Top 10 Highest-Paying Delivery Jobs in 2025

More than 20 billion parcels were shipped in the United States in 2020, and it could not have happened but for the 1,419,427 delivery drivers workforce in the United States.

They are one of the critical factors of your delivery business that decide the success and failure of the delivery strategy.

If you have a skilled and talented workforce, you can operate as a third-party delivery service provider for multiple businesses and help your delivery drivers get high-paying jobs.

Multiple companies are looking to hire delivery workers because of the rising demand in the country’s multiple retail sectors, like eCommerce, medical, food, and construction.

We have filtered the top 10 best-paying delivery jobs that your delivery drivers can choose to earn great money in 2025.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

Overview of the Best Paying Delivery Jobs

Delivery jobs have become a popular way to earn a living, especially with the rise of gig economy platforms and e-commerce. 

Whether you want flexibility or a steady paycheck, there are many delivery roles out there that offer great pay. From food delivery to specialized package handling, these jobs can be highly rewarding. 

So, let’s discuss some of the key factors that impact earning potential and what you should know when choosing a delivery job that pays well.

Key factors to consider when choosing a delivery job

When deciding on a delivery job, it’s important to look at more than just the paycheck. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Type of delivery: Different delivery jobs, like food, parcels, or groceries, come with different requirements. Some may need you to own a vehicle, while others let you use a bike or scooter.
2. Job flexibility: Consider whether you want to work full-time or part-time. Some jobs allow you to set your own schedule, which can be great if you need flexibility.
3. Upfront costs: Some delivery jobs might require you to invest in a vehicle, fuel, or insurance. Make sure to factor in these costs when evaluating a job’s pay.
4. Physical demands: Some jobs may involve heavy lifting or long hours on the road. Make sure you’re comfortable with the physical requirements before committing.
5. Payment structure: Ask the following questions: How often will you get paid? Are there bonuses available? What about tips?

By thinking through these factors, you can choose a delivery job that fits your lifestyle while offering good pay.

Factors That Affect Delivery Driver Earnings in 2025

Every delivery driver earns differently, and that’s because several real-world factors shape how much money you can make. Here are the key elements that impact earnings in 2025, explained simply, with helpful numbers.

1. Your Location

Drivers in busy cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami often earn 20–35% more because of higher order volume and larger tips.

2. Hours You Work

Evening, weekend, and holiday shifts can boost earnings by $5–$12 extra per hour, depending on the platform.

3. Type of Deliveries You Accept

Some gigs pay more because they take more effort.

• Grocery orders (Instacart, Shipt): Higher payouts + larger tips
• Alcohol delivery: Pays 10–20% more due to verification steps
• Large-item delivery: Includes added handling fees

4. Tips From Customers

Tips significantly raise your total earnings. On apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, drivers can make 30–50% of their income from tips alone.

5. Incentives, Bonuses & Challenges

Apps reward drivers who stay active during busy hours.

Surge zones, quests, and “earn-by-time” promotions can add $20–$80 extra per day.

6. Your Vehicle Type

Your choice of vehicle affects your costs and your net earnings.

• Bikes/e-bikes → No fuel costs → Higher weekly take-home
• Cars → Higher pay but higher expenses
• Motorcycles → Ideal for fast food delivery routes

7. Distance & Route Efficiency

More stops in less time = more money. Efficient routes can increase your daily earnings by up to 20–30%.

This is where a smart route planner like Upper helps you deliver faster and accept more orders in a shorter time.

How Much can delivery drivers earn in 2025

If you’re thinking about stepping into a delivery job in 2025, the big question is simple: What can you realistically earn? 

The good news is that delivery work continues to grow across food, grocery, e-commerce, and same-day delivery, creating higher income opportunities for anyone exploring delivery business growth.

In 2025, most delivery drivers earn between $19 and $23 per hour, depending on the platform, city, vehicle type, and how strategically they choose their shifts. 

Drivers working during peak hours, in high-demand zones, or completing stacked orders often earn even more, sometimes up to $40 per hour on certain apps.

Here’s what’s shaping driver earnings in 2025:

• Higher demand for same-day and instant delivery, more frequent orders.
• Expanded tipping culture: Drivers in busy cities see stronger tip earnings.
• Peak-hour bonuses, Apps reward drivers who work evenings, weekends, and rush hours.
• More specialized delivery categories, Grocery, alcohol, and large-item deliveries, pay higher rates.

Whether you’re delivering meals, groceries, parcels, or specialty items, 2025 offers a wide range of earning opportunities, especially for drivers who choose the right platform and work smarter with optimized routes.

Salary Comparison Table for the Best-Paying Delivery Jobs

Delivery Job	Average Hourly Pay	Peak Earnings (Busy Hours)	Tips?	Best For
Amazon Flex	$18–$25/hr	$35–$45/hr	No	Drivers who prefer scheduled blocks & consistent payouts
DoorDash	$17–$25/hr	$30–$50/hr	Yes	Food delivery drivers in high-demand neighborhoods
Uber Eats	$15–$30+/hr	$30–$40/hr	Yes	New drivers wanting fast onboarding and flexible shifts
Instacart Shopper	$11–$21/hr	$30–$40+/hr	Yes	Drivers who don’t mind shopping for bigger payouts
Grubhub	$18.75–$28/hr	$25–$30/hr	Yes	Couriers who prefer detailed order insights
Shipt Shopper	$15–$30/hr	$30–$35/hr	Yes	Drivers who like batching multiple grocery orders
Postmates (via Uber Eats)	$17–$19/hr	$25–$35+/hr	Yes	Flexible couriers doing small, fast deliveries
Caviar (via DoorDash)	$18–$25/hr	Up to $25+/hr	Yes	Drivers in major cities delivering premium meals
Saucey	$17–$27/hr	Up to $27/hr	Yes	Drivers delivering alcohol in metro areas
Favor Runner	$11–$18/hr	Up to $20+/hr	Yes	Texas-based couriers want “work whenever you want” freedom

Detailed Breakdown of the Top 10 Best Paying Delivery Jobs

1. Postmates driver

It’s a powerful on-demand app that can provide a great platform for your delivery drivers to get food delivery jobs and perform other delivery services. The flexible delivery timings make it great for the drivers to work and deliver quality results. The platform offers great opportunities that help it stand out from other food delivery apps. 

The app doesn’t require special skills for delivery jobs as sometimes it can be done on foot. Your delivery driver can associate with local restaurants, merchant partners, and small businesses, from food deliveries to goods, to complete the tasks.

Postmates offer up to $25 per hour, and there are no restrictions on the working hours a driver puts in. You can associate a team of drivers with the platform to help you scale your delivery business and earn a great commission.

The platform offers an option to cash out earnings daily, but the driver gets paid weekly. It’s the only delivery company that has ditched the rating system that can restrict drivers from getting jobs if they have a low score compared to others.

Available in over 3,500 cities in the United States, you can connect with the platform to operate in your preferred locality.

2. DoorDash driver

DoorDash is the best food delivery service provider that offers the best delivery driver jobs. The food delivery app has the largest industry customer share and a wide range of customers who love to order food from different restaurants and local food stores.

Your drivers don’t need a diploma or 2-3 years of experience to get the driving gigs on the platform. A driver willing to put in the effort to ensure a quality delivery experience to the customers can help them land a delivery gig using DoorDash.

DoorDash drivers can get great commissions for completing different food delivery driver jobs. The platform operates in cities like  Houston, Denver, Austin, and Boston, among others in the United States.

It’s a great option to earn commissions for your delivery business as the opportunities offered by the platform are great.

3. Uber Eats driver

One of the pioneers in the rideshare space, Uber also has a solid presence in the food delivery market with Uber Eats. It offers the opportunity for delivery drivers to associate with the platform and choose one of its food delivery services.

You can enroll your delivery drivers and earn good commissions from the platform. It has a presence in over 6,000+ cities and 60+ countries, making it easier to spread your delivery business.

The platform offers great payouts on every delivery depending upon the delivery requirements and the distance traveled. You can also get 100% transparency with the tips, and if you want to address any issues, you can contact customer support for doubt clearance.

The platform is great for new delivery drivers as there are no strict restrictions that can reject the applications of your delivery drivers. It conducts delivery jobs hiring now and then.

The requirements of associating with Uber Eats as a delivery driver are: the driver needs to be 19 years or older, must use a reliable vehicle, must have car insurance and a government-issued ID card, and one year of driving experience. You need to pass a background check to get jobs near your living space for better results.

4. Instacart driver

It’s a powerful platform for grocery shopping and delivery. Instacart provides a great opportunity for delivery drivers to associate with the brand and handle grocery delivery jobs.

The driver must collect the local groceries and deliver them to the desired location quickly and efficiently. Instacart provides great earning opportunities for delivery drivers and flexibility, which can help the drivers adjust their work schedules to deliver groceries.

The platform is operating in over 6,000 cities nationwide and in Canada. It pays commissions on every order and provides you the opportunity to earn tips on delivering groceries. It charges a minimal delivery fee and strongly connects with local grocery stores.

The Instacart payout is every week, and the drivers can withdraw daily earnings while paying a minimal $0.50 fee. Instacart has set a few basic requirements before hiring the delivery driver: the driver needs to be 18 or older and is supposed to have a valid driving license and auto insurance.

They want their drivers to operate on vehicles that can lift 40 pounds. They also conduct a background check to ensure that the brand is not associated with someone with a shady background and that they associate with the best talent to stand out from other delivery companies.

5. GrubHub driver

It’s a food delivery application that offers multiple food delivery service jobs in the country. The driver must have a license or a state identification to become a GrubHub courier partner and be eligible to deliver food.

The driver can earn up to $10–26 an hour once they kickstart delivery operations with the platform. The minimum age for becoming a delivery associate is 19 years; for states like Chicago and Las Vegas, it’s 21 years.

The team makes a background check to analyze the drivers, and the contracts are delivered based on the results. An Android or iPhone is required, and the vehicle must be insured.

6. ​​Shipt Shopper Pay

A competitor in the grocery delivery segment to Instacart, Shipt offers drivers exciting offers to become professional grocery delivery drivers.  

With the basic requirements of a valid driver’s license, minimum age of 18 years, access to a vehicle, and a smartphone, a driver can associate with Shipt.

The commission strategy is different from Instacart as the driver earns a base pay of $5 per order and 7.5% of the total order. 

Once the driver completes 100 deliveries, Shipt can assist the driver in earning $22, or more, per hour. It also offers free Shipt membership to the leader delivery partners, and the payment is processed every Friday.

7. Saucey driver

A popular alcohol delivery service app, Saucey offers a great platform for drivers to earn money and commissions. It operates in 40+ cities, including New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and ensures that the drivers don’t face hassles while delivering alcohol. 

The platform offers wine, spirits, cigars, beers, and snacks that must be delivered to the doorsteps. It requires hard-working individuals who can satisfy the 30- minutes delivery promised by the brand to its customers.

Saucey drivers earn up to $10–12 per hour; there are also different tips and incentives for the work. The minimum age for applying as an associate driver is 21 years, and the company will perform a background check to confirm the association.

8. Caviar driver

Caviar is a growing, smaller food delivery service platform with multiple options for delivery associates to connect with the brand and help them solve their delivery requirements. The services are limited to large Midwest, East-coast, and California cities. It is considered one of the best food delivery apps for delivery driver jobs as it offers a flexible schedule, instant cash, and other fast-food delivery job benefits.

The drivers can accept and reject the order requests based on the complete details provided by the platform and can create their schedules for better work performance.

The payouts are great as a driver can earn up to $25 per hour. The platform also offers different incentives and tips for drivers to ensure a happy work ecosystem.

9. Favor delivery driver

A direct competitor to Postmates, Favor offers its customers a wide range of delivery options from meals to groceries, from dry cleaning to other important deliveries. 

The brand is openly looking for quality delivery drivers to offer them high-paying jobs to fulfill various delivery services. The services are available throughout Texas, but the company is looking to expand to the Midwest.

Drivers can work full-time or part-time, as the platform offers flexible work schedules.

10. Amazon flex driver

Amazon offers a grocery delivery service job on its Amazon Flex platform, where you can work independently to build your schedule. There’s no requirement for the driver to avail of a special license. 

Once the driver is enrolled in Amazon Flex, they can deliver orders on Amazon Prime Now, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Restaurants. The freelance delivery jobs by Amazon are available in 40 areas in the country.

You choose one of the platforms to associate with your drivers to help them increase their earnings. 

But enabling your delivery drivers with a professional delivery route planner can help you increase their work efficiency and ensure that they follow optimized and shortest delivery paths.

It can increase the payouts and ensure that your delivery business can scale the delivery route planner. Out of the industry’s best route planner apps, we have selected one for your delivery business.

How to Increase Your Earnings as a Delivery Driver?

No matter which platform you work with, there are smart ways to boost your income without adding extra stress or longer hours. These simple strategies help drivers earn more per shift and make every mile count.

Work Peak Hours

Peak times are your income boosters. Evening rush, weekends, and rainy days usually bring 30–50% more orders, plus higher tips. Delivering when demand spikes helps you earn the most in the least amount of time.

Focus on High-Demand Zones

Busy neighborhoods like downtown areas, business districts, and apartment clusters keep orders flowing. Staying close to these hotspots reduces wait time and increases your hourly earnings.

Combine and Stack Orders

Some apps allow you to grab multiple deliveries in the same direction. Stacking lets you earn two or three payouts during one driving route, saving both time and fuel.

Track Your Expenses

Fuel, maintenance, and daily mileage all affect your take-home pay. Keeping track of your costs helps you understand what you’re truly earning and where you can save more each week.

How Upper Helps Drivers Earn More

Every delivery driver wants the same thing: faster routes, less stress, and higher daily earnings. Upper makes that possible by helping you work smarter on every shift. 

Instead of spending time planning where to go next, you get clear, optimized routes that help you complete more deliveries in fewer hours.

Here’s how Upper supports drivers:

1. Get Faster, Smarter Routes

Upper automatically creates the shortest and most efficient route, so you spend more time delivering and less time navigating traffic.

2. Save Up to 95% of Planning Time

No more manual planning or guessing which stop comes next. Upper handles it instantly.

3. Complete More Deliveries Per Shift

With fewer delays and no backtracking, drivers often finish 20–30% more deliveries in the same time.

4. Reduce Fuel and Vehicle Costs

Shorter routes mean fewer miles, less fuel, and reduced wear on your vehicle, helping you keep more of what you earn.

5. Stay Organized With Delivery Details in One Place

Addresses, notes, drop-off instructions, and proofs of delivery stay neatly organized, helping you work confidently and avoid mistakes.

Conclusion

Delivery work in 2025 and beyond isn’t just about picking up orders and hitting the road. It’s about choosing the right platform, working during high-demand hours, understanding what affects your pay, and using smart tools to work more efficiently. 

With earnings reaching $25–$35 per hour in many cities, delivery driving has become a serious income opportunity for people who value flexibility and control over their schedule.

Whether you’re delivering food, groceries, parcels, or specialty items, the opportunity is there. Drivers who plan better routes, avoid wasted miles, and complete more deliveries in less time consistently earn more, without burning themselves out.

That’s where working smarter makes the real difference. When every minute and mile counts, having the right route planning tool can turn a good delivery job into a great one.

If you’re ready to make the most of high-paying delivery opportunities, focus on efficiency, stay strategic, and let smarter planning power your success.