2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Missouri

$18 an Hour in Missouri — 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 Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $15.02/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Missouri, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,239
Net Monthly
$2,603
Net Hourly
$15.02

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $2.98 $15.02
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $23.85 $120.15
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $119.26 $600.74
Biweekly $1,440.00 $238.51 $1,201.49
Monthly $3,120.00 $516.77 $2,603.23
Annual $37,440 $6,201 $31,239

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, 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
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 2.7% −$1,024.32
Total Tax 16.6% effective −$6,201.28
Net Take-Home $31,239

How Does Missouri 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 Missouri — $18/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

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

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 Missouri

⚠ Tight — $18/hr is borderline in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (30% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,239 ($1,761 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$22.9/hr

Working at $18/hr in Missouri

This is a comfortable income in Missouri. Kansas City's growing tech and finance sectors create upward mobility. The flat tax structure is predictable, and the low COL means take-home translates directly into quality of life.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 64 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.3x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 16.6% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Missouri state tax 2.7%.

Missouri has a diversified economy including finance (Edward Jones, Citi operations in St. Louis), healthcare (BJC HealthCare, SSM Health), agriculture, manufacturing, and a growing tech scene in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Missouri has a flat 4.8% income tax rate (reduced from a graduated system). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

Missouri's minimum wage is $13.75/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in Missouri

Based on $2,603/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Missouri's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 36.5%
Food (groceries + dining) $312 $3,744 12.0%
Transportation $260 $3,120 10.0%
Utilities $156 $1,872 6.0%
Healthcare $130 $1,560 5.0%
Entertainment $130 $1,560 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $260 $3,120 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $405 $4,860 15.6%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Missouri. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $110 $5,500
10 hrs/week $270 $221 $11,050
20 hrs/week $540 $441 $22,050

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 $15.02 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 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 53.3 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 52.8 hrs 63.3 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 665.9 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3196.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

18/hr in Missouri gives you $31,239/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Missouri, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

18/hr in Missouri = $31,239/year or $2,603/month net. Effective rate: 16.6%.

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

18/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~22.9/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,603/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $312, transport $260, savings $260, surplus ~$405.

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

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,500/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,050/year.