As Thanksgiving 2025 approaches, many gig drivers are asking a familiar question: Is it worth working during the holiday?
Last year’s discussions across Reddit and driver communities were divided. Some drivers described slow days and low pay, while others saw strong post-holiday surges that made the week worthwhile. The data from Gridwise’s 2024 reports paints a clearer picture — one that shows both the challenges and opportunities of the season.
Whether you drive for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or Instacart, understanding what happened in 2024 can help you make smarter choices this year.
Here's what we cover:
Initial Concerns and the Thanksgiving Dip
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving 2024, drivers across forums and social groups voiced familiar frustrations: long waits, slow evenings, and the sense that the holiday week wouldn’t be worth the time on the road. While those experiences were real, the nationwide averages from 2024 show a more steady picture.
Trip pay for both Uber and Lyft stayed almost unchanged during Thanksgiving week. Lyft held level, and Uber saw only a slight dip before returning to a similar range the following week.
Nationwide Average Trip Pay (All Trips)
(Rideshare Pulse – Trip Pay, Nationwide)
| Platform | Nov 11–17, 2024 | Nov 18–24, 2024 (Thanksgiving Week) | Nov 25–Dec 1, 2024 (Post-Thanksgiving) | % Change (11→18) | % Change (18→25) |
| Lyft | $12.41 | $12.42 | $12.53 | +0.08% | +0.89% |
| Uber | $14.49 | $14.43 | $14.56 | –0.41% | +0.90% |
Source: Gridwise
These small national shifts don’t always reflect what drivers feel on the ground. Any slowdown often comes from changes in routine—travel beginning earlier in the week, restaurants adjusting hours, and households planning meals at home. These patterns can make several days feel quieter even when nationwide averages remain stable.
Because markets behave differently, the most reliable way to understand Thanksgiving week in your area is by checking your own past trends inside the Gridwise App. Your November 2024 driving patterns—by app, by day, and by time of day—offer the clearest insight into how your city responds to the holiday.
The Post-Thanksgiving Surge
After a quieter Thanksgiving Day, many drivers hope for a strong rebound heading into the weekend. Nationwide averages from 2024 show a modest lift in trip pay the week after the holiday, with both Uber and Lyft increasing slightly from Thanksgiving week levels.
Lyft’s nationwide average rose by just under one percent, and Uber’s followed a similar pattern. While not dramatic at the national level, some cities experienced more noticeable shifts tied to return travel, shopping traffic, and people easing back into their routines.
Nationwide Average Trip Pay
(Rideshare Pulse – Trip Pay, Nationwide 2024)
| Platform | Thanksgiving Week (Nov 18–24) | Post-Thanksgiving (Nov 25–Dec 1) | % Change |
| Lyft | $12.42 | $12.53 | +0.89% |
| Uber | $14.43 | $14.56 | +0.90% |
Source: Gridwise
While these national changes were small, they don’t capture the differences drivers felt within their own cities. Markets with busy airports or active commercial districts often saw stronger post-holiday momentum than those with more subdued travel patterns.
Checking your own Thanksgiving weekend performance inside Gridwise—by app and by time of day—can help you determine whether the weekend after the holiday is typically worthwhile in your area.
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Why Thanksgiving Feels Different for rideshare drivers
Thanksgiving week often feels unpredictable, and rideshare drivers aren’t imagining it. Several factors explain why Thanksgiving week looks like a “valley” in gig earnings data:
- Travel and Family Gatherings: Many people leave town or stay home, reducing local demand.
- Home Cooking: Food Delivery Orders Dip as More Families Prepare Meals at Home
- Business Closures: Fewer rides to offices, bars, and events during the holiday itself.
Equally predictable trends drive the recovery:
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping boost deliveries and trips.
- Return travel fills airport routes again.
- Post-holiday fatigue drives more food delivery orders.
What stands out is that Thanksgiving doesn’t dramatically reshape nationwide trip pay—it simply shifts demand throughout the week. Because each city behaves differently, looking at your own driving patterns in Gridwise is the best way to understand how Thanksgiving typically plays out in your specific market.
Platform-Specific Resilience
While many drivers felt the effects of a slower Thanksgiving week, the nationwide averages for Lyft and Uber showed only small changes. Lyft remained almost flat throughout the week, and Uber dipped slightly before returning to a similar range the following week. These minimal shifts suggest that the holiday’s impact varies more by city and driver behavior than by platform.
In some markets, rideshare demand held steady thanks to early-week airport traffic or weekend shopping activity. In others, Thanksgiving Day brought a more noticeable slowdown. Delivery services also varied from place to place, depending on local dining habits and how quickly households returned to normal routines.
Because these patterns aren’t consistent across regions, it’s helpful to look back at how each platform performed for you last year. Using Gridwise to compare your Lyft and Uber activity from Thanksgiving 2024 can offer clearer guidance on where to focus your time during the holiday week in 2025.
Thanksgiving 2023: A Tale of Resilience in the Gig Economy
Looking back at Thanksgiving 2023 helps put last year’s patterns into perspective. Driver conversations that year echoed many of the same concerns—slower days, uneven demand, and uncertainty about whether working through the holiday was worthwhile. Yet, just as we saw in 2024, the period surrounding Thanksgiving showed signs of stability and recovery once the holiday passed.
Rideshare drivers who approached the week with flexibility often found ways to make it work, whether by leaning into early-week travel demand, focusing on delivery in specific neighborhoods, or returning to the road once activity picked back up over the weekend. The broader lesson from both 2023 and 2024 is that Thanksgiving tends to reshape the rhythm of the week rather than dramatically shift earnings overall.
The rideshare drivers who benefited most were those who understood how their market behaved—recognizing when activity typically slowed, when it returned, and which services held up better in their area. That same approach remains useful heading into Thanksgiving 2025.
How to Plan Your Thanksgiving 2025 Strategy
Every driver’s experience during Thanksgiving week is different — what works in one city or on one platform may look completely different somewhere else. Still, looking at how Thanksgiving 2024 unfolded reveals a few consistent patterns that can help guide your approach this year. These can serve as a starting point for building a strategy that fits your habits, location, and preferred services.
| Strategy | Why It Often Works | How to Personalize It |
| Work Earlier in the Week (Mon–Wed) | Travel activity often picks up before Thanksgiving as people head out of town. | Check Gridwise trends for your local airport to see when outbound traffic is strongest. |
| Take Thanksgiving Day Easy — or Stay Flexible | Many markets see reduced ride and delivery volume on the holiday itself. | If you stay online, use Gridwise’s real-time demand view to identify areas with bonuses or steady activity. |
| Prioritize the Weekend (Fri–Sun) | Return travel and holiday shopping can create more consistent opportunities. | Review your past Thanksgiving weekend in Gridwise to see which platforms performed best in your area. |
| Use More Than One App | Flexibility can help you adjust as demand shifts across services. | Compare how each app behaves in your city throughout the week using your Gridwise history. |
| Know Your Own Patterns | Understanding your typical earnings and trip rhythm gives you better expectations. | Use your Gridwise reports to see how your Thanksgiving 2024 results compared with your normal weeks. |
Source: Gridwise
While these patterns offer helpful context, the best strategy will always depend on your driving style and your city. Some markets tend to favor rideshare early in the week, while others rely more on delivery or return-travel demand after the holiday. By combining national context with your personal insights, you can design a Thanksgiving plan that’s informed and realistic for how you drive.
Key Takeaways
- Thanksgiving week can feel slower, but nationwide trip pay stayed fairly steady last year.
- The days following the holiday often bring more activity, especially in markets with strong return travel or shopping patterns.
- Using more than one app can help you adjust when demand shifts across services.
- Reviewing your own trends in Gridwise is the best way to understand how your city typically behaves during the holiday week.
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