2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Missouri

$21 an Hour in Missouri — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $21/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $43,680. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $17.29/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Missouri, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$43,680
Net Annual
$35,953
Net Monthly
$2,996
Net Hourly
$17.29

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $21.00 $3.71 $17.29
Daily (8 hrs) $168.00 $29.72 $138.28
Weekly (40 hrs) $840.00 $148.60 $691.40
Biweekly $1,680.00 $297.19 $1,382.81
Monthly $3,640.00 $643.91 $2,996.09
Annual $43,680 $7,727 $35,953

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $21/hr × 2,080 hrs $43,680
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $27,580
Federal Income Tax 7.0% −$3,061.60
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,708.16
Medicare (1.45%) −$633.36
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 3.0% −$1,323.84
Total Tax 17.7% effective −$7,726.96
Net Take-Home $35,953

How Does Missouri Compare?

See how $21/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $921.58 $3,030/mo $36,355 Florida None $3,106/mo $37,277 New York $1,657.13 $2,968/mo $35,620 Texas None $3,106/mo $37,277 Washington None $3,106/mo $37,277
Open Full Calculator for Missouri — $21/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$21/hr = $43,680/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$43,680 salary in Missouri — full breakdown $43,680 after tax in Missouri $43,680 salary to hourly Missouri paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

$18/hr in Missouri$19/hr in Missouri$20/hr in Missouri$22/hr in Missouri$23/hr in Missouri$24/hr in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

$21/hr in Alabama$21/hr in Alaska$21/hr in Arizona$21/hr in Arkansas$21/hr in California$21/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Missouri

⚠ Tight — $21/hr is borderline in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — within budget (26% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $35,953 ($2,953 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$26.7/hr

Working at $21/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 55 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${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 17.7% -- federal income tax accounts for 7.0%, FICA 7.6%, and Missouri state tax 3.0%.

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 $21/hr in Missouri

Based on $2,996/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 31.7%
Food (groceries + dining) $360 $4,320 12.0%
Transportation $300 $3,600 10.0%
Utilities $180 $2,160 6.0%
Healthcare $150 $1,800 5.0%
Entertainment $150 $1,800 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $300 $3,600 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $606 $7,272 20.2%

Overtime Pay — $21/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($31.50/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 $158 $129 $6,450
10 hrs/week $315 $258 $12,900
20 hrs/week $630 $515 $25,750

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $21/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $17.29 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.4 hrs 2.9 hrs
Week of groceries $120 5.8 hrs 7 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 38.1 hrs 46.3 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 45.3 hrs 55 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 476.2 hrs 578.6 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2285.8 hrs 2777 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

21/hr in Missouri gives you $35,953/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 21 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

21/hr in Missouri = $35,953/year or $2,996/month net. Effective rate: 17.7%.

How does 21/hr go further -- Missouri or Texas?

21/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~26.7/hr in Texas.

What does 21/hr look like as a monthly budget in Missouri?

On $2,996/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $360, transport $300, savings $300, surplus ~$606.

How much does overtime add at 21/hr in Missouri?

At 1.5x (31.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$6,450/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$12,900/year.