$26 an hour is $54,080 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $4,507 a month, $2,080 every two weeks or $1,040 a week.
Yearly pay $54,080
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $54,080 |
| Month | $4,507 |
| Every two weeks | $2,080 |
| Week | $1,040 |
| Day (8 hours) | $208 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $40,560 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $64,220 |
How $26 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $26 an hour is above the typical pay for 17 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 43% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $26 are drywall installers ($25.89), glaziers ($26.56) and flooring installers ($26.86).
Jobs that pay about $26 an hour
- Construction laborers in Philadelphia, PA: median $26.50 ($55,120 a year)
- Maintenance technicians in Riverside, CA: median $25.75 ($53,560 a year)
- Auto mechanics in Charlotte, NC: median $25.80 ($53,660 a year)
- Welders in Tulsa, OK: median $25.74 ($53,550 a year)
- Painters in Portland, OR: median $25.62 ($53,280 a year)
- Carpenters in Provo, UT: median $25.59 ($53,230 a year)
Where $26 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $26 an hour is more than the local median:
2 trades pay less than $26 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 7 pay more almost everywhere.
$26 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 Los Angeles.
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 St. Louis.
$26 an hour by state Our calculation
Statewide, $26 an hour beats the median for most trades in 17 of 51 states and D.C. It clears the most trades in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma and the fewest in California, Alaska and Minnesota.
Where $26 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $54,080 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $64,691), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $64,531) and Dothan, AL (worth $64,509), and least in San Francisco, CA ($46,777), Miami, FL ($47,374) and Los Angeles, CA ($47,620). A typical 1-bedroom would take 17% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 75% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $26? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
$25 an hour · all hourly rates · $27 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.