How much do gig drivers really make? The June 2026 Earnings Index
Based on 15,264 trip offers analyzed in the GigReal app by US gig drivers during June 2026. All figures are aggregated and anonymized — no individual driver's data is ever published. Methodology below.
Gig platforms report gross earnings — what a driver was paid before their car took its cut. This index measures what drivers actually keep: pay after fuel, mileage, and tracked expenses, divided by every hour online, including the unpaid time between trips.
Key findings
Real hourly pay by platform
Median real hourly by platform for June 2026 — net of expenses, all US markets in the index.
Real hourly by day of week
Thursday and Friday led every other day in June — the highest-demand windows before the weekend surge pricing settles.
What this means for drivers
The gap between gross and real pay was roughly 23% in June — meaning a driver who sees "$27.90/hour" on their platform's earnings screen is likely keeping about $21.40 after their car's costs. Knowing your per-mile floor, and declining below it, mattered more than any other behavior we can measure.
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Methodology
Figures are drawn from trip offers analyzed and earnings tracked in the GigReal app by US drivers during June 2026. Hourly figures use net earnings (after tracked fuel, expenses, and the IRS mileage cost basis) divided by total online hours including waiting time. Per-mile figures use total offer pay divided by total offer miles, including pickup distance. All data is aggregated across drivers and platforms; results with fewer than 500 underlying observations are excluded. No individual driver's data is identifiable or published, consistent with our Privacy Policy.
