$42 an Hour in New Hampshire — 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 (New Hampshire has no state income tax), your take-home pay is $33.79/hr. In New Hampshire's high cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in New Hampshire.

Gross Annual
$87,360
Net Annual
$70,288
Net Monthly
$5,857
Net Hourly
$33.79

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $42.00 $8.21 $33.79
Daily (8 hrs) $336.00 $65.66 $270.34
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,680.00 $328.31 $1,351.69
Biweekly $3,360.00 $656.62 $2,703.38
Monthly $7,280.00 $1,422.69 $5,857.31
Annual $87,360 $17,072 $70,288

Full Tax Breakdown — New Hampshire, 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
New Hampshire State Income Tax No state income tax $0.00
Total Tax 19.5% effective −$17,072.24
Net Take-Home $70,288

How Does New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in New Hampshire

✓ Comfortable — $42/hr covers costs in New Hampshire
  • Avg 1BR rent in Manchester: $1,500/mo — within budget (21% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in New Hampshire: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $70,288 ($20,288 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$35.3/hr

Working at $42/hr in New Hampshire

At this level in New Hampshire, the combination of no income tax and no sales tax creates one of the best after-tax positions in the entire Northeast. High earners who can work remotely or commute to Boston find New Hampshire an extremely financially favorable base.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 45 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Manchester (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 5.8x New Hampshire's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in New Hampshire is 19.5% -- federal income tax accounts for 11.9%, FICA 7.6% (no New Hampshire state income tax).

New Hampshire's economy benefits from its proximity to Boston — many residents commute to Massachusetts while living in a lower-tax state. Healthcare, manufacturing, tourism, and finance are major sectors. The state has consistently low unemployment.

New Hampshire has no tax on wages or salaries — completely eliminated. It also has no sales tax. The combination makes New Hampshire the lowest-tax state in the Northeast by a significant margin. (Investment income is still taxed at 3%, phasing out.)

New Hampshire follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $42/hr in New Hampshire

Based on $5,857/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for New Hampshire's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,500 $18,000 25.6%
Food (groceries + dining) $703 $8,436 12.0%
Transportation $586 $7,032 10.0%
Utilities $351 $4,212 6.0%
Healthcare $293 $3,516 5.0%
Entertainment $293 $3,516 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $586 $7,032 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,545 $18,540 26.4%

Overtime Pay — $42/hr in New Hampshire

At time-and-a-half ($63.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in New Hampshire. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~23.5%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $315 $241 $12,050
10 hrs/week $630 $482 $24,100
20 hrs/week $1,260 $965 $48,250

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 $33.79 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.2 hrs 1.5 hrs
Week of groceries $120 2.9 hrs 3.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 19.1 hrs 23.7 hrs
1 month rent (Manchester) $1,500 35.8 hrs 44.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 238.1 hrs 296 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1142.9 hrs 1420.5 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

42 an hour -- is it a good wage in New Hampshire?

42/hr in New Hampshire gives you $70,288/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in New Hampshire. Avg 1BR rent in Manchester: $1,500/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 42 an hour after taxes in New Hampshire?

42/hr in New Hampshire = $70,288/year or $5,857/month net. Effective rate: 19.5%.

How does 42/hr go further -- New Hampshire or Texas?

42/hr in New Hampshire has similar purchasing power to ~35.3/hr in Texas.

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

On $5,857/month in New Hampshire: rent $1,500, food $703, transport $586, savings $586, surplus ~$1,545.

How much does overtime add at 42/hr in New Hampshire?

At 1.5x (63.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$12,050/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$24,100/year.