30 Dollars an Hour is How Much a Year? (with Sample Budget for 2024)

If you make 30 dollars an hour, your yearly income before taxes will be $62,400 (if you work the standard 40 hours per week the entire year.) Some variations will make your income more or less, such as if you have overtime available at your job, if vacation time is provided, and other things

What You Need to Know

The formula for Calculating Yearly Salary is $30 per hour x 2,080 per year = $62,400 before taxes You would make: Daily: $171 Weekly: $1,200 Biweekly: $2,400 Monthly: $5,200

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Curious how much you would make if 30 dollars an hour is how much you are paid?

Calculate your income by starting with the yearly, monthly, and weekly salary to determine if you can live on earning this amount.

Be sure to calculate the tax both before and after it is deducted for accurate numbers.

Also, note these calculations do not include any monetary value of benefits like health insurance or retirement, which are available at some jobs. Typically, the higher the yearly salary, the more likelihood of benefits being available.

Does the idea of earning $30 per hour sound like something you may never achieve, but would love to work toward?

Is this an hourly wage you can see yourself getting excited about?

Do you wonder how much you would make at this hourly rate a year?

Would you like to know how many hours of work it would take to make a certain amount if you earn 30 dollars an hour?

Can you buy a home if you are earning this salary?

Are there jobs where you can make 30 dollars an hour plus overtime?

Is a college degree required to find a job at this rate?

Keep reading for our ultimate guide that breaks down the most-asked questions on this topic with step-by-step details on the amount you will earn each week, month, and year on this salary before and after taxes are deducted.

We also put together a sample budget to give you a head start with your own budget!

Let’s dive in!

30 dollars an hour is how much a year before taxes?

$30 an hour is an annual salary of $62,040.

This is how we arrived at this calculation:

Work week = 40 hours

Weeks in a year = 52

Hours worked per year = 2,080

The total of $62,040 is the yearly amount you will earn before tax is deducted from your paycheck.

NOTE: This is considering you are working a 40-hour week for the entire year (which is a total of 52 weeks), and it does not consider unpaid leave days for vacation, sickness, etc., if applicable. The typical job allows for 2 weeks of paid vacation. This leaves 50 weeks of workdays per year.]

Working full-time

If you live in the United States, full-time employment is considered 30+ hours each week, with the typical work week being 40 hours for an 8-hour day.

Considering you work the entire year, this would be 52 weeks and 2,080 hours.

The calculations we use to follow this typical schedule of working 40 hours weekly for the entire year of 52 weeks. (It does not consider the typical 2-week vacation, which leaves you working 50 weeks out of the year.)

Working part-time

Working less than 30 hours weekly is considered part-time employment in the United States. The typical part-time job is 20 hours per week, give or take a few hours up or down.

This cuts the full-time work hours each year from 2,080 hours to 1,040 hours.

Related Reading: $15 an hour is how much a year? Can you live on it?

30 dollars an hour: What is the annual salary after tax is taken out?

The average tax rate is 15% but keep in mind this number is an estimate based on what state you reside in and other deduction factors, etc.

Tax deductions include federal tax, state tax (if applicable), medicare, and social security.

If you work 40 hours per week after taxes are deducted, your total take-home pay is approximately $52,734.

If you work part-time at 20 hours each week after tax is deducted, your total take-home pay is approximately $26,367 per year.

Is $30 a good hourly salary?

The minimum average tax rate is approximately 15%, but it is an estimate based on what state you reside in and other deduction factors, etc.

This depends on several factors, such as where you reside, the type of work you are doing, etc.

Also, specific tax brackets place you in a category, and the more you earn, the higher your tax bracket (so you pay more tax.)

In America, someone with a salary of $62,000 per year is considered to be financially comfortable, and the rule of thumb says they should easily be able to save 20 percent of their gross income.

How much is it … really?

Planning your budget with earning 30 dollars an hour should be simple. The most difficult part for most people is following their budget once it is created and solidified.

If you want to break down your budget and prepare accordingly to pay all your expenses on a $30 hourly wage, the following scenarios will help you.

Remember that these numbers are before pretax since they vary from person to person and state to state.

If you want to make the conversion to how much your take-home pay would be after tax is deducted, simply multiply the number with your tax bracket.

We estimate that 15% of your paycheck will be deducted to cover income tax, but this will vary from person to person and state to state.

A sample is included in the first scenario below.

How much is 30 dollars an hour each month?

If you are working a full schedule of 40 hours a week, your earnings are $5,200 per month (before tax is deducted.)

If you are working part-time at 20 hours each week, you are making $2,600 per month (before tax is deducted.)

EXAMPLE: Calculate your annual wage after the tax is deducted

Total monthly salary = $5,770

Tax deductions = 15% (.15)

2880 x .15 = 776

2880 – 432 = 4,394

OR

2880 x .85 = 4,394

Your approximate net pay (take-home pay) is $4,394.

How much is it biweekly?

Bi-monthly means you get paid twice per month or every 2 weeks.

If you are working full-time at 40 hours each week, your income is $2,197 every 2 weeks (before taxes are deducted.)

Assuming you are working part-time at 20 hours a week, you’re making $1.099 (before taxes are deducted.)

How much is $30 an hour per week?

If you are working a full-time schedule of 40 hours a week, you will make over $1,200 per week, with your actual hourly earnings totaling $1,293 (before taxes are deducted.)

Assuming you are working part-time at 20 hours a week, you will make $646 (before taxes are deducted.)

Related Reading: 40000 a year is how much an hour? (Includes a sample budget)

How much is $30 an hour per day?

If your number of working hours is 40 a week, your daily salary equals $171 (before taxes are deducted.)

If you are working part-time at 20 hours a week, you will get paid $86 per day (before taxes are deducted.)

Can you live off $30 an hour?

This is the question that comes up most often.

Assuming you are living in an average city, (and we will assume this for the sake of simplicity) with a cost of living that is consistent with the national average, we can say that yes, you most definitely could live on an hourly wage of $30.

In 2019 the annual median income was $35,977 per the US Census Bureau.

This means if you make over $60,000 per year, you earn an annual salary significantly more than the average U.S. citizen.

Of course, a big determining factor in whether or not you can live on any specified income amount is where you live, your expenses, and your lifestyle expectations.

Even with a higher than average income, some people struggle to bring financial ends meet.

Think about what your expenses might be.

Think about where your priorities are.

What amount are you currently earning per hour? Is it close to 30 dollars per hour?

The sample budget below will give you an idea of how to structure your budget on this annual salary.

30 Dollars an Hour Sample Budget

Can you buy a house making 30 per hour?

This is a tricky question that cannot be answered with a specific ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because it depends entirely on your credit score, the amount of savings you have built up for a down payment, your lifestyle, and other things.

However, with those things in mind, buying a house is possible if you make this much a year.

If you have not planned well and need to get some debt paid off or build up your savings, make a plan to move toward your goal.

It just takes planning and patience to make it happen.

If you do want to buy a house making this amount, the following steps could help:

Save Money

If you want to buy a house saving must be a top priority.

Here are some ways to start saving more:

1. Get a side gig working on weekends or nights.
2. Cut back on your outgoing costs so you can put the extra salary away for savings and/or investment opportunities.
3. Invest in basic assets, like stocks and bonds (your brokerage account will help you here.)
4. Search for a second job that allows you to earn tips.

• The average worker that earns tips makes approximately $300 extra each week.

Other things that can help you buy a house with an hourly wage of $30:

• Grow your savings account as quickly as possible
• Manage your finances with a strict budget
• Keep your cost of living low
• Monitor your debt and keep your debt-to-income ratio less than 45%

If you can do these things, you can buy a home making 30 per hour, which is an annual salary of $62,040.

On the other hand, if you:

• Don’t follow a budget, and you are not willing to
• Reside where the cost of living is high
• Have a debt-to-income ratio higher than 45%
• Don’t have a stable employment history or only work part-time
• Have little or no savings

If this is more reflective of your lifestyle, even with the solid 30 dollars an hour, you will struggle to buy a house with this wage.

At this point, the best thing to do is put all things out on the table and give a long thought if you are willing to give anything up and turn things around.

Tips to Living off $30 Per Hour

No matter what you make per hour, the more you can save, the higher the likelihood of total financial freedom and getting off the money roller coaster ride.

Many people spend their cash just because they have it, not necessarily because they need something.

A smart budgeter will live a comfortable but frugal lifestyle no matter what annual salary they earn.

The following tips are ways to spend less so you can save more.

Tips to reduce housing costs:

• Move into more affordable living spaces, such as changing from a one-bedroom apartment to a studio.
• If possible, find roommates and split the cost in half or three ways.

Tips to reduce other living costs:

• Buy food from the grocery store, so you are limiting spending on eating out.
• Create a menu for meals before you go to the grocery store.
• If you live in a place that offers free grocery pickup, opt for this, so you are purchasing exactly what you need and not going inside the store to walk around.
• You can even search to see if home delivery is possible, and with a small monthly fee (or save even more if you subscribe by the year), it might save you since you won’t be buying your own gas to go for pickup.
• Reduce entertainment costs (skip going to movies, concerts, etc.)
• Split cable or TV plans with a friend or family member.

With proper budgeting and planning, you can easily live with landing a $30 an hour job.

Tips to reduce other living and household expenses:

• Limit eating out or going through fast-food lines by purchasing your food at the grocery store and preparing meals at home
• If you live in a place that offers free grocery pickup, opt for this so you are purchasing exactly what you need and not going inside the store
• Scale down entertainment expenses by skipping movies, concerts, etc.
• Share cable or TV plans with a friend or family member

These are only a few ways to spend less, save more, and secure a great future!

Be creative and look forward to the future when you feel a spending spree coming on!

Ways to Make More if $30 Per Hour isn’t Enough

• Start a side business online that allows you to earn extra (such as selling things on eBay, Amazon, or Etsy.)
• Sell your used items using the internet, such as selling an old cellphone on eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace.
• Get a part-time side hustle working at night or on weekends.
• Find opportunities in your community by volunteering either individually or with groups like churches and schools.
• Ask your supervisor for a raise
• Find a side hustle that is flexible so you can do as little or as much as you want such as babysitting, cleaning houses, walking dogs or pet-sitting, become an Uber or food delivery driver, etc.
• Ask if it is possible to earn more by working overtime hours

If you work 50 weeks in your regular position with 2-weeks of vacation, you can also pre-plan jobs to earn extra cash during your time off.

Sample Budget on a Salary of 30 Dollars an Hour

The following sample budget shows how people making 30 an hour/$4,394 per month (take-home pay after taxes in this example) can allocate their wages to live comfortably.

We recommend following the budgeting guidelines of Dave Ramsey, which many financial experts share.

It considers the above tips for living on this wage per year, such as splitting rent with friends or family members.

This example follows the budgeting guidelines of spending 70% of the income on living expenses, 20% on savings and retirement, and 10% on debt repayments such as credit cards and unsecured loans.

It is an aggressive plan for saving (far above the recommended 20%.) If you do not have debt repayment, adding that extra into savings, a 401k, etc. is recommended.

When making your list, start with each month and move to annual costs. Not all of your bills will happen monthly, as some may be paid quarterly or yearly.

Make adjustments accordingly to fill in your expenses.

Related Reading: Can you live on $18 an hour?

Jobs with an Hourly Rate of 30 Dollars Per Hour

There are plenty of jobs that pay $30 an hour without a college degree or any type of formal education.

Some will offer benefits such as retirement or health coverage, others do not. Many of them are considered more of a career because the pay is higher than the average worker makes.

If you are willing to go to school to learn a trade, that may also be an option in many professions, and often the employer will cover the expense.

Otherwise, in most cases, you have to be resourceful, and you do need a high school diploma with certain skills to land one of these jobs and earn this hourly pay or yearly salary. Related work experience is always a plus as well.

Also, remember that most jobs that pay this amount will require on-the-job training to teach you the necessary skills to perform the job. If you have previously worked in a related field, this time can be cut down in some cases. Just talk to your supervisor.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the best foundation to get started with your job search (and it is the source for the information in the table below.)

30 Dollars an Hour Jobs

Other potential jobs to consider that typically offer an hourly pay of $30 an hour:

• Plumber
• Welder
• Carpenter
• Painter
• Tile Setter
• Landscape Designer
• Real Estate Assistant

Key Takeaways

You can live comfortably if you make 30 dollars an hour as long as you live within your means, which is the real key to making this salary or any amount you earn work.

It is important to remember that living on $30 an hour should not be a struggle.

If it feels like a struggle, it may take some time and adjustments in your lifestyle.

However, you can live comfortably while earning this salary if you plan and are mindful of how you spend your cash each month.

Learn how to budget wisely and know where every penny of your hard-earned cash is spent.

If you want to earn more, keep plugging away at building your savings account, fine-tuning your job skills, and searching for the perfect opportunity.

Starting a budget will make a huge difference no matter how much money you make. 

If you feel like your financial goals are going in the right direction and don’t have a budget, that’s great!

However, just think about how much a budget could put even more of your hard-earned money back into your pocket.

The free Budgeting Basics eBook is the perfect resource to get your money under control or fine-tune it in a specific area.

If you need ideas for creating your budget, hop over to 20 free printable budget templates to get you started.

Interested in other job-earning scenarios?

Read the entire series on wages to get your questions answered about how to live comfortably on any income and make extra money if you don’t make enough.

You might also like What is Considered a Good Hourly Wage Today and How Many Work Hours in a Year.

Ready to start a budget you’re excited to follow? You don’t want to miss out on how to make budgeting simple and fun!

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Sources used in this post

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Dave Ramsey
• Net pay

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