2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Virginia

$30 an Hour in Virginia — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $30/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $62,400. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Virginia state income tax, your take-home pay is $23.77/hr. In Virginia's high cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Virginia, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$62,400
Net Annual
$49,448
Net Monthly
$4,121
Net Hourly
$23.77

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $30.00 $6.23 $23.77
Daily (8 hrs) $240.00 $49.82 $190.18
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,200.00 $249.08 $950.92
Biweekly $2,400.00 $498.16 $1,901.84
Monthly $5,200.00 $1,079.34 $4,120.66
Annual $62,400 $12,952 $49,448

Full Tax Breakdown — Virginia, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $30/hr × 2,080 hrs $62,400
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $46,300
Federal Income Tax 8.5% −$5,308.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$3,868.80
Medicare (1.45%) −$904.80
Virginia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$8,000
Virginia State Income Tax 4.6% −$2,870.50
Total Tax 20.8% effective −$12,952.10
Net Take-Home $49,448

How Does Virginia Compare?

See how $30/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $2,036.08 $4,190/mo $50,282 Florida None $4,360/mo $52,318 New York $2,752.25 $4,131/mo $49,566 Texas None $4,360/mo $52,318 Washington None $4,360/mo $52,318
Open Full Calculator for Virginia — $30/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$30/hr = $62,400/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$62,400 salary in Virginia — full breakdown $62,400 after tax in Virginia $62,400 salary to hourly Virginia paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Virginia

$27/hr in Virginia$28/hr in Virginia$29/hr in Virginia$31/hr in Virginia$32/hr in Virginia$33/hr in Virginia

Same Rate, Other States

$30/hr in Alabama$30/hr in Alaska$30/hr in Arizona$30/hr in Arkansas$30/hr in California$30/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Virginia

⚠ Tight — $30/hr is borderline in Virginia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/mo — within budget (29% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Virginia: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $49,448 ($552 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$25.2/hr

Working at $30/hr in Virginia

At this level in Virginia, the Amazon HQ2 effect has been significant — tech wages in Northern Virginia have risen to compete with San Francisco and Seattle, but at Virginia's 5.75% max state rate (vs California's 13.3%). This creates one of the best net-of-tax high-wage positions on the East Coast for tech workers.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 64 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Richmond (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.2x Virginia's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Virginia is 20.8% -- federal income tax accounts for 8.5%, FICA 7.7%, and Virginia state tax 4.6%.

Virginia's economy is heavily influenced by the federal government — Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria) hosts the Pentagon, CIA, NSA, and thousands of defense contractors. Amazon HQ2 in Arlington has accelerated tech growth. Outside NoVA, Richmond has a growing finance and healthcare sector; Hampton Roads has a major military and defense presence.

Virginia has a progressive income tax with rates from 2% to 5.75%. The standard deduction is $8,000 for single filers. NoVA workers benefit from Virginia's rates while working near DC's salaries — a significant advantage over Maryland residents who also pay county income taxes.

Virginia's minimum wage is $13.50/hr (2026).

Monthly Budget on $30/hr in Virginia

Based on $4,121/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Virginia's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,500 $18,000 36.4%
Food (groceries + dining) $494 $5,928 12.0%
Transportation $412 $4,944 10.0%
Utilities $247 $2,964 6.0%
Healthcare $206 $2,472 5.0%
Entertainment $206 $2,472 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $412 $4,944 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $644 $7,728 15.6%

Overtime Pay — $30/hr in Virginia

At time-and-a-half ($45.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Virginia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.2%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $225 $182 $9,100
10 hrs/week $450 $364 $18,200
20 hrs/week $900 $727 $36,350

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $30/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $23.77 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.7 hrs 2.2 hrs
Week of groceries $120 4 hrs 5.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 26.7 hrs 33.7 hrs
1 month rent (Richmond) $1,500 50 hrs 63.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 333.4 hrs 420.7 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1600 hrs 2019.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

30 an hour -- is it a good wage in Virginia?

30/hr in Virginia gives you $49,448/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Virginia, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 30 an hour after taxes in Virginia?

30/hr in Virginia = $49,448/year or $4,121/month net. Effective rate: 20.8%.

How does 30/hr go further -- Virginia or Texas?

30/hr in Virginia has similar purchasing power to ~25.2/hr in Texas.

What does 30/hr look like as a monthly budget in Virginia?

On $4,121/month in Virginia: rent $1,500, food $494, transport $412, savings $412, surplus ~$644.

How much does overtime add at 30/hr in Virginia?

At 1.5x (45.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$9,100/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$18,200/year.