$16 an Hour in Nebraska — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $16/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $33,280. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Nebraska state income tax, your take-home pay is $13.45/hr. In Nebraska's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Nebraska.

Gross Annual
$33,280
Net Annual
$27,978
Net Monthly
$2,332
Net Hourly
$13.45

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $16.00 $2.55 $13.45
Daily (8 hrs) $128.00 $20.39 $107.61
Weekly (40 hrs) $640.00 $101.96 $538.04
Biweekly $1,280.00 $203.92 $1,076.08
Monthly $2,773.33 $441.83 $2,331.51
Annual $33,280 $5,302 $27,978

Full Tax Breakdown — Nebraska, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $16/hr × 2,080 hrs $33,280
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $17,180
Federal Income Tax 5.4% −$1,813.60
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,063.36
Medicare (1.45%) −$482.56
Nebraska Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$7,900
Nebraska State Income Tax 2.8% −$942.41
Total Tax 15.9% effective −$5,301.93
Net Take-Home $27,978

How Does Nebraska Compare?

See how $16/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$16/hr = $33,280/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Nebraska

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Nebraska

✗ Difficult — $16/hr falls short in Nebraska
  • Avg 1BR rent in Omaha: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (34% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Nebraska: $34,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $27,978 ($6,022 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19.8/hr

Working at $16/hr in Nebraska

This is a solid income in Nebraska. Omaha's insurance and financial sector provides stable employment. The simplified, reduced income tax rates and very low COL create genuine financial comfort at this level.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 71 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Omaha (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.2x Nebraska's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Nebraska is 15.9% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.4%, FICA 7.6%, and Nebraska state tax 2.8%.

Nebraska's economy is built on agriculture, food processing (Tyson, ConAgra), insurance (Berkshire Hathaway, Mutual of Omaha), and finance. Omaha's 'insurance capital' status creates a stable professional sector. The state has very low unemployment historically.

Nebraska has a graduated income tax with rates from 2.46% to 3.99% (recently simplified and reduced). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

Nebraska's minimum wage is $13.50/hr (2026), rising to $15 by 2026.

Monthly Budget on $16/hr in Nebraska

Based on $2,332/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Nebraska's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 40.7%
Food (groceries + dining) $280 $3,360 12.0%
Transportation $233 $2,796 10.0%
Utilities $140 $1,680 6.0%
Healthcare $117 $1,404 5.0%
Entertainment $117 $1,404 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $233 $2,796 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $262 $3,144 11.2%

Overtime Pay — $16/hr in Nebraska

At time-and-a-half ($24.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Nebraska. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $120 $98 $4,900
10 hrs/week $240 $197 $9,850
20 hrs/week $480 $394 $19,700

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $16/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $13.45 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.2 hrs 3.8 hrs
Week of groceries $120 7.5 hrs 9 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 50 hrs 59.5 hrs
1 month rent (Omaha) $950 59.4 hrs 70.7 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 625 hrs 743.5 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3000 hrs 3568.6 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

16 an hour -- is it a good wage in Nebraska?

16/hr in Nebraska gives you $27,978/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Nebraska. Avg 1BR rent in Omaha: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 16 an hour after taxes in Nebraska?

16/hr in Nebraska = $27,978/year or $2,332/month net. Effective rate: 15.9%.

How does 16/hr go further -- Nebraska or Texas?

16/hr in Nebraska has similar purchasing power to ~19.8/hr in Texas.

What does 16/hr look like as a monthly budget in Nebraska?

On $2,332/month in Nebraska: rent $950, food $280, transport $233, savings $233, surplus ~$262.

How much does overtime add at 16/hr in Nebraska?

At 1.5x (24.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,900/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,850/year.