Fast Food and Counter Workers
Median $31,200 · 3,854,050 jobs
Hourly to salary · 2026
$15 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
$15.00 an hour works out to $31,200 a year for full-time work. Below: what that is per paycheck, what's left after 2026 taxes in every state, what it buys where you live, and which jobs typically pay it.
$15.00 an hour, every way
| Per | Gross pay |
|---|---|
| Year (2,080 hours) | $31,200.00 |
| Month | $2,600.00 |
| Two weeks (biweekly) | $1,200.00 |
| Semi-monthly | $1,300.00 |
| Week (40 hours) | $600.00 |
| Day (8 hours) | $120.00 |
| Hour | $15.00 |
After taxes
$2,271 a month after federal tax and FICA (single, no state income tax)
- Federal income tax a year
- $1,564
- Social Security + Medicare a year
- $2,387
- Take-home a year (no state tax)
- $27,249
- Share you keep
- 87.3%
- Rent at 30% of gross income
- $780 a month
Add your state, 401(k) and health deductions in the paycheck calculator.
Is $15.00 an hour good pay?
About the 10th percentile among all U.S. workers (BLS May 2025) — roughly 10 in 100 workers earn less. It's 39% below the median for all occupations ($50,980 a year, or $24.51 an hour).
Whether it's enough depends heavily on where you live. After 2026 taxes and local prices, $15.00 an hour goes furthest in South Dakota ($30,760 in national-average prices) and least far in Hawaii ($23,973).
$15.00 an hour after taxes in every state
Estimated 2026 take-home for a single filer paid biweekly, with no pre-tax deductions or local tax. The last column restates take-home in national-average prices using BEA Regional Price Parities (2024).
| State | Take-home a year | A month | In national prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $27,249 | $2,271 | $26,350 |
| Nevada | $27,249 | $2,271 | $27,255 |
| New Hampshire | $27,249 | $2,271 | $26,160 |
| North Dakota | $27,249 | $2,271 | $30,631 |
| South Dakota | $27,249 | $2,271 | $30,760 |
| Tennessee | $27,249 | $2,271 | $29,661 |
| Texas | $27,249 | $2,271 | $28,075 |
| Wyoming | $27,249 | $2,271 | $29,398 |
| Alaska | $27,093 | $2,258 | $26,469 |
| South Carolina | $26,927 | $2,244 | $28,722 |
| Arizona | $26,863 | $2,239 | $26,682 |
| New Mexico | $26,860 | $2,238 | $29,128 |
| Ohio | $26,842 | $2,237 | $28,932 |
| Washington | $26,816 | $2,235 | $25,059 |
| Mississippi | $26,733 | $2,228 | $30,744 |
| Missouri | $26,720 | $2,227 | $29,422 |
| Iowa | $26,715 | $2,226 | $30,441 |
| Idaho | $26,704 | $2,225 | $27,964 |
| Louisiana | $26,699 | $2,225 | $30,269 |
| Nebraska | $26,684 | $2,224 | $29,615 |
| Utah | $26,658 | $2,221 | $26,964 |
| Vermont | $26,638 | $2,220 | $27,193 |
| Wisconsin | $26,599 | $2,217 | $28,268 |
| California | $26,598 | $2,216 | $24,022 |
| Arkansas | $26,582 | $2,215 | $30,577 |
| District of Columbia | $26,543 | $2,212 | $24,152 |
| Montana | $26,540 | $2,212 | $28,041 |
| New Jersey | $26,527 | $2,211 | $24,380 |
| Connecticut | $26,524 | $2,210 | $25,600 |
| North Carolina | $26,513 | $2,209 | $28,108 |
| Maine | $26,502 | $2,208 | $27,307 |
| West Virginia | $26,484 | $2,207 | $29,592 |
| Colorado | $26,448 | $2,204 | $25,664 |
| Georgia | $26,441 | $2,203 | $27,459 |
| Oklahoma | $26,391 | $2,199 | $30,043 |
| Hawaii | $26,358 | $2,197 | $23,973 |
| Indiana | $26,358 | $2,197 | $28,242 |
| Rhode Island | $26,353 | $2,196 | $25,765 |
| Kansas | $26,291 | $2,191 | $29,190 |
| Kentucky | $26,275 | $2,190 | $29,143 |
| Pennsylvania | $26,270 | $2,189 | $26,923 |
| Virginia | $26,269 | $2,189 | $25,982 |
| Minnesota | $26,261 | $2,188 | $26,628 |
| Michigan | $26,174 | $2,181 | $27,203 |
| Maryland | $26,133 | $2,178 | $24,898 |
| Delaware | $26,070 | $2,172 | $26,120 |
| Alabama | $26,019 | $2,168 | $29,293 |
| New York | $25,995 | $2,166 | $24,087 |
| Illinois | $25,850 | $2,154 | $25,860 |
| Massachusetts | $25,766 | $2,147 | $24,363 |
| Oregon | $25,305 | $2,109 | $24,483 |
Jobs that pay about $15.00 an hour
Occupations whose national median is within 4% of $31,200 a year, most common first. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Cooks, Fast Food
Median $30,890 · 641,070 jobs
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
Median $31,200 · 432,690 jobs
Amusement and Recreation Attendants
Median $32,150 · 397,830 jobs
$15.00 an hour with different hours
| Schedule | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Full time, 40 hours × 52 weeks | $31,200 | $2,600 |
| Two unpaid weeks off (50 weeks) | $30,000 | $2,500 |
| 37.5-hour week | $29,250 | $2,438 |
| Part time, 30 hours | $23,400 | $1,950 |
| Part time, 20 hours | $15,600 | $1,300 |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime hours a week | $37,050 | $3,088 |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime hours a week | $42,900 | $3,575 |
$15.00 × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $31,200
Change the hours or weeks in the hourly to salary calculator.
Sources and method
Conversions assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Taxes use our 2026 federal and state engine (methodology); local income taxes aren't included. Wage rankings and occupations use BLS OEWS May 2025; price levels use BEA Regional Price Parities.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- Regional Price Parities by State — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Accessed October 9, 2026.