North Carolina Ranked As The Worst State in America For a Food Delivery Side-Hustle

A new ranking has revealed the best and worst states for a DoorDash driver, with Wyoming named the top location for a food delivery side hustle – and North Carolina named bottom.

With grocery prices increasing and inflation continuing to rise, many are considering taking up a second job to make ends meet, with food delivery platforms like DoorDash proving a valuable route to do so – although some states are better for it than others.

High Rise Financial pulled together the ranking that scored each state across five key areas: weekly earnings, schedule flexibility, platform market share, gas prices, and living costs.

Weekly earnings were based on the typical hourly sum earnt by DoorDashers in each state (reported by ZipRecruiter) multiplied across the four hours each driver reportedly puts in each week – which found drivers make an average of $138 a week through the platform.

Schedule flexibility looks at the number of hours each person spends at their main job each week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to identify which states have more spare time to put into DoorDash as a second job or side hustle.

Platform market share reveals how prominent DoorDash is in each location when compared to other delivery apps, while gas prices are as reported by the AAA Gas Price Finder. Living costs show how far the average weekly earnings go compared to each state’s living wage.

And it turns out that when all these factors are considered, DoorDashers in Wyoming have a better chance of finding the time to pick up orders and turn a decent profit while doing so, compared to any other state – while North Carolina drivers will find it much harder.

Wyoming scored an overall 8.9 /10 and performed particularly well for market share, with DoorDash being the go-to food delivery app for around 71% of the state’s adults.

The state also scored well for gas prices, currently at $3.60 a gallon. This is a quarter (27%) cheaper than in the most expensive state, Washington, where it’s $4.96 a gallon.

DoorDashers in North Carolina also benefit from a fairly flexible schedule, and can stand to make a decent living if they were to take up food delivery full-time. This is because drivers only have to work 24 hours weekly to make the current annual living wage of $35.7k.

Following North Carolina as one of the best states for DoorDashers is Mississippi, which scored 8.8 /10 – but was let down by the typical hourly wage ($32.50) and living costs.

Regarding earning potential, New York came out on top, with the typical DoorDasher making $172.60 a week for four hours – 13% more than they could make in Nevada ($153). New Hampshire scored best for hours flexibility, meaning drivers can easily increase their activity.

However, drivers wanting to pursue DoorDash full-time as their only job should consider doing so in Nevada, as the typical hourly wage of $38.27 goes a long way compared to the state’s living wage of $33.8k – meaning drivers only have to work for 17 hours a week.

The top ten states for DoorDashers

Drivers looking for a short-term cash injection – perhaps to cover an unexpected repair or to pay for an upcoming event – should consider New York or California, as despite a smaller market share (49% and 55%, respectively) most drivers earn over $40 per hour.

Meanwhile, North Carolina scored the worst in the ranking as the state where it’s hardest to make a living as a DoorDasher – largely due to a relatively low hourly wage ($28.91) – a third (32%) less than California’s $42.57 – and comparatively small market share (55%).

Of the states featured in the bottom ten, the majority scored poorly due to gas prices and schedule flexibility, meaning drivers struggle to find the time to work alongside their main job, and will likely often spend more than they earn to keep their tank full.

The worst ten states for DoorDashers