What National Statistics Miss: Inside DoorDash’s First-Ever Local Commerce Report

• New analysis of hundreds of millions of transactions on DoorDash uncovers what's actually happening in local economies.

• Prices for everyday essentials and breakfast staples are falling or flat, with DoorDash's Breakfast Basics Index down 14% between March and September 2025.

• Downtowns are seeing momentum return recovering with weekday lunch orders to business districts up in more than 50% of cities nationally, with Chandler, AZ and San Francisco, CA leading the rebound with increases more than 6 times the national rate.

Across thousands of communities, DoorDash has a unique perspective on how local economies are evolving. For the first time, we're showcasing what our data reveals about local commerce and how it has evolved over the past year: the performance of local businesses and how everyday people are adapting.

Our first-ever State of Local Commerce report - built from hundreds of millions of real transactions across groceries, restaurants, and Main Street businesses - captures what's actually happening in thousands of neighborhoods across America, rather than depending only on traditional surveys or samples released months later.

"DoorDash can offer a ground-level view into how cities and towns across the country are changing," said Jessica Lachs, DoorDash Chief Analytics Officer. "What we're seeing is resilience: families are finding more ways to stretch their dollar, business owners are rolling up their sleeves to keep their doors open, and people are finding new ways to make ends meet. We're capturing what national averages can't always see and offering a clearer view into what's happening on Main Streets nationwide."

"DoorDash's State of Local Commerce report highlights how our city's affordability enables families to enjoy life, invest in their future, support local businesses, and contribute to the vibrant community that makes Lincoln the quality-of-life capital of the country," said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, NE. "When the good life costs less, everyone gets to enjoy a bigger piece of the pie - or in this case, the cheeseburger."

Here's what we found

Prices Steadying Across Everyday Essentials And Consumers Stretch Their Dollars Further

DoorDash data captures a shift in how people spend, not just how much. The DoorDash Breakfast Basics Index - measuring the price of a typical basket of breakfast staples like eggs, milk and bagels - decreased 14% between March and September 2025. The price of everyday essentials like toilet paper and diapers remained flat during this period. And our Cheeseburger Index shows where affordable meals can be found, and that in some cities like Lincoln, NE; Milwaukee, WI; and Detroit, MI a family's dollar can go twice as far as others.

Local Businesses Are Beating The Odds

Despite the ebbs and flows, 93% of local restaurants active on DoorDash last September were still open twelve months later. New restaurants are also joining at a rate of over 18% since last September, and fastest in places like Laredo, TX; Milwaukee, WI; and Saint Paul, MN. Consumers are taking notice: 72% report seeing the same or more new shops opening compared to last year.

Forget the "Doom Loop." Downtowns Seeing Momentum Return

The narrative of the "doom loop" doesn't entirely hold up to the data. Weekday lunch orders from business districts are slowly rising in more than 50% of cities nationally (up 2.5% overall nationally) signaling a return to offices across U.S. cities. San Francisco and others like Chandler, AZ and Austin, TX lead the rebound, showing renewed downtown activity and local spending.

More People Are Turning to Flexible Work to Earn on Their Own Terms

Flexible work continues to expand. Since 2019, the share of Americans who tried dashing was fewer than 1 in 200 - that number is about 1 in 15 over the years since. Half of Dashers balance other jobs in fields like health care, retail, or education, and on average, Dashers spend less than four hours per week delivering. Young workers aged 18-24 use flexible work to earn around school schedules and summer breaks.

Families Are Living Where Their Dollars Go Further

DoorDash's analysis of kids' meal orders points to migration toward mid-sized cities like Lubbock, TX; Gilbert, AZ; and El Paso, TX, where family budgets go further.

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