2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Missouri

$20 an Hour in Missouri — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $20/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $41,600. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $16.53/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Missouri, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$41,600
Net Annual
$34,382
Net Monthly
$2,865
Net Hourly
$16.53

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $20.00 $3.47 $16.53
Daily (8 hrs) $160.00 $27.76 $132.24
Weekly (40 hrs) $800.00 $138.82 $661.18
Biweekly $1,600.00 $277.63 $1,322.37
Monthly $3,466.67 $601.53 $2,865.13
Annual $41,600 $7,218 $34,382

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $20/hr × 2,080 hrs $41,600
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $25,500
Federal Income Tax 6.8% −$2,812.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,579.20
Medicare (1.45%) −$603.20
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 2.9% −$1,224.00
Total Tax 17.4% effective −$7,218.40
Net Take-Home $34,382

How Does Missouri Compare?

See how $20/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $838.38 $2,897/mo $34,767 Florida None $2,967/mo $35,606 New York $1,535.45 $2,839/mo $34,070 Texas None $2,967/mo $35,606 Washington None $2,967/mo $35,606
Open Full Calculator for Missouri — $20/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$20/hr = $41,600/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$41,600 salary in Missouri — full breakdown $41,600 after tax in Missouri $41,600 salary to hourly Missouri paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

$17/hr in Missouri$18/hr in Missouri$19/hr in Missouri$21/hr in Missouri$22/hr in Missouri$23/hr in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

$20/hr in Alabama$20/hr in Alaska$20/hr in Arizona$20/hr in Arkansas$20/hr in California$20/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Missouri

⚠ Tight — $20/hr is borderline in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — within budget (27% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $34,382 ($1,382 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$25.5/hr

Working at $20/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 58 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.5x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 17.4% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Missouri state tax 2.9%.

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 $20/hr in Missouri

Based on $2,865/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 33.2%
Food (groceries + dining) $344 $4,128 12.0%
Transportation $287 $3,444 10.0%
Utilities $172 $2,064 6.0%
Healthcare $143 $1,716 5.0%
Entertainment $143 $1,716 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $287 $3,444 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $539 $6,468 18.8%

Overtime Pay — $20/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($30.00/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 $150 $123 $6,150
10 hrs/week $300 $245 $12,250
20 hrs/week $600 $491 $24,550

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $20/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $16.53 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.5 hrs 3.1 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6 hrs 7.3 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 40 hrs 48.4 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 47.5 hrs 57.5 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 500 hrs 605 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2400 hrs 2903.9 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

20/hr in Missouri gives you $34,382/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Missouri, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 20 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

20/hr in Missouri = $34,382/year or $2,865/month net. Effective rate: 17.4%.

How does 20/hr go further -- Missouri or Texas?

20/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~25.5/hr in Texas.

What does 20/hr look like as a monthly budget in Missouri?

On $2,865/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $344, transport $287, savings $287, surplus ~$539.

How much does overtime add at 20/hr in Missouri?

At 1.5x (30.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$6,150/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$12,250/year.