$25 an hour is $52,000 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $4,333 a month, $2,000 every two weeks or $1,000 a week.
Yearly pay $52,000
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $52,000 |
| Month | $4,333 |
| Every two weeks | $2,000 |
| Week | $1,000 |
| Day (8 hours) | $200 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $39,000 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $61,750 |
How $25 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $25 an hour is above the typical pay for 15 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 40% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $25 are welders ($25.13), auto body repairers ($24.85) and septic & sewer technicians ($24.52).
Jobs that pay about $25 an hour
- Heavy equipment operators in Houston, TX: median $24.54 ($51,040 a year)
- Maintenance technicians in Cleveland, OH: median $24.97 ($51,930 a year)
- Auto mechanics in Atlanta, GA: median $24.73 ($51,450 a year)
- Welders in Dallas, TX: median $24.82 ($51,630 a year)
- Carpenters in Miami, FL: median $24.79 ($51,570 a year)
- Construction laborers in Indianapolis, IN: median $24.54 ($51,040 a year)
Where $25 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $25 an hour is more than the local median:
2 trades pay less than $25 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 7 pay more almost everywhere.
$25 is entry-level pay (between the 10th and 25th percentile) for electricians in New York, construction supervisors in Houston, construction laborers in San Francisco and heavy equipment operators in Phoenix.
It's top pay (above the 90th percentile) for landscapers in Miami, construction laborers in San Antonio, painters in North Port and pest control technicians in Birmingham.
$25 an hour by state Our calculation
Statewide, $25 an hour beats the median for most trades in 16 of 51 states and D.C. It clears the most trades in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma and the fewest in Alaska, Hawaii and Minnesota.
Where $25 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $52,000 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $62,203), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $62,049) and Dothan, AL (worth $62,028), and least in San Francisco, CA ($44,978), Miami, FL ($45,552) and Los Angeles, CA ($45,788). A typical 1-bedroom would take 17% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 78% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $25? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
$24 an hour · all hourly rates · $26 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.