Uber driver average fares, compensation, and wages, 2015 –2017 first quarter
| Row | Author’s terminology | Source | Terminology | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic data* | ||||
| 1 | Number of drivers | Cook et al. 2018, Table 1 | Number of drivers | 1,873,474 |
| 2 | Number of driver-weeks | Cook et al. 2018, Table 1 | Number of driver-weeks | 24,832,168 |
| 3 | Weekly fares | Cook et al. 2018, Table 1 | Weekly earnings | $376.38 |
| 4 | Hours per week | Cook et al. 2018, Table 1 | Hours per week | 17.06 |
| 5 | Gross fares/hour, person-weighted | Cook et al. 2018, Table 1 | Hourly earnings | $21.07 |
| Derived fare data | ||||
| 6 | Gross fares/hour, hours-weighted | Row 3/Row 4 | $22.06 | |
| 7 | Fares/hour, net of commission (25%) | 0.75 × Row 6 | $16.55 | |
| Derived expense data | ||||
| 8 | Pretax** | $0.32/mile; 20 miles/hour | $6.40 | |
| 9 | After-tax expenses (marginal tax, 25.3%)*** | Row 8 × (1.0 – 0.253) | $4.78 | |
| 10 | Hourly compensation | Row 7 − Row 9 | $11.77 | |
| 11 | Less mandatory benefits**** | 0.0765 × Row 10 | $0.90 | |
| 12 | Net profit/discretionary compensation | Row 10 − Row 11 | $10.87 | |
| 13 | Less standard voluntary benefits***** | 0.141 × Row 10 | $1.66 | |
| 14 | W-2 equivalent wage | Row 12 − Row 13 | $9.21 | |
* Cook et al. 2018, Table 1
** Zoepf et al. 2018, 15; Cook et al. 2018, 35–36
*** Payroll tax, 15.3%; income tax, 10%
**** Extra Social Security/Medicare tax of 7.65% paid by self-employed
***** Health/retirement, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance driver would have to purchase to obtain benefits comparable to those provided to W-2 employees