Most DoorDash gig workers spend a surprisingly short time doing the job

Most of DoorDash’s independent contractors work on the platform as a part-time job.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s delivering your dinner or groceries, DoorDash has the data.

And it turns out the people who hand over your orders are overwhelmingly young, women, and part-timers, according to the delivery service.

About 7 million people made deliveries for DoorDash last year. But, surprisingly, most of them averaged just a few hours a week on the gig.

Seventy-two percent of DoorDash’s gig workers devoted less than four hours a week to making deliveries, according to the company. That figure includes just the time that gig workers spend on a delivery. Including downtime between orders, about 62% of workers spent less than four hours a week working for the app.

DoorDash’s workforce of independent contractors also skews young and female. Fifty-five percent of DoorDash’s workers, whom the company calls “Dashers,” were between 26 and 44 years old in 2023, according to DoorDash. And 60% said they identified as women.

Many of DoorDash’s contractors are using the service to make ends meet — either to cover their mortgage, pay off debt, or have income between jobs — in addition to working a full-time position, a 2023 report from the company found. As of 2022, 44% of DoorDash contractors also had a full-time job.

“It really is a complementarity to what they already do,” DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said on an earnings call in February, referring to the company’s Dashers.

The data highlights how side hustles remain a key part of the gig economy. Many workers supplement their income by delivering groceries, driving passengers around, walking dogs, or completing other tasks on a one-off basis.

Other apps, such as Instacart, Uber, and Lyft, also tout their contractors’ ability to work as little or as much as they want. Some gig workers that B-17 has spoken with switch between two or more of the apps, looking for the most lucrative rides or deliveries.

DoorDash’s contractors are juggling work on the app as one of multiple obligations, according to the company’s data. Eighty-four percent of Dashers had other responsibilities, ranging from part-time work to taking care of children, DoorDash found last year.