Seattle
OLS-reported actual base payment (observed)
tap to expand auditWhat was directly verified: Exact match. Seattle OLS App-Based Worker Research page (April 2026 report) states "The average network company payment, or 'base payment,' per engaged hour was $30.12, after subtracting mileage expenses incurred during actively engaged time." This is observed data from mandatory company reporting, not a calculated minimum. Covers Jan 15, 2024 to June 29, 2025 (first 18 months of SMC 8.37). Five largest network companies, 92,000 workers, 15 million offers.
What was directly verified: Exact match. Seattle OLS App-Based Worker Research page (April 2026 report) states "The average network company payment, or 'base payment,' per engaged hour was $30.12, after subtracting mileage expenses incurred during actively engaged time." This is observed data from mandatory company reporting, not a calculated minimum. Covers Jan 15, 2024 to June 29, 2025 (first 18 months of SMC 8.37). Five largest network companies, 92,000 workers, 15 million offers.
What was assumed (not directly verified)
The published net_hourly_usd: 21.86 is a tax/expense calculation derived from the gross figure.
Caveats a journalist should understand
This is the strongest data point in the dataset because (a) it's not a calculated floor — it's observed actual base payment from mandatory company submissions; (b) Seattle's SMC 8.37 ordinance is the strictest enforcement framework in the US; (c) the report distinguishes "engaged hour" pay ($30.12) from "pay for time online" ($15.98 per hour with all logged-in time, including waiting, included). The latter is closer to what drivers actually take home per hour worked. Both numbers are real; we publish the engaged-hour figure but should be ready to cite the time-online figure when comparison is needed.
What would invalidate this
New OLS report supersedes April 2026 figures. SMC 8.37 amendment changes calculation. Industry legal challenge succeeds.
Re-verify by
2026-07-29 (also: watch for Q3 2026 OLS report which would update the figure)
Earnings (USD per hour)
Source: Seattle PayUp ordinance
What would you take home in Seattle?
Take-home, weekly
$656
Take-home, monthly
$2,842
Gross, weekly
$904
Gross, monthly
$3,916
With a 1BR apartment outside the city centre at $1934/mo, about half of your take-home goes to rent (68% of monthly net).
Take-home is gross hourly minus an estimated tax/expense rate per country. See the methodology page for the derivation. This widget assumes you actually work the hours you set. For app-based delivery, a portion of logged-in time is unpaid waiting; the headline rate reflects engaged time only where regulators have defined it.
Cost of living vs. earnings
That works out to roughly 20 hours per week. Rent at $1,934 per month is 37 percent of gross monthly earnings, which puts a Seattle delivery driver in HUD's “cost-burdened” band by the federal definition (over 30 percent of gross income on housing). Measured against net take-home pay, which is what a worker actually has available to spend, the same rent is 51 percent. Affordable rent at this earnings rate, defined by HUD as no more than 30 percent of gross income, would be around $1,560 per month. Across the 46 cities in the dataset, Seattle ranks 2nd for hours needed to cover rent, where lower is better.
Pay vs. local labour market
Gross hourly is 103% of local minimum wage, 68% of local median.
Notes
Seattle PayUp ordinance covers app-based food delivery network workers. Among the strongest US gig pay laws.
View Seattle on the interactive map
See full source citations for this city on the sources page. Read about how each metric is computed in the methodology.
Primary earnings source: www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/app-based-worker-ordinances/app-based-worker-research · archived