Minimum Wage Calculator by State

Look up your state's minimum wage and see what full-time work pays per week, month, and year before deductions.

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What Minimum Wage Really Pays Per Year

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and it has not changed since 2009. Type that into the math and the picture gets stark. A full-time worker at $7.25, putting in 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks, earns $15,080 a year before taxes. That is the floor in states that still follow the federal rate, and it is roughly the same gross income a full-time worker earned 17 years ago.

Cross a state line and the number can nearly double. Washington's minimum wage in 2026 sits around $16.66 an hour, which translates to about $34,653 a year full-time. California, Connecticut, and several others clear $16. Meanwhile, 20 states still anchor to the federal $7.25. The same 40-hour week produces $15,080 in one state and over $34,000 in another, for identical work.

The hourly number is the headline, but the annual number is the reality. $7.25 sounds like a manageable figure on its own. $15,080 a year, divided across rent, food, transportation, and everything else, tells the real story. That is roughly $1,257 a month before any deductions, in a country where median rent alone often exceeds that.

This is why so many minimum-wage earners work more than one job or more than 40 hours. The gap between the hourly rate and a livable annual income is not a rounding error. It is the entire budget.

This calculator does the conversion most listings skip. Enter your state, and it pulls the applicable minimum wage and shows you what full-time work actually pays per week, per month, and per year. It also lets you adjust hours, so if you work 30 hours or 50, you see your real projected income instead of a theoretical 40-hour figure. The hourly rate is where the conversation starts. The annual total is where decisions get made.

How to Read Your State's Wage and What Affects Your Pay

The rate that applies to you is whichever is higher: federal, state, or local. When a state minimum exceeds the federal $7.25, the state rate wins. When a city sets its own higher minimum, like many do, the local rate wins inside that city. You are always entitled to the highest applicable floor, never the lowest.

That means your actual minimum can be higher than your state's headline number. A worker in a city with a $17 local minimum is owed $17, even if the state rate is $13. Always check city and county ordinances, not just the state figure.

A few rules that change what you actually take home:

  • Tipped minimum wage: In many states, tipped workers have a lower base cash wage, sometimes as low as $2.13 federally, with tips expected to make up the difference to the regular minimum. If tips fall short, the employer must cover the gap.
  • Overtime: Hours beyond 40 in a week are generally paid at 1.5 times your rate. At $15 an hour, overtime pays $22.50, which can meaningfully lift a weekly check.
  • Scheduled increases: Many states raise their minimum annually, often tied to inflation. The rate that applies in January may rise mid-year or next year, so check the current figure.
  • Taxes and deductions: The annual figures here are gross. Your take-home pay is lower after federal, state, and payroll taxes.

Use the annual number to plan. Converting your wage into yearly income lets you compare a job offer against your real cost of living, qualify for budgeting, or decide whether a raise or a second job closes your gap. An extra dollar an hour sounds small. Across full-time work, $1 more per hour is about $2,080 more per year, enough to change which bills you can cover.

This calculator provides estimates based on the information you enter. For advice tailored to your situation, consult a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the Minimum Wage Calculator by State

At the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, full-time work at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks earns $15,080 a year before taxes. In higher states it climbs sharply. Washington's roughly $16.66 minimum produces about $34,653 a year. Your exact annual total depends on your state's rate and the hours you work.

Sources & References

U.S. wage and salary data

Official occupational wage and employment statistics used as salary benchmarks.
→Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS

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