I took the job when freelance work ran out and finding a job in my city was hard I'm sure that there is plenty of work out there for a freelance front-end deve

I took the job when freelance work ran out and finding a job in my city was hard I'm sure that there is plenty of work out there for a freelance front-end developer that pays more than $17/hour (the equivalent of your $30k/year). You can look at freelancing sites or staffing agencies like Creative Circle. I used to do freelance work for Creative Circle, and front-end work for their clients usually pays $35/hour and up. I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice in this thread about moving to the Bay Area or New York where you can make $80k, $100k or more, but remember that the cost of living is much higher there. You should be able to find work online that pays more than your current job, while living in a place with a low cost of living.