$28,000 a Year Is How Much an Hour?
Working 40 hours a week across 52 paid weeks — 2,080 hours a year — $28,000 a year comes out to $13.46 an hour before tax. Spread over the calendar that's $2,333.33 a month, $1,076.92 in each biweekly paycheck, or $107.69 for every working day. Taxes change the picture: with the 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction, a single filer keeps about $12.89 per hour after federal income tax, before FICA and any state tax. This page breaks $28,000 down across every pay period, estimates the after-tax figures, and lists occupations whose median pay lands near this amount. Use the calculator to match your real schedule if you don't work a standard week.
$28,000 a year breakdown
How we worked it out
To turn an annual salary into an hourly wage, divide it by the number of paid hours in a year. At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks that's 2,080 hours, so $28,000 ÷ 2,080 = $13.46 per hour. These are gross figures before tax. To estimate take-home pay, see the Income Tax Calculator, or use the full Salary Calculator to change the hours, days and weeks.
$28,000 a year after taxes
On $28,000, estimated federal income tax is about $1,190 for a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction — an effective rate of 4.3%, with the top dollar taxed in the 10% bracket. That leaves roughly $26,810 in federal take-home pay, about $2,234 a month or $12.89 an hour. Two people earning $28,000 can still take home different amounts: your net drops further after Social Security and Medicare (FICA, about 7.65%), and by another few percent in most states that levy an income tax — while nine states (including Texas and Florida) charge none. Use the Income Tax Calculator to try a different filing status or add pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions.
Federal income tax only (2026 brackets, standard deduction). Excludes FICA and state/local tax.
Jobs that pay around $28,000 a year
These occupations have a national median wage closest to $28,000, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2024). Actual pay varies widely by state, metro area and experience.
| Occupation | Median annual pay | ≈ Hourly (40 hrs/wk) |
|---|---|---|
| Fast-food workers | $29,540 | $14.20 |
| Childcare workers | $30,370 | $14.60 |
| Cashiers | $30,710 | $14.76 |
| Housekeepers | $33,450 | $16.08 |
| Retail salespersons | $34,730 | $16.70 |
How $28,000 compares to nearby salaries
| Salary | Hourly | Monthly | Federal take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 a year | $12.02 | $2,083 | $24,110 |
| $30,000 a year | $14.42 | $2,500 | $28,580 |
| $32,000 a year | $15.38 | $2,667 | $30,340 |
| $28,000 a year (this page) | $13.46 | $2,333.33 | $26,810 |
Take-home is federal income tax only (2026, single filer, standard deduction), before FICA and state tax.
Is $28,000 a year a good salary?
Context matters more than the headline figure, so start with the benchmarks: the typical U.S. full-time worker earns around $60,000, which puts $28,000 about 53% below that mark, and below the median household income of roughly $80,000. Broken into pay periods it's $538.46 a week or $107.69 a working day, gross. How far that stretches depends heavily on local housing costs — comfortable in much of the country, tight in the priciest metros. And since federal, state and FICA taxes all come out first, build your budget on take-home pay, not on $28,000.