$78 an hour is $162,240 a year working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, before taxes. That's $13,520 a month, $6,240 every two weeks or $3,120 a week.
Yearly pay $162,240
| Period | Pay before tax |
|---|---|
| Year (40 hrs × 52 weeks) | $162,240 |
| Month | $13,520 |
| Every two weeks | $6,240 |
| Week | $3,120 |
| Day (8 hours) | $624 |
| Year at 30 hrs/week | $121,680 |
| Year with 5 hrs/week overtime at 1.5× | $192,660 |
How $78 an hour compares in the trades Government data
In PayByTrade's data, $78 an hour is above the typical pay for 42 of 42 skilled trades and higher than the median in about 100% of the 10,213 trade-and-city combinations BLS publishes. The trades whose typical pay is closest to $78 are elevator installers ($52.04), electrical lineworkers ($46.54) and construction supervisors ($37.12).
Where $78 an hour beats the local median Our calculation
For each trade, the share of U.S. metros where $78 an hour is more than the local median:
42 trades pay less than $78 in at least 9 of 10 metros; 0 pay more almost everywhere.
$78 is entry-level pay (between the 10th and 25th percentile) for elevator installers in San Francisco.
It's top pay (above the 90th percentile) for maintenance technicians in New York, industrial machinery mechanics in Houston, painters in Los Angeles and machinists in Chicago.
$78 an hour by state Our calculation
$78 an hour beats 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 $78 an hour goes furthest Our calculation
The same $162,240 stretches very differently depending on local prices. It goes furthest in Monroe, LA (worth $194,074), Eagle Pass, TX (worth $193,592) and Dothan, AL (worth $193,528), and least in San Francisco, CA ($140,330), Miami, FL ($142,123) and Los Angeles, CA ($142,860). A typical 1-bedroom would take 6% of this pay in the cheapest metro for rent and 25% in the most expensive.
Next steps
Got an offer at $78? See where it lands with the job offer checker, or if you're going independent, work out what to bill with the rate calculator.
$77 an hour · all hourly rates · $79 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.