Are you comparing hourly rates to hourly salaries? If so, don't do that. Anyone working on a freelance basis, programmer or cleaner alike, has to charge a hef

Are you comparing hourly rates to hourly salaries? If so, don't do that. Anyone working on a freelance basis, programmer or cleaner alike, has to charge a hefty premium to pay for self-employment taxes, their own benefits, vacation, non-payment/scheduling/market risk, unbillable time doing rainmaking/business administration, and the like. If you are doing apples to apples and actually know junior or senior developers with a $50 hourly in the Bay Area, tell them to double their rates today. That still doesn't get them to market but hey baby steps like doubling their rates are a good way to get started.