have once19%
Yes, more than once7%
No, but I wanted to25%
No, never49%
Most often due to a toxic work environment, leadership instability, or
misalignment of goals
Where do fractionals actually find clients?
Network referrals are how most fractional workers find their clients. 70% found their first client this way, and 95% say referrals remain their source for new clients today. Talent platforms play a small role early on (4%) and a larger one over time (20%). Actually finding these clients takes business development work. Most fractionals spend between 1 and 10 hours a month finding new clients. A good rule of thumb is to spend about 5 hrs per week on business development work, so most fractionals are probably putting less effort here than they should be.
Where fractionals found their FIRST client
Referral from my network70%
Cold outreach8%
Private community or Slack group5%
Talent platform (like Fractional Jobs)4%
Inbound from content4%
Executive search2%
Other8%
“Other” includes turning a former employer into a first client, or
applying for a full-time role and pitching fractional instead
And all the ways fractionals find their clients today
Referrals from my network95%
Referrals from past clients47%
Cold outreach28%
Online Communities / Slack25%
Talent platforms (like Fractional Jobs)20%
Inbound from content19%
Executive search11%
*Multi-select question
How much time do fractionals spend finding new clients each month?
0 hrs12%
1–5 hrs37%
6–10 hrs23%
11–20 hrs15%
21–40 hrs7%
40+ hrs5%
Our take: Most fractionals are spending less time on biz dev per month
than they should be (unless they’re fully booked up with no end in sight)
What are fractionals expecting next year?
Two-thirds of fractionals expect steady or accelerating demand over the next 12 months, and only 10% have a more pessimistic view. The dominant goal for fractional workers is not leaving fractional work but growing inside it. 76% are focused on growing their fractional income and 67% of respondents are looking to gain new fractional clients.
What's the outlook on fractional opportunities over the next 12 months?
Very optimistic, demand is accelerating18%
Somewhat optimistic, steady growth expected48%
Neutral, about the same as today24%
Somewhat pessimistic, expect more competition or less demand9%
Very pessimistic1%
And fractionals have a LOT of goals for the year ahead
Grow my fractional income76%
Gain new fractional clients67%
Build a personal brand or thought leadership platform26%
Reduce hours while maintaining income24%
Expand into new sources of income23%
Build toward starting my own company17%
Transition back into a full-time role10%
Expand into new industries or functions9%
Transition toward retirement4%
*Multi-select question
“Fractional work has changed my life for the better.”
Fractional operations lead · 5+ years · $150–195/hr
About the survey respondents
The survey drew 1,733 respondents, most of them based in the United States, with the rest spread across Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Asia. Not all of them are fractional yet. About half are doing fractional work today, a similar-sized group wants to but hasn't started yet, and a smaller group used to do it and then stopped (either to retire or go full-time elsewhere). About a quarter of respondents have done fractional work for five years or more, and roughly the same share have done it for less than a year. The one thing nearly all of them share is seniority, with roughly 80% holding a director-level title or above. Those roles sit mostly in marketing (25%), operations (19%), and people/HR (16%), across industries running from B2B SaaS (57%) and professional services (38%) to health tech, climate, and education.
Demographics and other data
1,733 total responses
Doing fractional work today
47%
Never done it, but want to
40%
Did it before, but not now
14%
Location
United States
78%
Europe
6%
Canada
5%
United Kingdom
4%
Asia
3%
Rest of world
5%
Years of professional experience
25+ years
26%
16–20 years
22%
11–15 years
22%
21–25 years
18%
Under 11 years
13%
Years doing fractional work
5+ years
22%
1–2 years
21%
6–12 months
17%
2–3 years
16%
3–5 years
15%
Less than 6 months
9%
Seniority level
C-Suite
37%
VP
17%
Head of / Leader
14%
Senior individual contributor
13%
Director
12%
Other
6%
“Other”: includes Chief of Staff, Controller, and a few who position
differently depending on the client
And even more data…
Primary fractional function area
Marketing
25%
Operations
19%
People / HR
16%
Finance
6%
Sales
5%
Product
5%
Engineering
4%
IT / Security
3%
Design
2%
Analytics / Data
2%
Nonprofit leadership & fundraising
2%
Customer Success
1%
Legal
1%
Compliance / Risk / Governance
1%
PR & Communications
1%
Other
7%
Other: write-ins spanning strategy, growth, GTM, Chief of Staff and
project management
Industries served
B2B SaaS / Tech
57%
Professional Services
38%
Health Tech / Healthcare
34%
B2C / Consumer Tech
31%
Nonprofits / Social Enterprise
31%
E-Commerce / Retail / CPG
30%
Media / Marketing / Advertising
26%
Fintech / Financial Services
26%
Education / EdTech
21%
Manufacturing / Supply Chain
18%
Real Estate / PropTech
13%
Climate / Energy
11%
Industries served across whole careers, not only in fractional work –
people could pick more than one
Hungry for even more data?
The Fractional Work Report 2026 pairs this survey with Fractional Jobs platform data and external sources from across the market. Read it here.
The Fractional Work Report 2026
About Fractional Jobs
Founded by Taylor Crane in 2024, Fractional Jobs is the largest network of fractional executives and other fractional talent in the world.
For fractionals, build a successful fractional practice through our playbooks, our toolkit, and through introductions to potential clients. Learn more here.
For companies, get introduced to the best candidates for your needs, no matter the industry, skillset, or niche. Hire them directly, too (not through us). Learn more here.
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