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The analysis of the earnings of app-based passenger and delivery drivers in Chicago reveals that the 87,000 gig drivers in the city are missing out on between $39.2 million and $52.6 million in pay each month the ordinance is not in place.1 This loss of pay amounts to between $470 and $631 million per year. The results are devastating for the city of Chicago: with lower earnings for drivers who struggle to make ends meet, less money drivers can spend supporting local small businesses, and a decrease in tax revenue during a time when the city is confronting a $1 billion budget gap.
Major Findings
- We found that Chicago rideshare drivers would earn between $39.2 million and $52.6 million more per month on average under two different minimum pay policy scenarios.
- Drivers would, on average, earn between $686 and $920 more per month under a minimum pay policy. Recent research has shown that currently Chicago drivers earn below minimum wage.
- We also found that 10,072 drivers out of the 87,072 reported in December 2024 worked full time (11.6%). Full-time was defined as taking at least 250 trips in a month. Full-time drivers provide just over half of the rideshare trips provided in Chicago.
