1
5:00pm
Open the app
Check the pay, miles, and drop-off point before you accept.
Your first offer should come in about 7 minutes.
Local Fifty is a free guide to food delivery work in Waltham. See what you would really keep, which app to try first, and when to drive.
⊕ DELIVERY DRIVING · WALTHAM, MA
Does delivery
driving in
Waltham pay?
Waltham estimate
How much do I really keep?
One hour logged in on DoorDash in Waltham, on a weekend dinner shift, waiting included. Here is where the money goes.
Waltham estimate · weekend dinner, per hour logged in
$14.53App pay
−What DoorDash pays per hour logged in, tips and waiting included.
How we got this number
What DoorDash pays per hour logged in, tips and waiting included.
Solo (driver earnings app) ↗$2.91Car costs
−Gas only. Repairs and insurance cost more.
18.68 mi ÷ 28 mpg × $4.36/gal
$0.30Money for taxes
=What you would owe. It is low because you deduct 72.5 cents a mile.
30% × ($14.53 − 18.68 mi × $0.725)
$11.32What you keep
What is left for you, before repairs and insurance.
$14.53 − $2.91 − $0.30
How we got this number
What is left for you, before repairs and insurance.
Solo (driver earnings app) ↗How we got this number
This is DoorDash on a Friday or Saturday dinner shift, 5 to 9 pm, per hour logged in, waiting included. It pays about $14.53 before costs. Take off $2.91 for gas and $0.30 for taxes. Taxes are low because you can deduct 72.5 cents for each work mile. On a delivery alone it pays more, about $18 an hour. Across the three apps, an hour logged in pays $10 to $15 before costs. 3 Boston-area drivers who counted waiting time report $8 to $13 an hour before costs. Across all hours of the week, a typical hour keeps about $9. In your first weeks, expect less. We built this from app pay in 85 U.S. metros and 20 local shift logs, adjusted for Waltham. No one has measured Waltham yet.
Change the example numbers
EXAMPLE · AFTER COSTS AND TAX MONEY
$11.32 / hour
$45.30 for your whole shift
Before costs$58.12
Car costs-$11.64
Kept for taxes-$1.18
Left for you$45.30
This is simple math, not a pay forecast or a tax estimate.
How we got this
Starting numbers: $14.53 an hour logged in on DoorDash on a weekend dinner shift, waiting included (our Waltham estimate). $2.91 gas. $0.30 for taxes: 30% of pay minus 72.5 cents for each mile, about 18.7 miles an hour. 4 hours. Repairs and tires add about $2.06 an hour. 3 Boston-area drivers who counted waits reported $8.07 to $12.92 an hour. We built the estimate from app pay in 85 U.S. metros, adjusted for Waltham. No Waltham earnings have been measured yet.
What is a delivery shift like?
A Saturday evening on DoorDash. 4 hours. 7 deliveries. About $58 pay. About $12 gas. About $46 after gas. About $1 goes to taxes, after the mileage deduction. A built example from our Waltham estimate, waiting included.
EXAMPLE SHIFT · TIMES WILL VARYExample
Times are an example, not a forecast. One order is shown. The example has about 7 in 4 hours.
EXAMPLE SHIFT · TIMES WILL VARY
4 hours: about 7 deliveries, about $58 pay, and about $45 kept after gas and taxes.
One delivery takes about 26 minutes, from accepting the offer to the drop-off. Times are our Waltham estimate for a Saturday on DoorDash, rounded to 5 minutes.
2
5:10pm
Pick up the food
Find a legal place to park. Check the name on the order.
3
5:20pm
Drive to the drop-off
Check the route. Count the miles and the drive back.
4
5:25pm
Drop off the food
Follow the drop-off notes. Confirm the delivery in the app.
5:35pm
Wait for your next delivery
About 7 minutesThe time between one drop-off and your next order. You are not paid while you wait. Across the week in Waltham, it averages about 13 minutes. On a Friday or Saturday dinner shift, about 7. Late nights and weekday mornings are slower. Waiting near a group of restaurants keeps the next pickup close.
65:40pm – 9:00pm
Do 6 more deliveries
7 deliveries in 4 hours, counting the first one.
Want to stay near Waltham? Check each drop-off before you accept. A nearby pickup can still lead to a long trip.
What do I need?
Use this list to get ready. Confirm the current rules with your chosen app.
0 / 6 items checked
Age 18+Any car or scooter. Bikes in some cities.
Read official requirements ↗Age 18+A car, motorcycle, scooter, or bike. Allowed types depend on the town.
Read official requirements ↗Any 2-door or 4-door car, scooter, or bike. Age 19 for a car or scooter, 18 for a bike.
Read official requirements ↗Which app should I use first?
Compare the same things: restaurants on each app in Waltham, and pay after costs.
Start with DoorDash.
It has 134 Waltham restaurants, the most by far. It also has the highest estimated pay per hour. Add Grubhub second. Counts made Oct 2026.
APP OPTION
- Waltham restaurants on the app
- 134counted Oct 2026
- Pay after gas and taxes
- $11.32 an hourWaltham estimate
- Pay for new drivers
- Check the app. Offers change weekly.Not known yet
- Wait between orders
- About 7 minutes
- Deliveries
- About 1.8 an hour
- Age and vehicle rules
- Read official requirements
APP OPTION
- Waltham restaurants on the app
- 50counted Oct 2026
- Pay after gas and taxes
- $9.33 an hourWaltham estimate
- Pay for new drivers
- Check the app. Offers change weekly.Not known yet
- Wait between orders
- About 21 minutes
- Deliveries
- About 1.3 an hour
- Age and vehicle rules
- Read official requirements
APP OPTION
- Waltham restaurants on the app
- 52counted Oct 2026
- Pay after gas and taxes
- $7.64 an hourWaltham estimate
- Pay for new drivers
- Check the app. Offers change weekly.Not known yet
- Wait between orders
- About 17 minutes
- Deliveries
- About 1.3 an hour
- Age and vehicle rules
- Read official requirements
On a weekend dinner shift. Shorter waits are why DoorDash keeps the most per hour. Our estimate, not yet measured in Waltham.
Links go directly to the apps. No referral codes are used. Restaurant counts were made in Oct 2026. Pay figures are our Waltham estimate per hour logged in on a weekend dinner shift, waiting included. Not yet measured in Waltham.
When should I drive?
When you drive matters. Best pay: Friday and Saturday, 5 pm–9 pm, about $11 an hour.
11 am to 9 pm
About 99 to 112 restaurants open. The most choice.
9 pm to 11 pm
Fewer open. About 69 at 9 pm and 32 at 10 pm.
Before 11 am
Few open. About 39 at 9 am and 58 at 10 am.
See every day
Restaurants open in Waltham
Each square is 3 hours. Darker means more restaurants open.
12am
–3am3am
–6am6am
–9am9am
–12pm12pm
–3pm3pm
–6pm6pm
–9pm9pm
–12amMonTueWedThuFriSatSunCounted in Waltham, Oct 2026
–3am3am
–6am6am
–9am9am
–12pm12pm
–3pm3pm
–6pm6pm
–9pm9pm
–12amMonTueWedThuFriSatSunCounted in Waltham, Oct 2026
Shade shows restaurants open, out of 124 with listed hours. Not orders. Counted Oct 2026.
These are open restaurants, not orders. We have not measured orders yet.
When you drive matters. Best pay: Friday and Saturday, 5pm–9pm, about $11 an hour.
Estimated pay by hour on DoorDash, after gas and taxes
6pm – 7pm$11.57
How we got this
- Sat$12.22 an hour · likely $10.01 to $14.09About 2 deliveries an hour · about 4 minutes between orders
- Sun$10.93 an hour · likely $8.95 to $12.60About 1.7 deliveries an hour · about 8 minutes between orders
Friday and Saturday, 5pm–9pm
Estimated pay by hour on DoorDash, after gas and taxes
Monday to Thursday, 5pm–9pm
Estimated pay by hour on DoorDash, after gas and taxes
Monday to Friday, 7am–10am
Estimated pay by hour on DoorDash, after gas and taxes
Tap the hours you can drive
Tap again to remove an hour.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
About $0.00 a week from these hours
0 hours a week
About 0 deliveries a week
How we got this
Each bar is our Waltham estimate for DoorDash: pay per hour logged in, after gas and taxes. It starts from which restaurants are open each hour in Waltham. Then it adds when people order: lunch and dinner peaks, with 6pm the busiest. When more people order, you wait less between orders. Friday and Saturday dinner match what drivers log. The shape between meals is partly our assumption for now. We are recording real Waltham delivery times every 30 minutes to replace it. These are open restaurants and estimates, not measured orders.
Where do I pick up?
75 of 144 restaurants on the apps are in two areas: Moody Street and Main Street & the Common. Choose an area below.
Simplified mapN ↑
Charles RiverMain St / Route 20Moody StLexington StWaltham CommonRoute 128 / I-95
Illustrated area guide · not for navigation
PICKUP AREA 01
Moody Street
43 of 144 restaurants on the apps. The biggest pickup area.
Counted Oct 2026 · order volume not measuredCounted in Waltham, Oct 2026Street layout references the City of Waltham GIS map. Watercolor artwork is an illustration. Restaurant counts come from app listings, Oct 2026. Order volume is not measured.
the City of Waltham GIS map · 2015How long to reach my savings goal?
Pick a goal. Then change the numbers to match your week.
Try your own numbers
Start todayOct 5, 2026
Estimated finishJan 17, 2027
Time to reach your goal
About 3.5 monthsAbout $136 a week kept, about 22 deliveries
How we got this
If you wait a lot between orders, it can take longer: 4 to 8 months, based on 3 Boston-area drivers’ own reports.
Uses $11.32 kept an hour after gas and taxes (our Waltham estimate for a weekend dinner shift, waiting included). Weeks are 4.33 a month.
What drivers say
9 posts from Boston-area and Massachusetts drivers, 2024 to 2026. Mostly good and neutral ones, plus 2 bad. Most posts we read were not positive: about 7 of 35.
1 of 9
Positive
No matter where you are in Eastern MA, you usually end up with at least $25 hourly.North Shore and Malden area, north of Boston · 2026-07-28
Read more
A side-gig DoorDash driver north of Boston says eastern Massachusetts pays well. They never saw an order under $4.50, and it paid far more than a test run in Georgia.
Read the original post · Reddit r/doordash ↗Positive
It’s fun man, riding the scooter around Boston all day, listening to music. It’s more fun than any other job I can think of.Boston, Back Bay (Boylston Street) · 2025-09-25
Read more
A teenage scooter courier made $115 in four hours, which he called a light day. He usually skips orders more than two miles away.
Read the original post · BINJ (Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism) ↗Positive
Today has been a good day.Boston, Back Bay (Boylston Street) · 2025-09-25
Read more
A moped courier showed $315.32 in the DoorDash app after 13 hours, about $24 an hour. He expected $1,300 to $1,500 for the week.
Read the original post · BINJ (Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism) ↗Positive
generally ill say im doing $20/$25/h before expensesBoston · 2025-05-03
Read more
A DoorDash driver spends whole days in Boston on the pay-by-time mode. That mode pays while stuck in traffic. The figure is before gas and car costs.
Read the original post · Reddit r/doordash_drivers ↗Positive
I make 270-330 for every 30 USD I fill up petrolBoston and Cambridge (Boston Central, Brookline, Cambridge zones) · 2024-06-24
Read more
A Cambridge driver with about 2,200 DoorDash deliveries works 3 to 4 hour evenings. Most orders are 1 to 2 miles and pay $7 to $8. No hours were given, so no hourly rate.
Read the original post · Reddit r/doordash_drivers ↗Positive
I do EBT in suburban Mass. Been a lot more profitable than EBO for me, personally.Suburban Massachusetts · 2024-01-03
Read more
A suburban Massachusetts DoorDash driver says the pay-by-time mode beats pay-per-offer for them. They gave no dollar figures.
Read the original post · Reddit r/doordash_drivers ↗Neutral
So I work like 12 hours daily. This is my second jobBoston · 2026-04-07
Read more
A Grubhub courier rides a moped six hours a day, seven days a week, after his main job. He relies on the extra money and said a moped ban would hurt him.
Read the original post · CBS News Boston (WBZ-TV) ↗Negative
I spent the vast majority of my night sitting in my car or driving to hotspots to try to get orders.A Boston-area city of about 65,000 with colleges and many hotels (not named) · 2025-05-09
Read more
On a first night, a new DoorDash driver made $28.25 from 4 orders in 3.5 hours, counting waits. A reply said that Thursday was slow for many drivers.
Read the original post · Reddit r/doordash_drivers ↗Negative
I sometimes literally go hours at a time without even a single offer.Boston MetroWest · 2024-01-03
Read more
A MetroWest driver, the closest area to Waltham in this set, runs three apps. Grubhub used to pay them the most and is now a distant third. This was early January, a slow time.
Read the original post · Reddit r/grubhubdrivers ↗