$17 an Hour in Minnesota — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $17/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $35,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Minnesota state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.21/hr. In Minnesota's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Minnesota.

Gross Annual
$35,360
Net Annual
$29,561
Net Monthly
$2,463
Net Hourly
$14.21

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $17.00 $2.79 $14.21
Daily (8 hrs) $136.00 $22.30 $113.70
Weekly (40 hrs) $680.00 $111.51 $568.49
Biweekly $1,360.00 $223.02 $1,136.98
Monthly $2,946.67 $483.22 $2,463.45
Annual $35,360 $5,799 $29,561

Full Tax Breakdown — Minnesota, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $17/hr × 2,080 hrs $35,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $19,260
Federal Income Tax 5.8% −$2,063.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,192.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$512.72
Minnesota Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Minnesota State Income Tax 2.9% −$1,030.41
Total Tax 16.4% effective −$5,798.65
Net Take-Home $29,561

How Does Minnesota Compare?

See how $17/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$17/hr = $35,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Minnesota

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Minnesota

✗ Difficult — $17/hr falls short in Minnesota
  • Avg 1BR rent in Minneapolis: $1,250/mo — over the 30% rule (42% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Minnesota: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $29,561 ($12,439 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$17/hr

Working at $17/hr in Minnesota

This is a comfortable income in the Twin Cities. Major corporate employers create stable mid-income employment. The 6.8% state rate on income above $29k is a real factor — notably higher than Iowa, Wisconsin, or Colorado at comparable income levels.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 88 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Minneapolis (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.5x Minnesota's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Minnesota is 16.4% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Minnesota state tax 2.9%.

Minnesota has a highly educated workforce and strong corporate base — Target, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, General Mills, and Best Buy are all headquartered here. The Twin Cities metro has a diverse, resilient economy. Healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing are major sectors.

Minnesota has a progressive income tax with a top rate of 9.85% — one of the highest in the Midwest. The brackets are steep: the 6.8% rate applies above ~$29k for single filers. This creates a noticeably higher state tax burden at mid and upper incomes relative to neighboring Wisconsin or Iowa.

Minnesota's minimum wage is $11.13/hr for large employers (2026).

Monthly Budget on $17/hr in Minnesota

Based on $2,463/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Minnesota's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,250 $15,000 50.7%
Food (groceries + dining) $296 $3,552 12.0%
Transportation $246 $2,952 10.0%
Utilities $148 $1,776 6.0%
Healthcare $123 $1,476 5.0%
Entertainment $123 $1,476 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $246 $2,952 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $31 $372 1.3%

Overtime Pay — $17/hr in Minnesota

At time-and-a-half ($25.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Minnesota. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.8%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $128 $104 $5,200
10 hrs/week $255 $207 $10,350
20 hrs/week $510 $414 $20,700

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $17/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.21 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3 hrs 3.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 7.1 hrs 8.5 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 47 hrs 56.3 hrs
1 month rent (Minneapolis) $1,250 73.6 hrs 88 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 588.3 hrs 703.7 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2823.6 hrs 3377.4 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

17 an hour -- is it a good wage in Minnesota?

17/hr in Minnesota gives you $29,561/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Minnesota. Avg 1BR rent in Minneapolis: $1,250/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 17 an hour after taxes in Minnesota?

17/hr in Minnesota = $29,561/year or $2,463/month net. Effective rate: 16.4%.

How does 17/hr go further -- Minnesota or Texas?

17/hr in Minnesota has similar purchasing power to ~17/hr in Texas.

What does 17/hr look like as a monthly budget in Minnesota?

On $2,463/month in Minnesota: rent $1,250, food $296, transport $246, savings $246, surplus ~$31.

How much does overtime add at 17/hr in Minnesota?

At 1.5x (25.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,200/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,350/year.