2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Wisconsin

$18 an Hour in Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin state income tax, your take-home pay is $15.06/hr. In Wisconsin's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Wisconsin, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,327
Net Monthly
$2,611
Net Hourly
$15.06

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $2.94 $15.06
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $23.51 $120.49
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $117.56 $602.44
Biweekly $1,440.00 $235.13 $1,204.87
Monthly $3,120.00 $509.44 $2,610.56
Annual $37,440 $6,113 $31,327

Full Tax Breakdown — Wisconsin, 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
Wisconsin Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$13,230
Wisconsin State Income Tax 2.5% −$936.36
Total Tax 16.3% effective −$6,113.32
Net Take-Home $31,327

How Does Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin — $18/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Wisconsin

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

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 Wisconsin

⚠ Tight — $18/hr is borderline in Wisconsin
  • Avg 1BR rent in Milwaukee: $1,000/mo — over the 30% rule (32% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Wisconsin: $36,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,327 ($4,673 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$21/hr

Working at $18/hr in Wisconsin

This is a comfortable income in Wisconsin. Milwaukee and Madison both offer urban amenities at moderate costs. The progressive tax structure is a headwind compared to flat-tax Midwestern neighbors like Indiana or Michigan, but the overall burden remains moderate.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 67 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Milwaukee (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.5x Wisconsin's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Wisconsin is 16.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Wisconsin state tax 2.5%.

Wisconsin's economy is built on manufacturing (medical devices, paper, food processing), dairy agriculture, healthcare (Mayo Clinic Health System, Aurora), and education (University of Wisconsin system). Milwaukee and Madison are the economic centers. Madison has a growing tech scene driven by university spin-offs.

Wisconsin has a progressive income tax with rates from 3.5% to 7.65%. The 5.3% rate kicks in around $24k for single filers. Wisconsin's top rate of 7.65% is among the higher rates in the Midwest, applying above $263k.

Wisconsin follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in Wisconsin

Based on $2,611/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Wisconsin's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,000 $12,000 38.3%
Food (groceries + dining) $313 $3,756 12.0%
Transportation $261 $3,132 10.0%
Utilities $157 $1,884 6.0%
Healthcare $131 $1,572 5.0%
Entertainment $131 $1,572 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $261 $3,132 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $357 $4,284 13.7%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Wisconsin

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Wisconsin. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.8%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $111 $5,550
10 hrs/week $270 $222 $11,100
20 hrs/week $540 $444 $22,200

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 $15.06 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 53.1 hrs
1 month rent (Milwaukee) $1,000 55.6 hrs 66.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 664 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3187.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

18/hr in Wisconsin gives you $31,327/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Wisconsin, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Milwaukee: $1,000/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in Wisconsin?

18/hr in Wisconsin = $31,327/year or $2,611/month net. Effective rate: 16.3%.

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

18/hr in Wisconsin has similar purchasing power to ~21/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,611/month in Wisconsin: rent $1,000, food $313, transport $261, savings $261, surplus ~$357.

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

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,550/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,100/year.