2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · West Virginia

$17 an Hour in West Virginia — 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 West Virginia state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.05/hr. In West Virginia's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in West Virginia, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$35,360
Net Annual
$29,226
Net Monthly
$2,435
Net Hourly
$14.05

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $17.00 $2.95 $14.05
Daily (8 hrs) $136.00 $23.59 $112.41
Weekly (40 hrs) $680.00 $117.97 $562.03
Biweekly $1,360.00 $235.94 $1,124.06
Monthly $2,946.67 $511.20 $2,435.46
Annual $35,360 $6,134 $29,226

Full Tax Breakdown — West Virginia, 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
West Virginia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$0
West Virginia State Income Tax 3.9% −$1,366.20
Total Tax 17.3% effective −$6,134.44
Net Take-Home $29,226

How Does West Virginia 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 West Virginia — $17/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

$35,360 salary in West Virginia — full breakdown $35,360 after tax in West Virginia $35,360 salary to hourly West Virginia paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in West Virginia

$14/hr in West Virginia$15/hr in West Virginia$16/hr in West Virginia$18/hr in West Virginia$19/hr in West Virginia$20/hr in West Virginia

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 West Virginia

⚠ Tight — $17/hr is borderline in West Virginia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $750/mo — within budget (25% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in West Virginia: $28,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $29,226 ($1,226 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$25.5/hr

Working at $17/hr in West Virginia

This is a strong income in West Virginia. The remote worker program has attracted professionals who work remotely at national wage rates while paying West Virginia's low living costs — a significant financial advantage.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 54 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Charleston (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.9x West Virginia's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in West Virginia is 17.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.8%, FICA 7.6%, and West Virginia state tax 3.9%.

West Virginia's economy has been challenged by the decline of coal. Healthcare, state government, and natural gas are the primary current industries. The state is actively pursuing economic development, including a growing remote worker incentive program ('Ascend WV').

West Virginia has a graduated income tax with rates from 2.36% to 5.12% (2026, recently simplified and reduced). The state has been on an aggressive tax reduction path.

West Virginia's minimum wage is $8.75/hr (2026).

Monthly Budget on $17/hr in West Virginia

Based on $2,435/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for West Virginia's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $750 $9,000 30.8%
Food (groceries + dining) $292 $3,504 12.0%
Transportation $244 $2,928 10.0%
Utilities $146 $1,752 6.0%
Healthcare $122 $1,464 5.0%
Entertainment $122 $1,464 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $244 $2,928 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $515 $6,180 21.1%

Overtime Pay — $17/hr in West Virginia

At time-and-a-half ($25.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in West Virginia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.9%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $128 $105 $5,250
10 hrs/week $255 $209 $10,450
20 hrs/week $510 $418 $20,900

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 $14.05 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 8.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 47 hrs 56.9 hrs
1 month rent (Charleston) $750 44.2 hrs 53.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 588.3 hrs 711.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2823.6 hrs 3416.2 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

17 an hour -- is it a good wage in West Virginia?

17/hr in West Virginia gives you $29,226/year after taxes -- enough to get by in West Virginia, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $750/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 17 an hour after taxes in West Virginia?

17/hr in West Virginia = $29,226/year or $2,435/month net. Effective rate: 17.3%.

How does 17/hr go further -- West Virginia or Texas?

17/hr in West Virginia has similar purchasing power to ~25.5/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,435/month in West Virginia: rent $750, food $292, transport $244, savings $244, surplus ~$515.

How much does overtime add at 17/hr in West Virginia?

At 1.5x (25.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,250/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,450/year.