Fast Food and Counter Workers
Median $31,200 · 3,854,050 jobs
Salary to hourly · 2026
$30,000 a Year Is How Much an Hour?
$30,000 a year works out to $14.42 an hour 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.
$30,000 a year, every way
| Per | Gross pay |
|---|---|
| Year (2,080 hours) | $30,000.00 |
| Month | $2,500.00 |
| Two weeks (biweekly) | $1,153.85 |
| Semi-monthly | $1,250.00 |
| Week (40 hours) | $576.92 |
| Day (8 hours) | $115.38 |
| Hour | $14.42 |
After taxes
$2,190 a month after federal tax and FICA (single, no state income tax)
- Federal income tax a year
- $1,420
- Social Security + Medicare a year
- $2,295
- Take-home a year (no state tax)
- $26,285
- Share you keep
- 87.6%
- Rent at 30% of gross income
- $750 a month
Add your state, 401(k) and health deductions in the paycheck calculator.
Is $30,000 a year good pay?
Below the 10th percentile among all U.S. workers (BLS May 2025) — fewer than about 1 in 10 workers earn less. It's 41% 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, $30,000 a year goes furthest in Mississippi ($29,691 in national-average prices) and least far in Hawaii ($23,171).
$30,000 a year 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 | $26,285 | $2,190 | $25,417 |
| Nevada | $26,285 | $2,190 | $26,291 |
| New Hampshire | $26,285 | $2,190 | $25,234 |
| North Dakota | $26,285 | $2,190 | $29,547 |
| South Dakota | $26,285 | $2,190 | $29,672 |
| Tennessee | $26,285 | $2,190 | $28,611 |
| Texas | $26,285 | $2,190 | $27,082 |
| Wyoming | $26,285 | $2,190 | $28,358 |
| Alaska | $26,135 | $2,178 | $25,533 |
| South Carolina | $25,987 | $2,166 | $27,719 |
| New Mexico | $25,934 | $2,161 | $28,124 |
| Arizona | $25,929 | $2,161 | $25,754 |
| Ohio | $25,910 | $2,159 | $27,928 |
| Washington | $25,869 | $2,156 | $24,174 |
| Mississippi | $25,817 | $2,151 | $29,691 |
| Missouri | $25,812 | $2,151 | $28,422 |
| Idaho | $25,803 | $2,150 | $27,021 |
| Iowa | $25,797 | $2,150 | $29,394 |
| Louisiana | $25,771 | $2,148 | $29,217 |
| Utah | $25,763 | $2,147 | $26,059 |
| Nebraska | $25,762 | $2,147 | $28,592 |
| Vermont | $25,714 | $2,143 | $26,250 |
| Connecticut | $25,710 | $2,143 | $24,814 |
| Wisconsin | $25,694 | $2,141 | $27,306 |
| California | $25,673 | $2,139 | $23,187 |
| Arkansas | $25,663 | $2,139 | $29,519 |
| District of Columbia | $25,651 | $2,138 | $23,340 |
| Montana | $25,632 | $2,136 | $27,082 |
| Maine | $25,613 | $2,134 | $26,392 |
| North Carolina | $25,597 | $2,133 | $27,136 |
| New Jersey | $25,594 | $2,133 | $23,523 |
| West Virginia | $25,558 | $2,130 | $28,557 |
| Colorado | $25,541 | $2,128 | $24,785 |
| Georgia | $25,537 | $2,128 | $26,520 |
| Oklahoma | $25,481 | $2,123 | $29,007 |
| Hawaii | $25,477 | $2,123 | $23,171 |
| Rhode Island | $25,447 | $2,121 | $24,880 |
| Indiana | $25,430 | $2,119 | $27,247 |
| Kansas | $25,389 | $2,116 | $28,188 |
| Virginia | $25,374 | $2,115 | $25,097 |
| Minnesota | $25,367 | $2,114 | $25,721 |
| Kentucky | $25,353 | $2,113 | $28,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $25,343 | $2,112 | $25,974 |
| Michigan | $25,261 | $2,105 | $26,254 |
| Maryland | $25,226 | $2,102 | $24,034 |
| Delaware | $25,177 | $2,098 | $25,225 |
| Alabama | $25,110 | $2,092 | $28,269 |
| New York | $25,101 | $2,092 | $23,259 |
| Illinois | $24,945 | $2,079 | $24,955 |
| Massachusetts | $24,867 | $2,072 | $23,513 |
| Oregon | $24,441 | $2,037 | $23,646 |
Jobs that pay about $30,000 a year
Occupations whose national median is within 4% of $30,000 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
$30,000 a year as an hourly rate
| Hours a year | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| 2,080 (40 h × 52 weeks) | $14.42 |
| 2,000 (40 h × 50 weeks) | $15.00 |
| 1,950 (37.5 h × 52 weeks) | $15.38 |
| 2,340 (45 h × 52 weeks) | $12.82 |
| 2,600 (50 h × 52 weeks) | $11.54 |
$30,000 ÷ 2,080 hours = $14.42
Salaried workers who put in longer weeks earn less per hour than this.
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.