$21 an hour is $43,680 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $3,640 a month, $1,680 every two weeks or $840 a week.
Yearly pay $43,680
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $43,680 |
| Month | $3,640 |
| Every two weeks | $1,680 |
| Week | $840 |
| Day (8 hours) | $168 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $32,760 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $51,870 |
How $21 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $21 an hour is above the typical pay for 1 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 9% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $21 are pest control technicians ($21.38), construction laborers ($22.53) and painters ($22.91).
Jobs that pay about $21 an hour
- Construction laborers in Dallas, TX: median $21.14 ($43,960 a year)
- Landscapers in Los Angeles, CA: median $21.46 ($44,650 a year)
- Maintenance technicians in Oklahoma City, OK: median $21.04 ($43,760 a year)
- Glaziers in Miami, FL: median $21.36 ($44,430 a year)
- Pest control technicians in Phoenix, AZ: median $21.49 ($44,690 a year)
- Auto mechanics in El Paso, TX: median $21.27 ($44,250 a year)
Where $21 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $21 an hour is more than the local median:
0 trades pay less than $21 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 32 pay more almost everywhere.
$21 is entry-level pay (between the 10th and 25th percentile) for maintenance technicians in New York, electricians in Dallas, welders in Houston and landscapers in Boston.
It's top pay (above the 90th percentile) for landscapers in Baton Rouge, pest control technicians in Laredo, septic & sewer technicians in Fort Smith and hazmat removal workers in Mobile.
$21 an hour by state Our calculation
$21 an hour is below the statewide median for most trades in every state. It clears the most trades in Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama and the fewest in Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
Where $21 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $43,680 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $52,251), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $52,121) and Dothan, AL (worth $52,104), and least in San Francisco, CA ($37,781), Miami, FL ($38,264) and Los Angeles, CA ($38,462). A typical 1-bedroom would take 21% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 93% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $21? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
$20 an hour · all hourly rates · $22 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.