A look at Pennsylvania app-based economy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
4% of Pennsylvania's overall workforce engages in app-based work, demonstrating gig companies' growing influence, according to a new study.
Why it matters: App-based work offers a flexible way to earn a living or just make an extra buck — but many such workers are fighting for better pay, benefits and more.
By the numbers: The Keystone State's 260,000 app-based workers contributed $7.2 billion to its economy in 2022, according to an Axios analysis of a study from consultancy Public First and commissioned by Flex, a trade group representing DoorDash, Uber and more.
- Those workers made 150 million deliveries and trips that year.
The big picture: About 4.3% of the overall U.S. workforce takes part in app-based work, or about 7.3 million workers, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.
Zoom out: Washington, D.C., is America's app-based work hotspot, with drivers or couriers making up 9% of the labor force there. Meanwhile, Tennessee (0.5%) has the lowest share.
- Pennsylvania ranked 24th among states and D.C. for the share of its workforce made up of app-based workers.
The fine print: The Flex study is based on aggregated data collected in 2022 from several such platforms, plus "new consumer and app-based worker survey data."