$50000 a Year is How Much an Hour? Is 50K a Year Good?
Inside: Learn how much your 50k salary is hourly. Plus find tips to make more money and live the lifestyle you want.
You are thinking that 50k salary is a solid hourly wage, but you want to know the true answer.
When you get your first job and you are making just above minimum wage making over $50,000 a year seems like it would provide amazing opportunities for you. Right?
The median household income was $70,084 in 2021 not much different from the previous year (source). Think of it as a bell curve with $70 at the top; the median means half of the population makes less than that and half makes more money.
The average income in the U.S. is $55,350 for a 40-hour workweek; that is an increase of 1.1% from the previous year (source). That means if you take everyone’s income and divide the money out evenly between all of the people.
But, the question remains…can you truly live off 50,000 per year in today’s society since it is barely above the average income and yet still below household incomes? The question you want to ask all of your friends is $50000 per year a good salary.
In this post, we are going to dive into everything that you need to know about a $50000 salary including hourly pay and a sample budget on how to spend and save your money.
These key facts will help you with money management and learn how much per hour $50k is as well as what you make per month, weekly, and biweekly.
Just like with any paycheck, it seems like money quickly goes out of your account to cover all of your bills and expenses, and you are left with a very small amount remaining. You may be disappointed that you were not able to reach your financial goals and you are left wondering…
Can I make a living on this salary?
$50000 a year is How Much an Hour?
When jumping from an hourly job to a salary for the first time, it is helpful to know how much is 50k a year hourly. That way you can decide whether or not the job is worthwhile for you.
For our calculations to figure out how much is 50K salary hourly, we used the average five working days of 40 hours a week.
50000 salary / 2080 hours = $24.04 per hour
$50000 a year is $24.04 per hour
Let’s breakdown how that 50000 salary to hourly number is calculated.
Typically, the average workweek is 40 hours and you can work 52 weeks a year. Take 40 hours times 52 weeks and that equals 2,080 working hours. Then, divide the yearly salary of $50000 by 2,080 working hours and the result is $24.04 per hour.
Just above $24 an hour.
That number is the gross hourly income before taxes, insurance, 401K, or anything else is taken out. Net income is how much you deposit into your bank account.
You must check with your employer on how they plan to pay you. For those on salary, typically companies pay on a monthly, semi-monthly, biweekly, or weekly basis.
What If I Increased My Salary?
Just an interesting note… if you were to increase your annual salary by $5K, it would increase your hourly wage to over $26 an hour – a difference of $2.40 per hour.
To break it down – 55k a year is how much an hour = $26.44
That difference will help you fund your savings account; just remember every dollar adds up.
How Much is $50K salary Per Month?
On average, the monthly amount would be $4,167.
Annual Salary of $50,000 ÷ 12 months = $4,166.67 per month
This is how much you make a month if you get paid 50000 a year.
$50k a year is how much a week?
This is a great number to know! How much do I make each week? When I roll out of bed and do my job of $50k salary a year, how much can I expect to make at the end of the week for my effort?
Once again, the assumption is 40 hours worked.
Annual Salary of $50000/52 weeks = $961.54 per week.
$50000 a year is how much biweekly?
For this calculation, take the average weekly pay of $961.54 and double it.
$961.54 per week x 2 = $1923
Also, the other way to calculate this is:
Annual Salary of $50000 / 26 weeks = $1923 biweekly.
How Much Is $50K Salary Per Day
This depends on how many hours you work in a day. For this example, we are going to use an eight-hour workday.
8 hours x 52 weeks = 260 working days
Annual Salary of $50000 / 260 working days = $192 per day
If you work a 10 hour day on 208 days throughout the year, you make $240 per day.
This post may contain affiliate links, which helps us to continue providing relevant content and we receive a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the full disclosure here.
Learn the Skill to Proofread Anywhere
Are you passionate about words and reading?
If so, proofreading could be a perfect fit for you, just like it’s been for countless of readers! Learn how you can create a freelance business as a proofreader.
Check out this free workshop!
Earn Extra Income with Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the most stable, reliable & simple business to own. This is how to make a realistic income -either part-time or full-time.
Find out TODAY if this is THE business you’ve been looking for.
$50000 Salary is…
| $50000 – Full Time | Total Income |
|---|---|
| Yearly Salary (52 weeks) | $50,000 |
| Monthly Wage | $4,167 |
| Weekly Salary(40 Hours) | $961 |
| Bi-Weekly Wage (80 Hours) | $1,923 |
| Daily Wage (8 Hours) | $192 |
| Daily Wage (10 Hours) | $204 |
| Hourly Wage | $24.04 |
| Net Estimated Monthly Income | $3,181 |
| Net Estimated Hourly Income | $18.35 |
50k a year is how much an hour after taxes
Income taxes is one of the biggest culprits of reducing your take-home pay as well as FICA and Social Security. This is a true fact across the board with a salary range of up to $160,200.
When you make below the average household income, the amount of taxes taken out hurts your hourly wage.
Every single tax situation is different.
On the basic level, let’s assume a 12% federal tax rate and a 4% state rate. Plus a percentage is taken out for Social Security and Medicare (FICA) of 7.65%.
So, how much an hour is 50000 a year after taxes?
Gross Annual Salary: $50,000
- Federal Taxes of 12%: $6,000
- State Taxes of 4%: $2,000
- Social Security and Medicare of 7.65%: $3,825
$50k Per Year After Taxes is $38,175.
This would be your net annual salary after taxes.
To turn that back into an hourly wage, the assumption is working 2,080 hours.
$38,175 ÷ 2,080 hours = $18.35 per hour
After estimated taxes and FICA, you are netting $38,175 per year, which is $11,825 per year less than what you expect.
***This is a very high-level example and can vary greatly depending on your personal situation and potential deductions. Therefore, here is a great tool to help you figure out how much your net paycheck would be.***
Taxes Based on Your State
In addition, if you live in a heavily taxed state like California or New York, then you have to pay way more money than somebody who lives in a no tax state like Texas or Florida. This is the debate of HCOL vs LCOL.
Thus, your yearly gross $50000 income can range from $34,175 to $40,175 depending on your state income taxes.
That is why it is important to realize the impact income taxes can have on your take-home pay. It is one of those things that you should acknowledge and obviously, you need to pay taxes. But, it can also put a huge dent in your ability to live the lifestyle you want on a $50,000 income.
My 50k Salary Hourly Calculator
More than likely, your salary is not a flat 50k, here is a tool to convert your salary to hourly calculator.
Many of the starting freight broker salaries are in this range (and before commission)!
Many teachers are hovering in this range, which may make you wonder do teachers get paid in the summer?
50k salary lifestyle
Every person reading this post has a different upbringing and a different belief system about money. Therefore, what would be a lavish lifestyle to one person, maybe a frugal lifestyle to another person?
And there’s no wrong or right, it is what works best for you.
One of the biggest factors to consider is your cost of living.
In another post, we detailed the differences between living in an HCOL vs LCOL vs MCOL area. When you live in big cities, trying to maintain your lifestyle of $50,000 a year is going to be much more difficult because your basic expenses, housing, transportation, food, and clothing are going to be much more expensive than you would find in a lower-cost area.
To stretch your dollar further in the high cost of living area, you would have to probably live a very frugal lifestyle and prioritize where you want to spend money and where you do not. Whereas, if you live in a low cost of living area, you can live a much more lavish lifestyle because the cost of living is less. Thus, you have more fun spending left in your account each month.
For many, this is when they are looking at upgrading their car to something nicer, but you must be aware of is a car an asset or liability.
As we noted earlier in the post, $50,000 a year is slightly below the average income that you would find in the United States. Thus, you still have to be wise with how you spend your money.
What a $50,000 lifestyle will buy you:
If you are debt-free and utilize smart money management skills, then you are able to enjoy the lifestyle you want.
- You are able to rent in a decent neighborhood in LCOL and even MCOL city.
- You should be able to meet your expenses each and every month.
- Ability to make sure that saving money is a priority, and very possibly save $5000 in 52 weeks.
Learn how much money should I have saved by 30 since the average salary is $50k.
When A $50,000 Salary Will Hold you Back:
However, if you are riddled with debt or unable to break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, then living off of 50k a year is going to be pretty darn difficult.
There are two factors that will keep holding you back:
- You must pay off debt and cut all fun spending and extra expenses.
- Break the paycheck to paycheck cycle.
- Not using one of the millionaire quotes for motivation.
It is possible to get ahead with money!
It just comes with proper money management skills and a desire to have less stress around money. That is a winning combination regardless of your income level.
$50K a year Budget – Example
As always, here at Money Bliss, we focus on covering our basic expenses plus saving and giving first, and then our goal is to eliminate debt. The rest of the money left is for fun spending.
This is how zero based budgeting works.
If you want to know how to manage 50k salary the best, then this is a prime example for you to compare your spending.
You can compare your budget to the ideal household budget percentages.
recommended budget percentages based on $50000 a year salary:
| Category | Ideal Percentages | Sample Monthly Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Giving | 10% | $250 |
| Savings | 15-25% | $750 |
| Housing | 20-30% | $1,000 |
| Utilities | 4-7% | $167 |
| Groceries | 5-12% | $375 |
| Clothing | 1-4% | $52 |
| Transportation | 4-10% | $146 |
| Medical | 5-12% | $188 |
| Life Insurance | 1% | $21 |
| Education | 1-4% | $42 |
| Personal | 2-7% | $77 |
| Recreation / Entertainment | 3-8% | $125 |
| Debts | 0% – Goal | $0 |
| Government Tax (including Income Taxes, Social Security & Medicare) | 15-25% | $985 |
| Total Gross Monthly Income | $4,167 |
Is $50k a year a Good Salary?
As we stated earlier if you are able to make $50,000 a year, that is a decent salary. You are making more money than the minimum wage and almost double in many cities.
While 50000 is a good salary starting out in your working years. It is a salary that you want to increase before your expenses go up or the people you provide for increase.
However, too many times people get stuck in the lifestyle trap of trying to keep up with the Joneses, and their lifestyle desires get out of hand compared to their salary. And what they thought used to be a great salary actually is not making ends meet at this time.
This $50k salary would be considered a lower middle class salary. This salary is something that you can live on if you are wise with money.
Check: Are you in the middle class?
In fact, this income level in the United States has enough buying power to put you in the top 95 percentile globally for per person income (source).
The question you need to ask yourself with your 50k salary is:
- Am I maxed at the top of my career?
- Is there more income potential?
- What obstacles do I face if I want to try to increase my income?
In the future years and with possible inflation, in many modest cities, 50,000 a year will not be a good salary because the cost of living is so high, whereas these are some of the cities where you can make a comfortable living at 50,000 per year.
If you are looking for a career change, you want to find jobs paying at least $60000 a year.
Is 50k a good salary for a Single Person?
Simply put, yes.
You can stretch your salary much further because you are only worried about your own expenses. A single person will spend much less than if you need to provide for someone else.
Your living expenses and ideal budget are much less. Thus, you can live extremely comfortably on $50000 per year.
And… most of us probably regret how much money wasted when we were single. Oh well, lesson learned.
Deep Dive: What Is A Good Salary For A Single Person in Today’s Society?
Is 50k a good salary for a family?
Many of the same principles apply above on whether $50000 is a good salary. The main difference with a family, you have more people to provide for than when you are single or have just one other person in your household.
The costs of raising children are high and will steeply cut into your income. As you can tell this is a huge dent in your income, specifically $12,980 annually per child.
That means that amount of money is coming out of the income that you earned.
So, the question really remains can you provide a good life for your family making $50,000 a year? This is the hardest part because each family has different choices, priorities, and values.
More or less, it comes down to two things:
- The location where you live in.
- Your lifestyle choices.
You can live comfortably as a family on this salary, but you will not be able to afford everything.
Many times when raising a family, it is helpful to have a dual-income household. That way you are able to provide the necessary expenses if both parties were making 50,000 per year, then the combined income for the household would be $100,000. Thus making your combined salary a very good income.
Learn how much money a family of 4 needs in each state.
Can you Live on $50000 Per Year?
As we outlined earlier in the post, $50,000 a year:
- $24.04 Per Hour
- $192-240 Per Day (depending on length of day worked)
- $961 Per Week
- $1,923 Per Biweekly
- $4,167 Per Month
Next up is making $52000 a year.
Like anything else in life, you get to decide how to spend, save and give your money.
That is the difference for each person on whether or not you can live a middle-class lifestyle depends on many potential factors. If you live in California or New Jersey you are gonna have a tougher time than Oklahoma or even Texas.
In addition, if you are early in your career, starting out around 43,000 a year, that is a great place to be getting your career. However, if you have been in your career for over 20 years and still making under $45K, then you probably need to look at asking for pay increases, picking up a second job, or finding a different career path.
In fact, this might be a good time to learn how to trade stocks with the best Travel and Travel course.
Regardless of the wage that you make, if you are not able to live the lifestyle that you want, then you have to find ways to make it work for you. Everybody has choices to make.
But one of the things that can help you the most is to stick to our ideal household budget percentages to make sure you stay on track.
Learn exactly how much do I make per year…
Serious Way to Make More Money
One of the best ways to improve your personal finance situation is to increase your income. Here are a variety of side hustles that are very lucrative. With time and effort, you can start enjoying the lifestyle you want.
Learn How To Create Printables That Sell!
This is the perfect side hustle if you don’t have much time, experience, or money.
Many earn over $10,000 in a year selling printables on Etsy. Learn how to get started by watching this free workshop.
Learn the Skill to Proofread Anywhere
Are you passionate about words and reading?
If so, proofreading could be a perfect fit for you, just like it’s been for countless of readers! Learn how you can create a freelance business as a proofreader.
Check out this free workshop!
FREE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TRAINING
If you've ever wanted to make a full-time income while working from home, you're in the right place!
This intensive training combines thousands of hours of research, years of experience in growing a virtual assistant business, and the power of a coach who has helped thousands of students launch and grow their own business from scratch.
Earn Extra Income with Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the most stable, reliable & simple business to own. This is how to make a realistic income -either part-time or full-time.
Find out TODAY if this is THE business you’ve been looking for.
Earn More Writing - Learn How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer
You can make money as a freelance writer. Learn techniques to find those jobs and earn the kind of money you deserve!
Plus get tips to land your first freelance writing gig!
Free Flipping Video Training Series
Learn how to buy and resell items from flea markets, thrift stores and yard sales. They will teach you how to create a profitable reselling business quickly
…no matter how much or how little experience you have.
Trade & Travel with Teri Ijeoma
Learn how to supplement your daily, weekly, or monthly income with trading so that you can live your best life! This is a lifestyle trading style you need to learn.
Honestly, this course is a must for anyone who invests. You will lose more in the market than you will spend this quality education - guaranteed.
Freight 360 University
Designed as a 101-level course on freight brokerage, you’ll learn the basics of freight brokering in this online course.
This course is designed for freight brokers in any setting, regardless of their employment status.
If you want to start your brokerage, we’ll show you exactly how to do it. If you are an agent or employee of a brokerage, we’ll take you through sales and operations modules designed to help you source more leads and move more freight.
Empowered Business Lab
The Empowered Business Lab teaches you how to sell your digital products naturally with strategies that just make sense.
Monica helps thousands find momentum and create revenue streams in their businesses.
Be Inspired by One Gentleman's Trading Journey
After taking a second job as a driver for Amazon to make ends meet, this former teacher pivoted to be a successful stock trader.
Leaving behind the stress of teaching, now he sets his own schedule and makes more money than he ever imagined. He grew his account from $500 to $38000 in 8 months.
Check out this interview.
Did the post resonate with you?
More importantly, did I answer the questions you have about this topic? Let me know in the comments if I can help in some other way!
Your comments are not just welcomed; they’re an integral part of our community. Let’s continue the conversation and explore how these ideas align with your journey towards Money Bliss.
Thank you for sharing this!
I’m glad to read this.