The Best Cities To Drive Uber And Lyft

Last updated: Sep 3, 2019 @ 10:41 am

Below are the best U.S. cities to drive for Uber and Lyft in 2019. Why are they the top cities? For one thing, most drivers with a few weeks of experience can usually make $20 per hour or more in all of them, before expenses. And full-time drivers can make over $1,000 per week.

If you drive for one of the premium rideshare services like Lyft Lux, or have a a larger vehicle that qualifies for Lyft XL, you can earn even more.

(Disclosure – We independently research our content to provide free advice for you. We may get compensation if you sign up with services, or purchase products through our affiliate links.)

Best Cities To Drive Lyft In 2019

The top cities to Drive With Lyft in the U.S. are:

• Los Angeles
• Orange County, CA
• San Francisco
• Atlanta
• Sacramento
• Denver
• San Diego
• Silicon Valley
• Chicago
• Detroit
• Austin
• New Orleans
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Boston
• Washington, D.C.
• Philadelphia

Best Cities To Drive Uber In 2019

The top cities to drive for Uber in the U.S. are:

• Los Angeles
• Orange County, CA
• San Francisco
• Chicago
• Boston
• Las Vegas
• Washington, D.C.
• New York City (and surrounding areas in New Jersey)
• Atlanta
• Seattle
• Sacramento
• Pittsburgh
• Salt Lake City

For more info and tips on individual cities, be sure to check out our Lyft & Uber city driving guides.

Lyft & Uber Sign Up Bonuses

Lyft is currently offering excellent sign up bonus earnings guarantees in most of the above cities. To sign up and get your Lyft driver sign up bonus earnings guarantee, click the “Lyft Bonus” button below. While Uber and Lyft no longer offers cash sign up bonuses, they do offer guaranteed earnings when you sign up. The Lyft requirements on their guarantee are less onerous than the Uber requirements.

Keep in mind that when you just start out, your earnings are more likely to be in the $15 to $20 per hour range, even in these markets. After you learn your way around for a few weeks, and figure out the best areas and driving times for your city, your earnings should increase. Almost all drivers earn more during their second 100 rides, than the first 100.

Besides the cities listed above, there are plenty of other great Uber and Lyft markets around the U.S. While overall earnings may not be quite as high in other markets, it’s important to keep in mind that most cities have a lower cost of living than the cities listed above.

San Francisco, along with New York city, are the highest earning markets in the country. However, it’s very difficult to be approved and get insured to drive Lyft or Uber in New York City. Suffice to say, if you sign up and get approved in N.Y.C., you should definitely earn over $20 per hour.

City Hotspots & Recent Uber & Lyft Driver Earnings

Below you’ll find a list of hotspots in each city and what some drivers have earned in the past few months.

Boston – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

The best areas to drive Uber or Lyft in Boston include South Station, around BU, Fenway, and TD Garden (North Station), Haymarket, Downtown, West End, and Beacon Hill. For more information, check out our Boston Uber & Lyft Driving Guide.

Denver – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

The best spots to find riders during the morning rush (and weekend evenings) include Washington Park, Chessman Park, Capitol Hill, and The Highlands. During the evening rush, the busiest spots are York Street, Glendale, and Cherry Creek. Also, Downtown and South Broadway will be busy on weekend evenings.

Orange County – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

On weekend evenings, the busiest areas are usually Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Main St. by Huntington Beach. During the weekday morning rush, you can often catch an airport ride out of Anaheim or Irvine heading to LAX. UCI is great for short rides if you are trying to fulfill quests or reach a bonus quota.

San Francisco – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

On weekend evenings, the Mission District, North Beach, and the Marina are busy spots, as are parts of Palo Alto, and downtown San Jose. After rush hour during the week, the Financial District is usually a safe bet. Other busy areas in San Francisco include Pacific Heights, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, and Nob Hill.

Washington, D.C. – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

For the best places and times to drive Uber or Lyft in D.C., check out our Washington D.C. Uber & Lyft Drivers Guide.

Chicago – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

For the best places and times to drive Uber or Lyft in Chicago, check out our Chicago Uber & Lyft Drivers Guide.

Los Angeles – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

For the best places and times to drive Uber or Lyft in Los Angeles, check out our Los Angeles Uber & Lyft Drivers Guide.

Philadelphia – Best Uber & Lyft Hotspots

For the best places and times to drive Uber or Lyft in Philly, check out our Philadelphia Uber & Lyft Drivers Guide.

If your city is not on the list above, don’t fret. You can still sign up and generally to earn big in most Uber and Lyft markets. When you just start out though, your earnings are likely to be around the $15 per hour range, but it depends on your market. After your first 100 rides (experience counts in this job), you can expect your earnings to increase.