Shoppers in California have earned more than $3 billion on Instacart since Prop 22 was passed

Shoppers are at the heart of the Instacart community, with hundreds of thousands of people picking, packing, and delivering groceries and other essentials to millions of customers across the country. For the past 12 years, the shopper community has told us time and again how much they value their freedom and flexibility. 

Those values are why we supported Proposition 22 in California in 2020 for this community. Prop 22 guarantees shoppers earn at least 120% of minimum wage, protects the independence and flexibility they want, and provides additional protections and benefits to support this modern workforce. 

California voters agreed and passed the measure. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people in California have accessed earnings opportunities on the Instacart platform, choosing when and where they work.

We are proud to share that California shoppers earned more than $3 billion on Instacart, since Prop 22 took effect. This staggering figure underscores the pivotal role that Instacart and other app-based platforms are playing in providing access to supplemental earnings opportunities for many Californians.

Healthcare benefits are also a critical aspect of Prop 22. Instacart has paid more than $40 million in healthcare subsidies directly to shoppers. Nearly 11 percent of Instacart shoppers in California have become eligible for healthcare subsidies, meaning they shopped more than 15 hours per week.

Of those eligible, only 28 percent have chosen to redeem their subsidy. This redemption rate suggests a noteworthy trend: while this subsidy has been an important benefit for some shoppers, a majority of these workers, as many as 72 percent, may receive healthcare coverage from other sources or shop on Instacart as a way of supplementing their income. These other sources could include coverage through their primary job, spouse’s employer, parent’s plans, or other private health insurance.

This data highlights the wide array of circumstances that motivate shoppers to earn income on our platform and is just one piece of why the flexibility of Prop 22 works for California. Hundreds of shoppers themselves have shared their stories with us on why Prop 22 is beneficial to them:

• Tonya S (Bay Area): “I love that I am guaranteed a minimum earnings every single week that I shop. I started shopping as a way to earn extra income and am thankful to remain an independent contractor so that I can earn outside of my full time job. Shopping allows me to plan and budget, and remain active in my community.”
• Kevin M (Riverside County) “I started shopping on Instacart full time last year when I lost my job as a way to supplement my income. Now that I have no boss or mandatory start time, I’m so much less stressed. I love the flexibility shopping gives me, allowing me to be more present with my daughter. And to be an independent contractor and get access to healthcare is amazing.”

Prop 22 protects the flexibility of app-based workers while establishing new benefits and protections that meet the needs of a modern workforce. At Instacart, we remain committed to serving customers across California, supporting our retail partners, and protecting access to flexible earnings opportunities for Instacart shoppers.

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.