How Has DoorDash Impacted U.S. Economy?

In a year punctuated by a waning pandemic and increasing prices on everything from supermarket eggs to restaurant meals, DoorDash was able to support an impressive $78 billion in economic activity in 2022. The delivery platform is sharing other economic wins from last year with its "2022 Economic Impact Report," including its $15.7 billion in tax revenues.

DoorDash surveyed its Dashers about their ability to flexibly supplement their income, and 76% agree that they feel less stressed and anxious about their financial situation because they can dash whenever they need. Some 67% of Dashers surveyed have picked up work on the platform to make up for lost income or reduced hours at their full- or part-time job.

Additionally, 95% of immigrant Dashers said dashing helps them get to know their communities, while 35% of Dashers have done the work to avoid government benefits or payday loans.

“Our 2022 Economic Impact Report demonstrates the critical role DoorDash plays in the U.S. economy,” said DoorDash Head of Policy Research Cheryl Young. “The metrics presented in this report are more than just numbers. They illustrate how DoorDash has allowed people like stay-at-home parents to earn money on their way home from dropping their kids off at school and people from all walks of life to get groceries or medicine delivered directly to their doors." 

Continued Young: “We’re proud to continue to connect consumers and local businesses and empower Dashers with flexible earning opportunities.”

On the consumer side, 75% of respondents said they’ve discovered new merchants or retailers on the platform, and 86% said they feel good about supporting local businesses via DoorDash.

The company’s U.S. non-restaurant business grew approximately 60% year-over-year in Q4 of 2022, and its grocery business grew roughly 100% in the same time period. The report further found that 75% of retail and grocery merchants said DoorDash helps their business increase their overall profitability, and 93% would recommend the platform to other businesses. 

DoorDash has branched out in a big way in recent years to include grocery, convenience store, dollar store and other food and beverage-focused partners. Fuad Hannon, DoorDash’s VP of new verticals, spoke to Progressive Grocer at the recent Shoptalk event, and shared that the company has put its focus on delivering all types of goods to customers in a matter of hours, and also helping companies ranging from independent grocers to big box retailers reach those customers in a digital-first way.

The company has invested heavily in this move, Hannon said, especially since the first three categories it branched out to – convenience, grocery and alcohol – are more immediate consumption in nature and tend to be highly offline.

Today,  San Francisco-based DoorDash has more than 100,000 non-restaurant stores across North America on its Marketplace and Drive platforms, and more than 98% of its monthly consumers in the United States have access to a non-restaurant store on the app. The company is committed to building collaborative, long-term partnerships with its partners by focusing on meeting consumers where they are, and also driving incremental revenue to its partners by leveraging existing brick-and-mortar footprints to meet local consumer demand.