$42 an Hour in Missouri — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $42/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $87,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $32.15/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Missouri.

Gross Annual
$87,360
Net Annual
$66,867
Net Monthly
$5,572
Net Hourly
$32.15

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $42.00 $9.85 $32.15
Daily (8 hrs) $336.00 $78.82 $257.18
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,680.00 $394.09 $1,285.91
Biweekly $3,360.00 $788.18 $2,571.82
Monthly $7,280.00 $1,707.73 $5,572.27
Annual $87,360 $20,493 $66,867

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $42/hr × 2,080 hrs $87,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $71,260
Federal Income Tax 11.9% −$10,389.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$5,416.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,266.72
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 3.9% −$3,420.48
Total Tax 23.5% effective −$20,492.72
Net Take-Home $66,867

How Does Missouri Compare?

See how $42/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$42/hr = $87,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Missouri

✓ Comfortable — $42/hr covers costs in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — within budget (13% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $66,867 ($33,867 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$53.5/hr

Working at $42/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 30 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 3.1x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 23.5% -- federal income tax accounts for 11.9%, FICA 7.6%, and Missouri state tax 3.9%.

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 $42/hr in Missouri

Based on $5,572/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 17.0%
Food (groceries + dining) $669 $8,028 12.0%
Transportation $557 $6,684 10.0%
Utilities $334 $4,008 6.0%
Healthcare $279 $3,348 5.0%
Entertainment $279 $3,348 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $557 $6,684 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,947 $23,364 34.9%

Overtime Pay — $42/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($63.00/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 $315 $226 $11,300
10 hrs/week $630 $452 $22,600
20 hrs/week $1,260 $904 $45,200

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $42/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $32.15 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.2 hrs 1.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 2.9 hrs 3.8 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 19.1 hrs 24.9 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 22.7 hrs 29.6 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 238.1 hrs 311.1 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1142.9 hrs 1493.2 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

42/hr in Missouri gives you $66,867/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Missouri. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 42 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

42/hr in Missouri = $66,867/year or $5,572/month net. Effective rate: 23.5%.

How does 42/hr go further -- Missouri or Texas?

42/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~53.5/hr in Texas.

What does 42/hr look like as a monthly budget in Missouri?

On $5,572/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $669, transport $557, savings $557, surplus ~$1,947.

How much does overtime add at 42/hr in Missouri?

At 1.5x (63.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$11,300/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$22,600/year.