2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Ohio

$15 an Hour in Ohio — 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 Ohio state income tax, your take-home pay is $13.03/hr. In Ohio's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Ohio.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$27,108
Net Monthly
$2,259
Net Hourly
$13.03

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $1.97 $13.03
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $15.74 $104.26
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $78.70 $521.30
Biweekly $1,200.00 $157.40 $1,042.60
Monthly $2,600.00 $341.04 $2,258.96
Annual $31,200 $4,092 $27,108

Full Tax Breakdown — Ohio, 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
Ohio Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$0
Ohio State Income Tax 0.5% −$141.63
Total Tax 13.1% effective −$4,092.43
Net Take-Home $27,108

How Does Ohio 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 Ohio — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Ohio

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

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 Ohio

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Ohio
  • Avg 1BR rent in Columbus: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (37% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Ohio: $34,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $27,108 ($6,892 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$18.5/hr

Working at $15/hr in Ohio

Ohio's $26k income tax exemption means workers earning less than $12.50/hr pay zero state income tax. This is a meaningful benefit at lower wages. Columbus 1BR rents average $1,100/month. The Intel investment is expected to drive significant wage growth in central Ohio.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 73 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Columbus (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.4x Ohio's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Ohio is 13.1% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Ohio state tax 0.5%.

Ohio has a diversified economy — Columbus is a growing tech and insurance hub (Nationwide, Progressive), Cleveland has healthcare (Cleveland Clinic), finance, and manufacturing, Cincinnati anchors Procter & Gamble and a strong healthcare sector. Intel is building its largest-ever chip manufacturing facility in Columbus.

Ohio has a flat 3.5% income tax on income above $26k (2026), with no tax on the first $26k. This is favorable for lower and middle earners. No standard deduction — uses the exempt threshold instead. Cities in Ohio levy local income taxes of 1–3% (Columbus: 2.5%).

Ohio's minimum wage is $10.45/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Ohio

Based on $2,259/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Ohio's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 42.1%
Food (groceries + dining) $271 $3,252 12.0%
Transportation $226 $2,712 10.0%
Utilities $136 $1,632 6.0%
Healthcare $113 $1,356 5.0%
Entertainment $113 $1,356 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $226 $2,712 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $224 $2,688 9.9%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Ohio

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Ohio. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~16.2%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $94 $4,700
10 hrs/week $225 $189 $9,450
20 hrs/week $450 $377 $18,850

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 $13.03 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.4 hrs 3.9 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.3 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 61.4 hrs
1 month rent (Columbus) $950 63.4 hrs 72.9 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 767.4 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3683.2 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Ohio gives you $27,108/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Ohio. Avg 1BR rent in Columbus: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Ohio?

15/hr in Ohio = $27,108/year or $2,259/month net. Effective rate: 13.1%.

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

15/hr in Ohio has similar purchasing power to ~18.5/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,259/month in Ohio: rent $950, food $271, transport $226, savings $226, surplus ~$224.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,700/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,450/year.