Customer Service Representatives
Median $44,770 · 2,595,750 jobs
Hourly to salary · 2026
$21 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
$21.00 an hour works out to $43,680 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.
$21.00 an hour, every way
| Per | Gross pay |
|---|---|
| Year (2,080 hours) | $43,680.00 |
| Month | $3,640.00 |
| Two weeks (biweekly) | $1,680.00 |
| Semi-monthly | $1,820.00 |
| Week (40 hours) | $840.00 |
| Day (8 hours) | $168.00 |
| Hour | $21.00 |
After taxes
$3,106 a month after federal tax and FICA (single, no state income tax)
- Federal income tax a year
- $3,062
- Social Security + Medicare a year
- $3,342
- Take-home a year (no state tax)
- $37,277
- Share you keep
- 85.3%
- Rent at 30% of gross income
- $1,092 a month
Add your state, 401(k) and health deductions in the paycheck calculator.
Is $21.00 an hour good pay?
About the 36th percentile among all U.S. workers (BLS May 2025) — roughly 36 in 100 workers earn less. It's 14% 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, $21.00 an hour goes furthest in South Dakota ($42,080 in national-average prices) and least far in Hawaii ($32,271).
$21.00 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 | $37,277 | $3,106 | $36,046 |
| Nevada | $37,277 | $3,106 | $37,285 |
| New Hampshire | $37,277 | $3,106 | $35,786 |
| North Dakota | $37,277 | $3,106 | $41,903 |
| South Dakota | $37,277 | $3,106 | $42,080 |
| Tennessee | $37,277 | $3,106 | $40,576 |
| Texas | $37,277 | $3,106 | $38,407 |
| Wyoming | $37,277 | $3,106 | $40,216 |
| Alaska | $37,058 | $3,088 | $36,204 |
| South Carolina | $36,686 | $3,057 | $39,132 |
| Washington | $36,671 | $3,056 | $34,268 |
| Arizona | $36,579 | $3,048 | $36,333 |
| Ohio | $36,519 | $3,043 | $39,364 |
| New Mexico | $36,366 | $3,030 | $39,437 |
| Louisiana | $36,353 | $3,029 | $41,213 |
| Iowa | $36,269 | $3,022 | $41,326 |
| Mississippi | $36,262 | $3,022 | $41,703 |
| Vermont | $36,247 | $3,021 | $37,003 |
| Nebraska | $36,169 | $3,014 | $40,142 |
| Missouri | $36,161 | $3,013 | $39,818 |
| Arkansas | $36,148 | $3,012 | $41,580 |
| West Virginia | $36,099 | $3,008 | $40,336 |
| Idaho | $36,070 | $3,006 | $37,772 |
| North Carolina | $36,043 | $3,004 | $38,211 |
| New Jersey | $36,042 | $3,004 | $33,126 |
| Indiana | $36,018 | $3,001 | $38,592 |
| Wisconsin | $36,012 | $3,001 | $38,272 |
| Montana | $35,981 | $2,998 | $38,016 |
| California | $35,979 | $2,998 | $32,496 |
| Utah | $35,968 | $2,997 | $36,381 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,905 | $2,992 | $36,799 |
| Colorado | $35,871 | $2,989 | $34,809 |
| Kentucky | $35,866 | $2,989 | $39,780 |
| Oklahoma | $35,857 | $2,988 | $40,819 |
| Georgia | $35,846 | $2,987 | $37,226 |
| District of Columbia | $35,822 | $2,985 | $32,595 |
| Rhode Island | $35,775 | $2,981 | $34,978 |
| Maine | $35,743 | $2,979 | $36,830 |
| Michigan | $35,671 | $2,973 | $37,074 |
| Kansas | $35,639 | $2,970 | $39,569 |
| Virginia | $35,579 | $2,965 | $35,191 |
| Maryland | $35,568 | $2,964 | $33,888 |
| Minnesota | $35,566 | $2,964 | $36,064 |
| Alabama | $35,486 | $2,957 | $39,951 |
| Hawaii | $35,483 | $2,957 | $32,271 |
| Connecticut | $35,388 | $2,949 | $34,155 |
| Delaware | $35,355 | $2,946 | $35,423 |
| New York | $35,295 | $2,941 | $32,705 |
| Illinois | $35,260 | $2,938 | $35,274 |
| Massachusetts | $35,112 | $2,926 | $33,201 |
| Oregon | $34,297 | $2,858 | $33,182 |
Jobs that pay about $21.00 an hour
Occupations whose national median is within 4% of $43,680 a year, most common first. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Office Clerks, General
Median $45,010 · 2,464,940 jobs
Nursing Assistants
Median $42,260 · 1,448,910 jobs
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
Median $44,650 · 1,405,030 jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Median $44,080 · 1,223,240 jobs
Light Truck Drivers
Median $44,860 · 983,300 jobs
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
Median $45,260 · 816,870 jobs
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Median $43,220 · 379,060 jobs
Tellers
Median $43,030 · 329,480 jobs
Emergency Medical Technicians
Median $44,470 · 180,510 jobs
Tutors
Median $43,350 · 175,070 jobs
Food Batchmakers
Median $42,290 · 174,520 jobs
$21.00 an hour with different hours
| Schedule | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Full time, 40 hours × 52 weeks | $43,680 | $3,640 |
| Two unpaid weeks off (50 weeks) | $42,000 | $3,500 |
| 37.5-hour week | $40,950 | $3,413 |
| Part time, 30 hours | $32,760 | $2,730 |
| Part time, 20 hours | $21,840 | $1,820 |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime hours a week | $51,870 | $4,323 |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime hours a week | $60,060 | $5,005 |
$21.00 × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $43,680
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.