Make Money Side Hustles

How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make? [2024]: Average Income in the U.S.

Working as an Uber Eats driver is a gig with flexible hours. Let’s look at how much Uber Eats drivers make.

By Danielle Letenyei

Edited by Yahia Barakah, CEPF

Updated Dec. 27, 2024

Drivers who deliver food with Uber Eats in the U.S. make a national average of $19 per hour. However, the actual amount a driver earns depends on their location as well as the base rate, trip supplements, promotions, and tips.

Let’s dive into the statistics of how much Uber Eats drivers and delivery partners make in the U.S. and how their earnings compare to the overall job market.

In this article

Key takeaways
How much do Uber Eats drivers make?
How does Uber Eats payout work?
How much Uber Eats drivers make: bottom line
Sources

Key takeaways

Drivers who deliver with Uber Eats work as independent contractors who partner with Uber Eats to offer its customers delivery services.
This means that Uber Eats drivers are responsible for their own taxes, as they don’t receive shared tax responsibility with Uber Eats.
Uber Eats drivers make an average income of $19 per hour on a national basis.
Income for Uber Eats drivers comes from base pay, tips, bonuses, and incentives they earn on each trip.
Base fares for Uber Eats deliveries typically range from $2 to $4, while tips range from $2 to $5 per delivery.
The national average hourly rate for Uber Eats drivers is below the national average hourly earnings in the U.S.
As independent contractors, Uber Eats drivers have the flexibility to set their own schedules. However, they don’t receive benefits like health insurance or paid time off.

Uber Eats delivery drivers in the US earn a national average hourly rate of $19

Uber Eats delivery drivers earn anywhere from $8.41 to $28.37 per hour. The amount delivery partners earn depends on their location, delivery fee, surge pricing, tips, and other pricing factors.

The nationwide average hourly rate is $19, which equates to $39,063 annually for delivery drivers who work 40 hours a week.

However, actual earnings can fluctuate significantly. Factors such as the time of day, the density of restaurants in the area, and customer tipping habits can all affect a driver’s earnings.

Source: ZipRecruiter.

The base fares Uber Eats pay range from $2 to $4

The base amount an Uber Eats driver receives for a delivery is calculated based on the estimated delivery time, distance driven, and whether there are multiple pickup or drop-off points. This base amount ranges between $2 to $4, but it isn’t the total of what a driver receives.

Drivers who deliver with Uber Eats can view the base amount on the delivery and can use this information to decide whether to accept the delivery. Uber Eats drivers earn a base fare, a pickup fee, and a drop-off fee on each delivery.

Source: Entrepreneur.

Uber Eats drivers earn $2 to $5 in tips per delivery

Customers can tip their Uber Eats driver up to seven days after their deliveries. The standard tipping rate is 15% to 20%, and most drivers earn between $2 and $5 in tips for each delivery they make. The driver gets to keep 100% of the tips they earn.

Source: Entrepreneur.

Massachusetts is the highest-paying state for delivery partners with Uber Eats

On a state level, Massachusetts takes the lead in average annual income for Uber Eats delivery drivers. With an average annual income of $46,222, which translates to about $22.22 per hour, it stands out as the state with the highest average income for this gig economy job.

This could be attributed to various factors such as the cost of living, demand for delivery services, and tipping culture in the state. Massachusetts’ bustling cities like Boston, with their numerous restaurants and high demand for food delivery services, might contribute to higher earnings for delivery drivers.

Source: ZipRecruiter.

Florida is the lowest-paying state for delivery partners with Uber Eats

In contrast to Massachusetts, Florida is the state with the lowest average pay for Uber Eats delivery drivers. Drivers who partner with Uber Eats earn an average of $29,682 per year or $14.27 per hour.

While Florida is known for its vibrant tourism industry and bustling food scene, these factors don’t necessarily translate into higher earnings for delivery drivers. The reason behind this could range from a lower cost of living compared to other states, a higher supply of drivers leading to more competition, a lower number of delivery requests, or more.

Source: ZipRecruiter.

Berkeley, California, is the highest-paying city for delivery partners with Uber Eats

If you are going to be an Uber Eats delivery driver, California is one of the best places to do it. Several California cities rank as places where Uber Eats drivers earn the most.

Drivers in Berkeley, California., make the highest average among U.S. cities at $24.02 per hour, or $49,956 annually, for those working 40 hours per week. The California cities of Daly City, San Mateo, Richmond, San Francisco, and San Diego all rank in the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Uber Eats drivers.

Source: ZipRecruiter.

Uber Eats drivers can quickly cash out their earnings after every delivery

Uber Eats delivery drivers get paid in a few ways. The first one is via the Uber Pro Card, a debit card that gives them direct access to their money without additional charges. This provides flexibility, which can be particularly useful for drivers who rely on this income for daily expenses.

Another method is Instant Pay, which also gives them quick access to their money but for a small fee. Instant Pay allows drivers to cash out their earnings up to five times a day.

Yet another option is through direct deposits, a more traditional payment method where earnings are transferred to the driver’s bank account once a week. This method might be preferred by drivers who like to have a regular income schedule and don’t need immediate access to their earnings.

Source: Uber.

The average hourly earnings of employees in the US is $33.88

The average hourly rate for workers within the private sector in the U.S. was $33.88 per hour in September 2023. That equates to an annual salary of about $60,604 for someone working a full-time, 40-hour-per-week job.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Over 88 million people use Uber Eats around the world

Uber Eats is now available in 10,000 cities worldwide and is the number one food delivery service company in many countries.

In 2022, Uber Eats earned $10.9 billion in revenue, a 31% increase over 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 helped boost business for Uber Eats. Revenue skyrocketed from $1.9 billion in 2019 to $4.8 billion in 2020.

Source: Business of Apps.

Uber Eats has 24% of the food delivery market share

DoorDash is the biggest competitor for Uber Eats, with 59% of the food delivery market.

Uber Eats is second, with a 24% market share in the food delivery industry. GrubHub comes in third with 14% of the market share. Other food delivery apps, including Postmates, collectively share 4% of the market.

Source: Rideshare Guy.

Uber Eats drivers earn 18% more per trip than DoorDash drivers

Uber Eats drivers earn 18% more per trip than delivery partners with DoorDash. However, DoorDash deliveries tend to be faster, enabling drivers to complete more trips than an Uber Eats driver.

This means that while an Uber Eats driver may earn $9.58 per trip, compared to $7.94 with DoorDash, when it comes to earnings per hour, the Uber Eats driver earns 50 cents to $1 less per hour than a DoorDash driver.

Keep in mind that these are average estimates, and actual earnings depend on various factors, including the number of food orders, peak hour rates, base driver pay, fuel costs, and more.

Source: Gridwise.

77% of Uber Eats drivers say they have time and location flexibility

In a Indeed.com survey of Uber Eats drivers, 64% strongly agreed, and 13% agreed, that their work provided the time and location flexibility they need.

This flexibility is mainly because delivery drivers are independent contractors. While the benefit of being an independent contractor is the ability to set your own hours, the drawback is that Uber Eats drivers don’t get paid time off, vacation days, or sick days.

Source: Indeed.com.

Uber Eats takes a commission of about 30% on orders

For every order placed within the Uber Eats app, the company gets a commission. That commission rate is typically about 30%, but it can vary depending on the restaurant.

Comparatively, GrubHub charges about 25% for its commissions, and DoorDash’s commission rate can be as much as 40%.

Source: UpMenu.

How does Uber Eats pay work?

Learning how to make money with Uber Eats begins by understanding its pay structure.

As a delivery partner, you’re in control of the jobs you accept. Before you accept a delivery order, Uber will show you the minimum base pay they will make on that delivery.

The base pay depends on the estimated delivery time, distance, and how many pickup or drop-off points there are.

There are several ways an Uber Eats driver can earn more money on a delivery, including:

Trip supplements: Uber Eats drivers may make an additional amount in cases where there is more traffic, longer wait times at pickup locations, or a higher demand for delivery.
Customer tips: Customers have up to seven days to tip their Uber Eats delivery driver, and the driver keeps 100% of those tips.
Boost zones: Uber Eats announces weekly boost zones where drivers can make over two times the base pay amount.
Incentives: Uber Eats provides bonus incentives for delivery drivers who reach certain milestones. Those bonuses can range from $50 to $100.

How much Uber Eats drivers make: bottom line

Uber Eats delivery drivers earn a national average hourly income of $19. While some drivers can make as much as $28 per hour, others earn much less. 24% of Uber Eats drivers earn between $17.31 and $19.23 per hour.

Because Uber Eats drivers are independent contractors, they have the flexibility to set their own schedules, which can help with their work-life balance. However, they don’t receive benefits like health insurance, paid time off, vacation time, or sick leave.

Explore more gig economy jobs in our list of the best side hustles you can do to earn a little extra cash.