$15 an Hour in Missouri — 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 Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.75/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Missouri.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,524
Net Monthly
$2,210
Net Hourly
$12.75

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.25 $12.75
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $17.98 $102.02
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $89.92 $510.08
Biweekly $1,200.00 $179.83 $1,020.17
Monthly $2,600.00 $389.63 $2,210.37
Annual $31,200 $4,676 $26,524

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, 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
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 2.3% −$724.80
Total Tax 15.0% effective −$4,675.60
Net Take-Home $26,524

How Does Missouri Compare?

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

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Missouri

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (37% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,524 ($6,476 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19.1/hr

Working at $15/hr in Missouri

Missouri's low cost of living — Kansas City 1BR averages $950/month — and flat 4.8% tax create manageable finances at this wage. Kansas City and St. Louis both offer affordable urban living relative to comparable metros.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 75 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.1x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 15.0% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Missouri state tax 2.3%.

Missouri has a diversified economy including finance (Edward Jones, Citi operations in St. Louis), healthcare (BJC HealthCare, SSM Health), agriculture, manufacturing, and a growing tech scene in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Missouri has a flat 4.8% income tax rate (reduced from a graduated system). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

Missouri's minimum wage is $13.75/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Missouri

Based on $2,210/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Missouri's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 43.0%
Food (groceries + dining) $265 $3,180 12.0%
Transportation $221 $2,652 10.0%
Utilities $133 $1,596 6.0%
Healthcare $111 $1,332 5.0%
Entertainment $111 $1,332 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $221 $2,652 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $198 $2,376 9.0%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Missouri. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $92 $4,600
10 hrs/week $225 $184 $9,200
20 hrs/week $450 $368 $18,400

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 $12.75 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 62.7 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 63.4 hrs 74.5 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 784.2 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3764.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Missouri gives you $26,524/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Missouri. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

15/hr in Missouri = $26,524/year or $2,210/month net. Effective rate: 15.0%.

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

15/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~19.1/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,210/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $265, transport $221, savings $221, surplus ~$198.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,600/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,200/year.