$26 an hour is how much a year?
Answer
$26 an hour is $54,080 a year at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks (2,080 hours). That is $4,507 a month, $2,080 every two weeks and $1,040 a week before tax, or about $45,633 a year after 2026 federal income tax and FICA.
- Per year
- $54,080
- 2,080 hours
- Per month
- $4,507
- Annual ÷ 12
- Every two weeks
- $2,080
- 80 hours
- After federal tax and FICA
- $45,633
- Estimate: single filer, no state tax
$26 an hour by pay period
Full time, 40 hours a week
| Pay period | Before tax | After federal tax and FICA |
|---|---|---|
| Year | $54,080 | $45,633 |
| Month | $4,507 | $3,803 |
| Twice a month (24 checks) | $2,253 | $1,901 |
| Every two weeks (26 checks) | $2,080 | $1,755 |
| Week | $1,040 | $878 |
| 8-hour day | $208 | $176 |
The conversion assumes you are paid for 2,080 hours a year: 40 hours a week, every week. A month is not four weeks: a year has 52 weeks, so the average month has about 4.33 weeks of pay ($1,040 × 52 ÷ 12 = $4,507).
Paid every two weeks, you get 26 checks a year, so two months a year have three paydays. Paid twice a month, you get 24 equal checks of $2,253.
Part-time and overtime at $26 an hour
Overtime at 1.5 times the rate after 40 hours
| Hours a week | Per week | Per month | Per year (52 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours (part-time) | $520 | $2,253 | $27,040 |
| 30 hours (part-time) | $780 | $3,380 | $40,560 |
| 40 hours (full time) | $1,040 | $4,507 | $54,080 |
| 45 hours (5 overtime at $39.00) | $1,235 | $5,352 | $64,220 |
| 50 hours (10 overtime at $39.00) | $1,430 | $6,197 | $74,360 |
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek; some states also require daily overtime.
Paid and unpaid time off
| Scenario | Paid hours | Per year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid for all 52 weeks (paid vacation and holidays) | 2,080 | $54,080 | — |
| 2 weeks unpaid (50 weeks worked) | 2,000 | $52,000 | −$2,080 |
| 4 weeks unpaid (48 weeks worked) | 1,920 | $49,920 | −$4,160 |
| 2 weeks unpaid plus 10 unpaid holidays | 1,920 | $49,920 | −$4,160 |
Hourly jobs often pay only for hours worked. If your vacation and holidays are unpaid, multiply $26 by the hours you are actually paid.
$26 an hour after taxes
Estimate only, tax year 2026
| Item | Per year | Every two weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $54,080 | $2,080 |
| Federal income tax | −$4,310 | −$166 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$3,353 | −$129 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$784 | −$30 |
| Take-home before state tax | $45,633 | $1,755 |
This is an estimate, not tax advice. It assumes a single filer with no dependents who takes the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100), has no other income and makes no pre-tax deductions such as retirement or health insurance contributions, which would lower taxable pay.
Federal income tax is 8.0% of gross pay at this wage and FICA is 7.65%. State and local income tax depend on where you live: 8 states take nothing from wages at this level, and the state table below shows the estimate for each. For your own numbers, use the salary calculator.
2026 brackets and standard deduction from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32; Social Security wage base and rates from IRS Publication 15 (2026). How we estimate tax.
Is $26 an hour good pay?
BLS OEWS, May 2025
- US median hourly wage
- $24.51
- $26 is 6% above
- Share of workers earning less
- About 53%
- between 50% and 75% of US workers earn less
- States where $26 beats the median
- 34 of 51
- Compared with each state's all-jobs median
- Per year vs. US median
- $54,080
- US median $50,980 a year
BLS publishes the hourly wage below which 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 90% of US workers fall: $15.00, $18.07, $24.51, $38.71 and $61.81. $26 falls between the 50th and 75th percentiles; reading between those points puts it at roughly the 53th. These figures cover all wage and salary workers, full-time and part-time.
Jobs that pay about $26 an hour
Median hourly wage within 3% of $26
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $25.84 | $53,750 | 416,210 | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $25.40 | $52,830 | 193,370 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | $26.06 | $54,210 | 154,800 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Automotive Body and Related Repairers | $26.39 | $54,890 | 149,310 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Roofers | $26.65 | $55,440 | 135,490 | No formal educational credential |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $25.50 | $53,040 | 102,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Tax Preparers | $26.40 | $54,920 | 76,480 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | $26.08 | $54,240 | 58,010 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | $25.64 | $53,340 | 41,820 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Financial Clerks, All Other | $25.88 | $53,830 | 36,260 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | $26.49 | $55,090 | 34,670 | Associate's degree |
| Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | $25.82 | $53,710 | 34,000 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installers | $25.55 | $53,140 | 31,350 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | $26.23 | $54,560 | 30,410 | Associate's degree |
| Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers | $26.45 | $55,010 | 25,100 | Associate's degree |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | $26.17 | $54,430 | 16,780 | High school diploma or equivalent |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections. Half of the workers in each occupation earn more than its median and half less, so many people in these jobs earn more or less than $26.
$26 an hour in every state
Single filer, full time, tax year 2026
Take-home after federal, FICA and state taxes ranges from $41,738 in Oregon to $45,633 in the 8 states that take no income or payroll tax from wages (Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire…). Prices matter as much: $54,080 buys about as much as $62,206 at national-average prices in Arkansas but only $48,844 in California.
| Alabama | $2,168 | $43,465 | $3,622 | $60,885 | $21.96 | +18% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $270 | $45,363 | $3,780 | $52,834 | $29.33 | −11% |
| Arizona | $950 | $44,684 | $3,724 | $53,716 | $24.07 | +8% |
| Arkansas | $1,515 | $44,118 | $3,677 | $62,206 | $20.98 | +24% |
| California | $1,987 | $43,646 | $3,637 | $48,844 | $28.00 | −7% |
| Colorado | $1,909 | $43,724 | $3,644 | $52,478 | $28.75 | −10% |
| Connecticut | $2,272 | $43,361 | $3,613 | $52,196 | $28.70 | −9% |
| Delaware | $2,541 | $43,092 | $3,591 | $54,184 | $25.09 | +4% |
| District of Columbia | $2,145 | $43,488 | $3,624 | $49,208 | $44.01 | −41% |
| Florida | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $52,295 | $23.02 | +13% |
| Georgia | $1,950 | $43,683 | $3,640 | $56,162 | $23.16 | +12% |
| Hawaii | $2,588 | $43,045 | $3,587 | $49,186 | $27.08 | −4% |
| Idaho | $1,613 | $44,020 | $3,668 | $56,632 | $23.06 | +13% |
| Illinois | $2,532 | $43,101 | $3,592 | $54,103 | $24.98 | +4% |
| Indiana | $1,566 | $44,067 | $3,672 | $57,946 | $23.01 | +13% |
| Iowa | $1,403 | $44,230 | $3,686 | $61,621 | $23.34 | +11% |
| Kansas | $2,218 | $43,415 | $3,618 | $60,044 | $23.08 | +13% |
| Kentucky | $1,775 | $43,858 | $3,655 | $59,983 | $22.56 | +15% |
| Louisiana | $1,237 | $44,396 | $3,700 | $61,310 | $21.89 | +19% |
| Maine | $2,243 | $43,390 | $3,616 | $55,724 | $24.73 | +5% |
| Maryland | $2,203 | $43,430 | $3,619 | $51,525 | $28.61 | −9% |
| Massachusetts | $2,633 | $43,001 | $3,583 | $51,136 | $30.57 | −15% |
| Michigan | $2,048 | $43,586 | $3,632 | $56,206 | $23.69 | +10% |
| Minnesota | $2,390 | $43,243 | $3,604 | $54,836 | $27.36 | −5% |
| Mississippi | $1,431 | $44,202 | $3,684 | $62,195 | $19.29 | +35% |
| Missouri | $1,574 | $44,059 | $3,672 | $59,548 | $22.98 | +13% |
| Montana | $1,785 | $43,848 | $3,654 | $57,140 | $23.43 | +11% |
| Nebraska | $1,581 | $44,052 | $3,671 | $60,020 | $23.55 | +10% |
| Nevada | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $54,091 | $22.91 | +13% |
| New Hampshire | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $51,918 | $26.87 | −3% |
| New Jersey | $1,858 | $43,776 | $3,648 | $49,704 | $28.16 | −8% |
| New Mexico | $1,384 | $44,249 | $3,687 | $58,647 | $22.70 | +15% |
| New York | $2,589 | $43,045 | $3,587 | $50,111 | $28.69 | −9% |
| North Carolina | $1,649 | $43,984 | $3,665 | $57,333 | $23.06 | +13% |
| North Dakota | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $60,792 | $25.23 | +3% |
| Ohio | $1,044 | $44,589 | $3,716 | $58,292 | $23.74 | +10% |
| Oklahoma | $1,888 | $43,745 | $3,645 | $61,564 | $21.92 | +19% |
| Oregon | $3,896 | $41,738 | $3,478 | $52,321 | $27.40 | −5% |
| Pennsylvania | $1,698 | $43,935 | $3,661 | $55,426 | $23.89 | +9% |
| Rhode Island | $2,006 | $43,627 | $3,636 | $52,874 | $27.30 | −5% |
| South Carolina | $1,272 | $44,361 | $3,697 | $57,686 | $22.35 | +16% |
| South Dakota | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $61,048 | $22.63 | +15% |
| Tennessee | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $58,866 | $22.78 | +14% |
| Texas | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $55,720 | $23.38 | +11% |
| Utah | $1,907 | $43,726 | $3,644 | $54,701 | $24.09 | +8% |
| Vermont | $1,438 | $44,195 | $3,683 | $55,207 | $27.11 | −4% |
| Virginia | $2,296 | $43,337 | $3,611 | $53,489 | $26.78 | −3% |
| Washington | $750 | $44,883 | $3,740 | $50,536 | $30.28 | −14% |
| West Virginia | $1,616 | $44,017 | $3,668 | $60,427 | $21.78 | +19% |
| Wisconsin | $1,780 | $43,853 | $3,654 | $57,474 | $24.17 | +8% |
| Wyoming | $0 | $45,633 | $3,803 | $58,344 | $24.17 | +8% |
State tax is state income tax plus employee payroll taxes some states charge (such as disability or paid-leave insurance); it uses each state's 2026 rules for a single filer with no dependents and no other income (standard deduction or exemption and the credits that apply automatically); local income taxes (for example in New York City, Pennsylvania and Ohio cities) are not included. “Worth at US prices” divides annual pay by the state's BEA regional price parity (2024). State median wage: BLS OEWS, May 2025, all occupations.
$26 an hour: common questions
How much is $26 an hour after taxes?
About $45,633 a year, or $1,755 every two weeks, for a single person working 40 hours a week all year. That estimate subtracts $4,310 of 2026 federal income tax (standard deduction) and $4,137 of Social Security and Medicare tax. State income tax lowers it further in most states; the state table above shows each one.
Is $26 an hour good pay?
$26 an hour is 6% above the US median hourly wage of $24.51 (May 2025); between 50% and 75% of US workers earn less. It is at or above the median wage for all jobs in 34 of 51 states and DC. Whether it is enough depends on where you live and your household.
How much is $26 an hour biweekly and monthly?
Before tax, $26 an hour is $2,080 every two weeks (80 hours) and $4,507 a month on average, based on 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. Paid twice a month, each check is $2,253 before tax.
What jobs pay about $26 an hour?
Among the largest occupations with a median near $26 an hour are welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers; real estate sales agents; and eligibility interviewers, government programs. The table above lists 16 occupations whose BLS median hourly wage is within 3% of $26, with links to their pay and how to get into them.
How do you convert $26 an hour to a yearly salary?
Multiply the hourly rate by the hours you are paid in a year. A full-time year is usually 40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours, so $26 × 2,080 = $54,080. If you take unpaid time off, use the weeks you are actually paid: 50 weeks gives $52,000.