$15 an hour is $31,200 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $2,600 a month, $1,200 every two weeks or $600 a week.
Yearly pay $31,200
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $31,200 |
| Month | $2,600 |
| Every two weeks | $1,200 |
| Week | $600 |
| Day (8 hours) | $120 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $23,400 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $37,050 |
How $15 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $15 an hour is above the typical pay for 0 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 1% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $15 are landscapers ($18.05), pest control technicians ($21.38) and construction laborers ($22.53).
Jobs that pay about $15 an hour
- Carpenters in San Juan, PR: median $14.68 ($30,530 a year)
- Welders in San Juan, PR: median $14.61 ($30,390 a year)
- Landscapers in El Paso, TX: median $14.73 ($30,640 a year)
- Construction laborers in Dothan, AL: median $15.39 ($32,000 a year)
- Auto body repairers in San Juan, PR: median $14.55 ($30,260 a year)
- Industrial machinery mechanics in Mayaguez, PR: median $15.03 ($31,260 a year)
Where $15 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $15 an hour is more than the local median:
0 trades pay less than $15 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 42 pay more almost everywhere.
$15 is entry-level pay (between the 10th and 25th percentile) for landscapers in Miami, auto mechanics in Dallas, construction laborers in Atlanta and maintenance technicians in San Antonio.
$15 an hour by state Our calculation
$15 an hour is below the statewide median for most trades in every state. It clears the most trades in Alaska, Alabama and Arkansas and the fewest in Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Where $15 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $31,200 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $37,322), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $37,229) and Dothan, AL (worth $37,217), and least in San Francisco, CA ($26,987), Miami, FL ($27,331) and Los Angeles, CA ($27,473). A typical 1-bedroom would take 29% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 130% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $15? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
all hourly rates · $16 an hour
Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Prices: BEA 2024. Rent: HUD FY2027. Conversions assume pay for every hour listed and no unpaid time off; figures are before tax.