$16 an hour is $33,280 a year before tax, working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks (2,080 hours). That's $2,773.33 a month, $1,280 every two weeks and $640 a week.
Change the hours or weeks in the Salary Converter
$16 an hour, by pay period
| Pay period | 40 hours a week | 30 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| Year | $33,280 | $24,960 |
| Month | $2,773.33 | $2,080.00 |
| Two weeks | $1,280 | $960 |
| Week | $640 | $480 |
| Day (8 hours) | $128 | $96 |
With two weeks of unpaid time off, a full-time year at $16 an hour comes to $32,000 (2,000 hours). Paid holidays keep you at $33,280.
How $16 an hour compares
- It's 2.2 times the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or $18,200 more a year at full time. Many states and cities set a higher minimum.
- Production and nonsupervisory workers averaged $32.54 an hour in September 2026 (BLS), so $16 is 51% below that average.
- At the common 30% guideline, $16 an hour supports rent of about $832 a month.
Where $16 an hour ranks
$16 an hour is above the 10th percentile of U.S. hourly pay ($15.00) and below the 25th percentile ($18.07), so roughly 15% of workers earn less.
All occupations, May 2025 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics). BLS publishes set percentiles; the share in between is our estimate.
Jobs that pay about $16 an hour
The most common occupations whose national median pay rounds to $16 an hour (May 2025, the latest BLS survey):
- Shampooers: $15.67 an hour, 8,100 jobs
- Cashiers: $15.81 an hour, 3.1 million jobs
- Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers: $15.82 an hour, 122,000 jobs
- Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers: $16.14 an hour, 158,000 jobs
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers: $16.34 an hour, 543,000 jobs
A median is the middle: half the people in that job earn more, half earn less. Pay also varies with state, experience and employer.
What $16 an hour matched in earlier years
To buy what $16 an hour buys in September 2026, you'd have needed:
Adjusted with the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Minutes of work for everyday prices
At $16 an hour, before tax, using U.S. average prices for September 2026:
- 8.5 minutes for a dozen eggs ($2.27)
- 17 minutes for a gallon of regular gas ($4.48)
- 15 minutes for a gallon of whole milk ($4.11)
What $33,280 a year buys abroad
Local prices change what a salary is worth. Spent in each country, $33,280 buys what this much would buy in the U.S. (World Bank purchasing power parity):
- United States: $33,280
- Mexico: $56,576
- Spain: $48,589
- Japan: $48,256
- Canada: $36,941
- United Kingdom: $35,942
The dashed line marks $33,280 spent in the U.S.
Compare every country in The Dollar Around the World
Sources
- BLS average prices and average hourly earnings (2026-11-02)
- U.S. Department of Labor: federal minimum wage history
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 national estimates)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) and World Bank International Comparison Program, as used on our methodology page
General information, not financial advice. Pay before tax; your take-home pay depends on taxes and deductions (try the Paycheck Calculator).