$49 an hour is $101,920 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $8,493 a month, $3,920 every two weeks or $1,960 a week.
Yearly pay $101,920
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $101,920 |
| Month | $8,493 |
| Every two weeks | $3,920 |
| Week | $1,960 |
| Day (8 hours) | $392 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $76,440 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $121,030 |
How $49 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $49 an hour is above the typical pay for 41 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 98% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $49 are electrical lineworkers ($46.54), elevator installers ($52.04) and construction supervisors ($37.12).
Jobs that pay about $49 an hour
- Electricians in Chicago, IL: median $49.21 ($102,350 a year)
- Telecom line installers in New York, NY: median $49.31 ($102,550 a year)
- Plumbers in Minneapolis, MN: median $48.86 ($101,630 a year)
- Ironworkers in New York, NY: median $49.07 ($102,060 a year)
- Building inspectors in Seattle, WA: median $49.44 ($102,830 a year)
- Electrical lineworkers in Kansas City, MO: median $48.91 ($101,740 a year)
Where $49 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $49 an hour is more than the local median:
40 trades pay less than $49 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 0 pay more almost everywhere.
$49 is entry-level pay (between the 10th and 25th percentile) for elevator installers in New York, electrical lineworkers in Chicago, ironworkers in Boston and telecom line installers in San Jose.
It's top pay (above the 90th percentile) for maintenance technicians in New York, construction laborers in Houston, electricians in Dallas and carpenters in Philadelphia.
$49 an hour by state Our calculation
$49 an hour beats the statewide median for most trades in every state. It clears the most trades in Arkansas, Delaware and Arizona and the fewest in Washington, New Jersey and Hawaii.
Where $49 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $101,920 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $121,918), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $121,616) and Dothan, AL (worth $121,575), and least in San Francisco, CA ($88,156), Miami, FL ($89,282) and Los Angeles, CA ($89,745). A typical 1-bedroom would take 9% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 40% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $49? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
$48 an hour · all hourly rates · $50 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.