How much do self-employed couriers and delivery drivers make?

Couriers and delivery drivers. Census data for 2024, IRS data for tax year 2023. Figures are revenue before costs, not income.

Courier handing a cardboard parcel to a customer at her front door

Businesses

1,595,662

Revenue per firm

$14,873

Under $25,000

83.3%

Sole proprietors

99.5%

Census code 492, "Couriers and Messengers", covers courier services and local delivery. This category is not a count of any one delivery platform.

In 2024, 1,595,662 US businesses with no paid employees were classified under this code. Between them they reported $23.7 billion in revenue, an average of $14,873 per firm, 74% below the $58,194 average for all businesses with no employees.

What stands out

Couriers have the lowest average revenue of the 21 trades. 60% of these businesses took in less than $10,000 in 2024, the highest share on this list and far above the 37.3% for all nonemployers. Only 1.2% reached $100,000.

99.5% are sole proprietors, the highest share here. The rare courier firm set up as a partnership or corporation averaged $128,985, about nine times the $14,253 sole proprietors averaged.

Washington holds 1.4 times its national share of these firms, West Virginia 1.4 and Rhode Island 1.4. Among states with at least 500 courier firms, Vermont holds 0.39.

What a typical firm brings in

The average hides a wide spread. 60% of firms reported under $10,000 (all industries: 37.3%), 83.3% under $25,000 (all: 60.4%) and 94.4% under $50,000. 1.2% reached $100,000 or more (all: 13.3%). The middle firm falls in the "$5,000 to $9,999" bracket.

Share of 1,595,662 US firms in each revenue bracket, 2024. Shares use the national firm total and are rounded to one decimal; a band shown as 0% can hold a small number of firms, and bands without a published count are left out. Source: Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics.

Under $5,00039.6%
$5,000 to $9,99920.4%
$10,000 to $24,99923.3%
$25,000 to $49,99911.1%
$50,000 to $99,9994.4%
$100,000 to $249,9991%
$250,000 to $499,9990.1%
$500,000 to $999,9990.1%

How much is left after costs

The IRS publishes tax-return totals for sole proprietors by industry. For "Couriers and messengers", which matches this trade's Census code, sole proprietors reported $19.2 billion in business receipts in tax year 2023. After netting losses against profits, they reported $1.7 billion in net business income: 9 cents for every dollar of receipts, or $1,199 per return, before personal income tax. 29.4% of returns showed no positive net income. This is an industry ratio for 2023 sole proprietorship returns, including businesses with paid employees. It is before personal income tax and is not a typical owner's margin; the Census figures above cover 2024 businesses with no paid employees.

How it varies by state

California has the most firms, at 179,805. Among the 51 states (including DC) with at least 500 firms, revenue per firm is highest in California ($20,430) and lowest in Mississippi ($9,639). The Census assigns each business to a state by its mailing address, which may not be where the work is done. These data do not explain state differences or show take-home pay.


Alabama	17,982	$10,315	-31%
Alaska	3,455	$10,868	-27%
Arizona	36,112	$13,409	-10%
Arkansas	11,482	$11,105	-25%
California	179,805	$20,430	+37%
Colorado	28,945	$16,844	+13%
Connecticut	14,727	$15,570	+5%
Delaware	6,404	$12,790	-14%
District of Columbia	2,408	$14,780	-1%
Florida	142,762	$16,645	+12%
Georgia	52,499	$12,594	-15%
Hawaii	3,505	$13,533	-9%
Idaho	7,485	$11,715	-21%
Illinois	57,909	$14,621	-2%
Indiana	30,706	$11,666	-22%
Iowa	10,395	$10,732	-28%
Kansas	10,775	$11,561	-22%
Kentucky	21,323	$12,323	-17%
Louisiana	16,591	$11,254	-24%
Maine	4,203	$12,040	-19%
Maryland	39,310	$14,235	-4%
Massachusetts	32,527	$15,072	+1%
Michigan	45,405	$10,919	-27%
Minnesota	25,582	$14,799	-0%
Mississippi	9,214	$9,639	-35%
Missouri	29,786	$11,939	-20%
Montana	3,551	$12,586	-15%
Nebraska	8,127	$12,202	-18%
Nevada	16,371	$14,418	-3%
New Hampshire	4,608	$12,862	-14%
New Jersey	45,012	$17,617	+18%
New Mexico	8,544	$10,943	-26%
New York	107,596	$18,525	+25%
North Carolina	53,146	$11,865	-20%
North Dakota	2,933	$12,530	-16%
Ohio	63,216	$12,184	-18%
Oklahoma	17,206	$11,327	-24%
Oregon	21,146	$13,409	-10%
Pennsylvania	53,449	$14,951	+1%
Rhode Island	6,673	$14,166	-5%
South Carolina	24,246	$11,195	-25%
South Dakota	2,986	$11,886	-20%
Tennessee	33,274	$12,587	-15%
Texas	153,802	$14,265	-4%
Utah	13,893	$16,645	+12%
Vermont	1,284	$11,891	-20%
Virginia	43,488	$13,270	-11%
Washington	39,504	$17,312	+16%
West Virginia	6,760	$11,205	-25%
Wisconsin	21,411	$11,661	-22%
Wyoming	2,139	$12,468	-16%

* Fewer than 500 firms, so the average is less stable. Click a column heading to sort. Receipts are modified by the Census Bureau to protect privacy.

What this can and cannot tell you

{u10} of courier businesses reported under $10,000 in annual revenue. The brackets cannot establish personal income, hours or whether delivery was a side job. The IRS ratio above shows how little was left as business income across 2023 sole proprietorship returns in this industry.

Census Nonemployer Statistics covers businesses with no paid employees that are subject to federal income tax, including sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations. Receipts must be at least $1,000 ($1 in construction), and some industries are out of scope. It reports revenue, not profit or take-home pay.
These industry totals do not identify workers by app or platform.
The Census Bureau adds small random changes to receipts to protect privacy, and hides cells with fewer than three businesses.
Revenue is before business expenses and does not measure hours worked or personal take-home pay.

Frequently asked questions