2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Minnesota

$18 an Hour in Minnesota — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $18/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $37,440. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Minnesota state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.96/hr. In Minnesota's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Minnesota.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,121
Net Monthly
$2,593
Net Hourly
$14.96

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $3.04 $14.96
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $24.30 $119.70
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $121.51 $598.49
Biweekly $1,440.00 $243.03 $1,196.98
Monthly $3,120.00 $526.55 $2,593.45
Annual $37,440 $6,319 $31,121

Full Tax Breakdown — Minnesota, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $18/hr × 2,080 hrs $37,440
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $21,340
Federal Income Tax 6.2% −$2,312.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,321.28
Medicare (1.45%) −$542.88
Minnesota Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Minnesota State Income Tax 3.0% −$1,141.69
Total Tax 16.9% effective −$6,318.65
Net Take-Home $31,121

How Does Minnesota Compare?

See how $18/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $671.98 $2,633/mo $31,591 Florida None $2,689/mo $32,263 New York $1,292.09 $2,581/mo $30,971 Texas None $2,689/mo $32,263 Washington None $2,689/mo $32,263
Open Full Calculator for Minnesota — $18/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$18/hr = $37,440/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$37,440 salary in Minnesota — full breakdown $37,440 after tax in Minnesota $37,440 salary to hourly Minnesota paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Minnesota

$15/hr in Minnesota$16/hr in Minnesota$17/hr in Minnesota$19/hr in Minnesota$20/hr in Minnesota$21/hr in Minnesota

Same Rate, Other States

$18/hr in Alabama$18/hr in Alaska$18/hr in Arizona$18/hr in Arkansas$18/hr in California$18/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Minnesota

✗ Difficult — $18/hr falls short in Minnesota
  • Avg 1BR rent in Minneapolis: $1,250/mo — over the 30% rule (40% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Minnesota: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,121 ($10,879 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$18/hr

Working at $18/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 84 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Minneapolis (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.6x Minnesota's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Minnesota is 16.9% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Minnesota state tax 3.0%.

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 $18/hr in Minnesota

Based on $2,593/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 48.2%
Food (groceries + dining) $311 $3,732 12.0%
Transportation $259 $3,108 10.0%
Utilities $156 $1,872 6.0%
Healthcare $130 $1,560 5.0%
Entertainment $130 $1,560 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $259 $3,108 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $98 $1,176 3.8%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Minnesota

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/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 $135 $110 $5,500
10 hrs/week $270 $219 $10,950
20 hrs/week $540 $438 $21,900

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $18/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.96 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.8 hrs 3.4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.7 hrs 8.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 53.5 hrs
1 month rent (Minneapolis) $1,250 69.5 hrs 83.6 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 668.4 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3208.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

18/hr in Minnesota gives you $31,121/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 18 an hour after taxes in Minnesota?

18/hr in Minnesota = $31,121/year or $2,593/month net. Effective rate: 16.9%.

How does 18/hr go further -- Minnesota or Texas?

18/hr in Minnesota has similar purchasing power to ~18/hr in Texas.

What does 18/hr look like as a monthly budget in Minnesota?

On $2,593/month in Minnesota: rent $1,250, food $311, transport $259, savings $259, surplus ~$98.

How much does overtime add at 18/hr in Minnesota?

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,500/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,950/year.