Data

When (and where) drivers earn most: 7 takeaways from lyft’s data

Sarah Conlisk - Feb 6, 2024

The greatest number of points scored by a single player in a basketball game is 100, courtesy of Wilt Chamberlain. The longest word in the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters for a lung disease). The most Hot Dogs eaten in ten minutes is 76, devoured by Joey Chestnut.

And the highest earnings while picking up or driving a Lyft passenger last year? $125 an hour, made by one enterprising driver in San Francisco, California. That’s just one of the striking findings from an analysis of driver earnings in 2023. Here are some other notable takeaways on drivers’ takeaways.  NB: None of these figures include bonuses and tips.

Highest earning date

Dec 25th, Christmas

Rides earned 15% more than the national average.

Second highest? Thanksgiving, when rides earned 13% more. 

Highest tipped date

Jan 1st, New Years day

Tips were 28% higher than the national average.

Highest earning day of the week

Sunday

Earnings were 3% higher than the national average. Same with tips, which were 8% higher on Sundays. 

Highest earning region

The Hamptons, NY

Earnings were 2.3 times higher than the national average, followed by Lake Tahoe, CA,  where earnings were almost twice as high. 

Highest earning destination/pickup category

Airports

(97% higher than national average) followed by resorts (35% higher), beaches (32% higher), coworking offices (29% higher) and hotels (25% higher). 

Highest earning airport

JFK in New York City

Top earning for both pickups (231% more per ride, on average) and dropoffs (172% more per ride, on average). 

Highest earning city

Twentynine Palms, CA

A city at the entrance to Joshua Tree, rides earned 266% more, on average.

Next up? Woods Hole, MA, the southwest tip of Cape Cod (connected to Martha’s Vineyard), where rides earned 241% over average.