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How much can you make from driving for Uber?
Uber drivers can make up to $9.83 more an hour compared with minimum-wage workers.
You’ve likely heard about that anecdotal Uber driver who’s pulling in serious cash by picking up passengers in his or her spare time. However, how much you can bring in as an Uber driver ultimately depends on where you’re driving in the United States.
Use our Uber calculator to see a rough estimate of your monthly and annual income potential. When calculating earnings, also consider how much you’ll spend on gas, insurance, maintenance, payments and extras.
Uber calculator
How much on average are Americans spending on car services?
We crunched data from our June 2018 consumer survey to find out how much Americans in 16 key US states spend on car services such as Uber. For states we focused on those with over 40 participants in our survey.
| States | Average of Car services (Uber, Lyft etc) per month |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $373.82 |
| Colorado | $120.36 |
| Texas | $97.96 |
| California | $81.81 |
| Washington | $79.78 |
| New York | $75.53 |
| North Carolina | $69.00 |
| Florida | $63.75 |
| Michigan | $62.08 |
| Ohio | $62.08 |
| Arizona | $61.41 |
| Pennsylvania | $60.71 |
| Missouri | $55.00 |
| Georgia | $52.92 |
| New Jersey | $42.90 |
| *States with over 40 participants in June 2018 finder.com survey | **Survey commissioned by finder.com and conducted by Pureprofile of 2020 Americans |
How much can I expect to earn as a Uber driver?
We calculated how much you can make as an Uber driver in 6 key cities. In terms of cities we specifically focused on Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco and Washington, DC. which had data available on Uber. According to data from Uber.com, Uber drivers in New York City can make the most among the other five cities. With so many people looking to hail a ride, the Big Apple’s Uber drivers have the potential to make up to $30.35 an hour. Doing the math for a 40-hour work week, that’s $1,214 a week and $63,128 a year for picking up and dropping off passengers.
| Major city | Median Uber earnings per hour | Earnings per 40-hour week | Annual income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $19.06 | $762.40 | $39,644.80 |
| Chicago | $16.20 | $648.00 | $33,696.00 |
| Washington, DC | $17.79 | $711.60 | $37,003.20 |
| Los Angeles | $16.98 | $679.20 | $35,318.40 |
| New York | $30.35 | $1,214.00 | $63,128.00 |
| San Francisco | $23.52 | $940.80 | $48,921.60 |
| Average | $20.65 | $826.00 | $42,952.00 |
How does driving for Uber compare to a minimum-wage job?
In the best-case scenario, an Uber driver will make on average $20,453.33 more annually when compared with a minimum-wage job in the six states we analyzed. In terms of additional weekly income, Uber drivers can make close to $400.
Working a minimum-wage job
| Major city | Minimum wage | Earnings per 40-hour week | Annual income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $11.00 | $444.00 | $22,880.00 |
| Chicago | $8.25 | $330.00 | $17,160.00 |
| Washington, DC | $13.25 | $530.00 | $27,560.00 |
| Los Angeles | $11.00 | $440.00 | $22,880.00 |
| New York | $10.40 | $416.00 | $21,632.00 |
| San Francisco | $11.00 | $440.00 | $22,880.00 |
| Average | $10.82 | $432.67 | $22,498.67 |
How much more can you make driving for Uber vs. a minimum-wage job?
| Major city | Additional hourly income | Additional weekly income | Additional annual income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $8.06 | $322.40 | $16,764.80 |
| Chicago | $7.95 | $318.00 | $16,536.00 |
| Washington, DC | $4.54 | $181.60 | $9,443.20 |
| Los Angeles | $5.98 | $239.20 | $12,438.40 |
| New York | $19.95 | $798.00 | $41,495.00 |
| San Francisco | $12.52 | $500.80 | $26,041.60 |
| Average | $9.83 | $393.33 | $20,453.33 |
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For all media inquiries, please contact:
Richard Laycock, Insights editor and senior content marketing manager
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