2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Mississippi

$15 an Hour in Mississippi — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $15/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $31,200. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Mississippi state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.74/hr. In Mississippi's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Mississippi, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,493
Net Monthly
$2,208
Net Hourly
$12.74

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.26 $12.74
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $18.10 $101.90
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $90.52 $509.48
Biweekly $1,200.00 $181.03 $1,018.97
Monthly $2,600.00 $392.23 $2,207.77
Annual $31,200 $4,707 $26,493

Full Tax Breakdown — Mississippi, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $15/hr × 2,080 hrs $31,200
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $15,100
Federal Income Tax 5.0% −$1,564.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,934.40
Medicare (1.45%) −$452.40
Mississippi Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$2,300
Mississippi State Income Tax 2.4% −$756.00
Total Tax 15.1% effective −$4,706.80
Net Take-Home $26,493

How Does Mississippi Compare?

See how $15/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $422.38 $2,236/mo $26,827 Florida None $2,271/mo $27,249 New York $958.25 $2,191/mo $26,291 Texas None $2,271/mo $27,249 Washington None $2,271/mo $27,249
Open Full Calculator for Mississippi — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$15/hr = $31,200/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$31,200 salary in Mississippi — full breakdown $31,200 after tax in Mississippi $31,200 salary to hourly Mississippi paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Mississippi

$12/hr in Mississippi$13/hr in Mississippi$14/hr in Mississippi$16/hr in Mississippi$17/hr in Mississippi$18/hr in Mississippi

Same Rate, Other States

$15/hr in Alabama$15/hr in Alaska$15/hr in Arizona$15/hr in Arkansas$15/hr in California$15/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Mississippi

⚠ Tight — $15/hr is borderline in Mississippi
  • Avg 1BR rent in Jackson: $800/mo — over the 30% rule (31% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Mississippi: $29,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,493 ($2,507 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$21.7/hr

Working at $15/hr in Mississippi

Mississippi has the lowest cost of living of any US state. Jackson 1BR rents average $800/month. At this wage, the financial pressure is minimal by national standards — the same income that barely survives in a coastal city builds real savings here.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 63 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Jackson (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Mississippi's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Mississippi is 15.1% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Mississippi state tax 2.4%.

Mississippi's economy centers on agriculture, manufacturing, casinos (Gulf Coast), military installations (Columbus AFB, Camp Shelby), and healthcare. The state has struggled with outmigration but has attracted some manufacturing investment in recent years.

Mississippi has a flat 4% income tax (reduced from a graduated system in 2022, continuing to phase down). The low flat rate and very low cost of living make Mississippi's effective financial picture better than headline poverty statistics suggest for workers who stay.

Mississippi follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Mississippi

Based on $2,208/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Mississippi's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $800 $9,600 36.2%
Food (groceries + dining) $265 $3,180 12.0%
Transportation $221 $2,652 10.0%
Utilities $132 $1,584 6.0%
Healthcare $110 $1,320 5.0%
Entertainment $110 $1,320 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $221 $2,652 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $349 $4,188 15.8%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Mississippi

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Mississippi. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.5%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $93 $4,650
10 hrs/week $225 $186 $9,300
20 hrs/week $450 $371 $18,550

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $15/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $12.74 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.4 hrs 4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.5 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 62.8 hrs
1 month rent (Jackson) $800 53.4 hrs 62.9 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 785.2 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3768.6 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

15 an hour -- is it a good wage in Mississippi?

15/hr in Mississippi gives you $26,493/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Mississippi, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Jackson: $800/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Mississippi?

15/hr in Mississippi = $26,493/year or $2,208/month net. Effective rate: 15.1%.

How does 15/hr go further -- Mississippi or Texas?

15/hr in Mississippi has similar purchasing power to ~21.7/hr in Texas.

What does 15/hr look like as a monthly budget in Mississippi?

On $2,208/month in Mississippi: rent $800, food $265, transport $221, savings $221, surplus ~$349.

How much does overtime add at 15/hr in Mississippi?

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,650/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,300/year.