2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Missouri

$38 an Hour in Missouri — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $38/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $79,040. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $29.53/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Missouri.

Gross Annual
$79,040
Net Annual
$61,414
Net Monthly
$5,118
Net Hourly
$29.53

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $38.00 $8.47 $29.53
Daily (8 hrs) $304.00 $67.79 $236.21
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,520.00 $338.97 $1,181.03
Biweekly $3,040.00 $677.94 $2,362.06
Monthly $6,586.67 $1,468.87 $5,117.79
Annual $79,040 $17,626 $61,414

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $38/hr × 2,080 hrs $79,040
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $62,940
Federal Income Tax 10.8% −$8,558.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$4,900.48
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,146.08
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 3.8% −$3,021.12
Total Tax 22.3% effective −$17,626.48
Net Take-Home $61,414

How Does Missouri Compare?

See how $38/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $3,409.30 $5,085/mo $61,025 Florida None $5,370/mo $64,435 New York $3,725.69 $5,059/mo $60,709 Texas None $5,370/mo $64,435 Washington None $5,370/mo $64,435
Open Full Calculator for Missouri — $38/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$38/hr = $79,040/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$79,040 salary in Missouri — full breakdown $79,040 after tax in Missouri $79,040 salary to hourly Missouri paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

$35/hr in Missouri$36/hr in Missouri$37/hr in Missouri$39/hr in Missouri$40/hr in Missouri$41/hr in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

$38/hr in Alabama$38/hr in Alaska$38/hr in Arizona$38/hr in Arkansas$38/hr in California$38/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Missouri

✓ Comfortable — $38/hr covers costs in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — within budget (14% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $61,414 ($28,414 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$48.4/hr

Working at $38/hr in Missouri

At this level in Missouri you're solidly upper-middle-class. Financial services, healthcare, and tech employers in the metro areas create real demand at this rate.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 33 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.8x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 22.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 10.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Missouri state tax 3.8%.

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 $38/hr in Missouri

Based on $5,118/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 18.6%
Food (groceries + dining) $614 $7,368 12.0%
Transportation $512 $6,144 10.0%
Utilities $307 $3,684 6.0%
Healthcare $256 $3,072 5.0%
Entertainment $256 $3,072 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $512 $6,144 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,711 $20,532 33.4%

Overtime Pay — $38/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($57.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Missouri. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~28.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $285 $204 $10,200
10 hrs/week $570 $409 $20,450
20 hrs/week $1,140 $818 $40,900

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $38/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $29.53 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.4 hrs 1.7 hrs
Week of groceries $120 3.2 hrs 4.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 21.1 hrs 27.1 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 25 hrs 32.2 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 263.2 hrs 338.7 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1263.2 hrs 1625.8 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

38/hr in Missouri gives you $61,414/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Missouri. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 38 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

38/hr in Missouri = $61,414/year or $5,118/month net. Effective rate: 22.3%.

How does 38/hr go further -- Missouri or Texas?

38/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~48.4/hr in Texas.

What does 38/hr look like as a monthly budget in Missouri?

On $5,118/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $614, transport $512, savings $512, surplus ~$1,711.

How much does overtime add at 38/hr in Missouri?

At 1.5x (57.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$10,200/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$20,450/year.