2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · North Carolina

$17 an Hour in North Carolina — 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 North Carolina state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.27/hr. In North Carolina's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in North Carolina.

Gross Annual
$35,360
Net Annual
$29,690
Net Monthly
$2,474
Net Hourly
$14.27

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $17.00 $2.73 $14.27
Daily (8 hrs) $136.00 $21.81 $114.19
Weekly (40 hrs) $680.00 $109.05 $570.95
Biweekly $1,360.00 $218.09 $1,141.91
Monthly $2,946.67 $472.53 $2,474.14
Annual $35,360 $5,670 $29,690

Full Tax Breakdown — North Carolina, 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
North Carolina Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$12,750
North Carolina State Income Tax 2.6% −$902.14
Total Tax 16.0% effective −$5,670.38
Net Take-Home $29,690

How Does North Carolina Compare?

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

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $588.78 $2,500/mo $30,003 Florida None $2,549/mo $30,592 New York $1,173.65 $2,452/mo $29,418 Texas None $2,549/mo $30,592 Washington None $2,549/mo $30,592
Open Full Calculator for North Carolina — $17/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

$35,360 salary in North Carolina — full breakdown $35,360 after tax in North Carolina $35,360 salary to hourly North Carolina paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in North Carolina

$14/hr in North Carolina$15/hr in North Carolina$16/hr in North Carolina$18/hr in North Carolina$19/hr in North Carolina$20/hr in North Carolina

Same Rate, Other States

$17/hr in Alabama$17/hr in Alaska$17/hr in Arizona$17/hr in Arkansas$17/hr in California$17/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in North Carolina

✗ Difficult — $17/hr falls short in North Carolina
  • Avg 1BR rent in Charlotte: $1,200/mo — over the 30% rule (41% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in North Carolina: $40,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $29,690 ($10,310 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$17.9/hr

Working at $17/hr in North Carolina

This is a strong income in North Carolina, especially outside the Charlotte and Raleigh urban cores. The declining flat income tax rate improves take-home each year. The Research Triangle's tech and biotech ecosystem creates real career mobility at this level.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 85 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Charlotte (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.3x North Carolina's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in North Carolina is 16.0% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.8%, FICA 7.6%, and North Carolina state tax 2.6%.

North Carolina has been one of the fastest-growing states for over a decade. Charlotte is a major banking hub (Bank of America, Truist HQ). The Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) is a top tech and biotech cluster. Toyota, Apple, and Google have all made major investments in the state.

North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax rate (2026), continuing to phase down toward 3.99% by 2027. The state has moved aggressively to simplify and reduce taxes in recent years. Standard deduction of $12,750 for single filers.

North Carolina follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $17/hr in North Carolina

Based on $2,474/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for North Carolina's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,200 $14,400 48.5%
Food (groceries + dining) $297 $3,564 12.0%
Transportation $247 $2,964 10.0%
Utilities $148 $1,776 6.0%
Healthcare $124 $1,488 5.0%
Entertainment $124 $1,488 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $247 $2,964 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $87 $1,044 3.5%

Overtime Pay — $17/hr in North Carolina

At time-and-a-half ($25.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in North Carolina. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.4%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $128 $105 $5,250
10 hrs/week $255 $211 $10,550
20 hrs/week $510 $421 $21,050

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 $14.27 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 hrs
1 month rent (Charlotte) $1,200 70.6 hrs 84.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 588.3 hrs 700.6 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2823.6 hrs 3362.8 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

17 an hour -- is it a good wage in North Carolina?

17/hr in North Carolina gives you $29,690/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in North Carolina. Avg 1BR rent in Charlotte: $1,200/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 17 an hour after taxes in North Carolina?

17/hr in North Carolina = $29,690/year or $2,474/month net. Effective rate: 16.0%.

How does 17/hr go further -- North Carolina or Texas?

17/hr in North Carolina has similar purchasing power to ~17.9/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,474/month in North Carolina: rent $1,200, food $297, transport $247, savings $247, surplus ~$87.

How much does overtime add at 17/hr in North Carolina?

At 1.5x (25.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,250/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,550/year.