$60,000 A Year Is How Much An Hour? (2024)

Whether you’re looking for a new job or just accepted an offer, knowing how much money you’re making—or could make—is essential for planning your finances. But most jobs list salaries as an annual amount, which can be difficult to break down into everyday numbers. If you’re looking at a $60,000 per year job, you might ask, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour?”

This article takes a look at how much you’ll make an hour, weekly, and monthly if you have a 60k-a-year job. We’ll also go over factors that affect your pay and what jobs pay $60,000 per year.

Exactly how much an hour is $60,000 a year?

A $60,000 per year annual salary breaks down to about $28.85 per hour. This is assuming you work a 40-hour week for 52 weeks a year.

The hourly pay rate for a 60k salary is a good place to start understanding the actual amount you’ll make working a 60k job. Breaking it down even further can further that understanding so you know if a $60,000-per-year job makes sense for you.

Additionally, some jobs have different pay schedules. You might work a job that pays monthly, which can change how you view your salary, especially if you want to learn how to save money from salary income.

Take a look at the table below to get the approximate answer to the question, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour, week, or month?”

$60,000 a year is how much an hour after taxes?

There are two numbers to consider when looking at your paycheck: gross pay and net pay. Gross pay is the total amount of money you’ve earned on your paycheck.

However, you won’t receive that full amount due to taxes and other deductions. The actual amount of your paycheck is called your net pay or take-home pay.

While a $60,000 per year salary is about $28.85 an hour in gross pay, your net pay will likely be a bit lower. Taxes are generally the biggest deduction taken from your paycheck and can greatly affect how much your take-home pay will be.

Federal taxes to pay

Your employer is required to take out certain federal taxes from your paycheck, according to the IRS, including:

• Federal income tax
• FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes like Social Security and Medicare

But federal taxes are only part of what comes out of your paycheck. Depending on where you live, you might have to pay more in state income taxes and other state-specific deductions.

Your location is one of the biggest factors in how much your take-home hourly pay will be from a 60k salary. Even two people who both make 60k a year might have very different paychecks if they live in different locations.

State income tax to pay

Most states have a state income tax. However, nine states have limited or no state income tax at all, claims Forbes, including:

• Wyoming
• Alaska
• South Dakota
• Florida
• New Hampshire
• Tennessee
• Nevada
• Texas
• Washington

Forbes also explains that both New Hampshire and Washington have special income taxes for certain capital gains and interest earnings.

However, income from a job—like your regular paycheck—is generally not taxed in these states.

Additionally, having no state income tax doesn’t mean you should start looking for the cheapest way to move out of state! These states still have to collect taxes for public projects and services. States with no income tax might charge more in taxes for property taxes or sales tax.

Other factors that affect your take-home pay

Taxes are only part of the discrepancy between your gross and net pay. Many people contribute to retirement plans or pay their health insurance via employer deductions from their paychecks. Common paycheck deductions in addition to taxes include:

Insurance

If the company you work for offers a health insurance plan, you can usually pay your insurance premiums as a deduction to your paycheck. This means your employer will automatically take out your portion of health or disability insurance premiums before paying you.

Paying premiums this way makes it easy to keep your insurance in force and gives you one less thing to remember to do each month.

Retirement contributions

Many employers offer a retirement plan so you can save for your future, such as a 401(k). It might be time to ask, should I max out my 401k? To make it easier to save for retirement, employers also let you automate your savings through your paycheck.

Your employer takes your retirement contribution out of your paycheck and puts it into your retirement account for you.

Union dues

Are you planning to work in a job that has a union? Many union jobs pay hourly wages, making it important to answer, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour?”

Union agreements can help workers get fair compensation for their work. Union members pay dues to be part of the organization, which are generally taken directly from your paycheck.

Involuntary deductions

Not all paycheck deductions directly benefit the employee. In some cases, your employer may take out part of your paycheck to cover court-ordered garnishments on your pay.

A garnishment is a legal order that requires an employer to deduct a certain amount from an employee’s paycheck to pay off debts, such as child support or spousal support.

Expert tip: Understand salaried pay vs hourly pay

When looking at a 60k per year job and figuring out $60,000 a year is how much an hour, be sure to ask if you’ll be paid hourly or with an annual salary.

If working hourly, you may be able to make more than 60k a year by working overtime, which is generally paid at a higher rate.

Salaried employees often don’t receive overtime pay for working overtime, but may get some flexibility in their day-to-day work schedule.

Jobs that make $60,000 per year

You’ve got the answer to that question, “How much an hour is $60,000 a year?” And it’s making you think, “Should I quit my job?” and then start a new career that makes $60,000.

Before you rush out to put in your two weeks, it’s a good idea to think about what you want to do to earn 60k a year.

Let’s take a look at jobs where the yearly income is $60,000 or more per year. Remember, however, that your location, experience, and training can affect how much you’ll be paid.

Flight attendant

Do you love travel? Being a flight attendant might be right for you! Flight attendants can often make $60,000 per year or more for their mean yearly salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additionally, most commercial airlines utilize their own training systems to get you ready to head to the sky. That means many airlines will hire people without a college degree to work as flight attendants.

Respiratory therapist

Respiratory therapists help patients breathe better—from administering oxygen to managing ventilators. This healthcare career path lets you help people and make $60,000 a year. The mean yearly wage is upwards of 70,000, claims the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Most respiratory therapists have at least an associate’s degree, but some medical or hospital systems may require extra training or a more advanced degree.

Human resource specialist

If you’re personable and have good communication skills, you may enjoy being a human resources specialist. This job works in the people operations department of a company or organization to help the human resources division run smoothly.

Day-to-day tasks might include screening or interviewing job applicants, managing employee benefits, or preparing employee training.

In general, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to get started as a human resource specialist. The median yearly wage for this job is about $64,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Web developer

People who ask, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour?” might be excited to learn they can generally make more than $28.85 per hour as a web developer.

As society relies on the internet and technology more and more, there is a need for quality web developers. As a web developer, you can expect to make $60,000 or more, the median yearly wage is nearly $80,000, claims the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There’s generally no degree required, but you’ll need to learn web development and design skills to be successful.

Loan officer

Those with an analytical mindset might like working as a loan officer. Loan officers are in charge of analyzing a loan applicant’s credit and financial information to determine if they qualify for a loan.

You can usually get started as an assistant loan officer to get your foot in the door, though you may start out making less than $60,000. The median yearly wage for loan officers is over $65,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though.

How to make more than $60,000 a year

If you find yourself asking, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour?” you probably know how much money you need to make an hour to cover your cost of living. At the end of the day, $60,000 a year might not be enough to cover your expenses while saving for the future.

Many people live in high-cost-of-living areas, such as expensive cities, where 60k a year may not be enough. Alternatively, you may simply want to make more than $60,000 a year if you want to learn how to save money.

No matter the reason you want to make more than 60k per year, there are steps you can take to improve your annual salary. These generally fall into two categories:

• Increasing pay from your job through experience, training, and skills
• Making extra money from a side hustle or self-employment

Job-related skills training

Learning and improving skills related to your job can help make you a more attractive candidate and give you access to higher-paying roles.

Some skills relate directly to jobs or industries. For example, if you work in healthcare administration, adding medical coding and billing certifications might help you earn more money.

However, certain skills are often in demand across industries. This means people with these skills can often pivot between roles or industries easily.

According to job search website Indeed, some of the most in-demand skills include:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Sales leadership
• Analytical skills
• Audio and video production
• People management and communication
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Adaptability

Side hustles and businesses

Improving your salary through job-related skills can help you earn more than 60k a year, but it’s not the only way to make more money. Today, many people are starting a side hustle of their own or small businesses alongside their regular jobs.

The benefit of a side hustle is that you control how much you can earn and where you want to go in your career. Maybe you want to make a couple of extra hundred dollars per month with a small side hustle. Or, maybe you want to take your small business full-time and leave corporate jobs behind entirely.

The choice is yours when you’re running your own business. Consider these easy side hustles to get started:

• Become a virtual assistant (VA)
• Start freelance writing or graphic design
• Drive for a rideshare company
• Delivery of groceries and food
• Tutor students online or in person
• Babysit, house sit, or pet sit
• Flip thrift store finds online
• Get into affiliate marketing with a blog

How much is 60k a year per paycheck?

60k a year per paycheck is $1,154 weekly, $2,308 bi-weekly, and $5,000 monthly.

Let’s break down these amounts further. You’ve already wondered, “$60,000 a year is how much an hour?” The answer is $28.85 per hour before taxes and other paycheck deductions.

But what does that hourly wage come out to in a paycheck?

The answer isn’t always straightforward because different employers pay their employees differently. The most common payment schedule is bi-weekly, meaning you get a paycheck every other week. However, many employers pay weekly or monthly as well.

Is $60,000 a year a good salary?

Making $60,000 can be a good salary in some cases. However, everyone’s financial needs are different. Determining whether 60k a year is a good salary depends entirely on your personal situation.

For example, someone living in an area with low costs of living and who has no debt may find $60,000 more than enough to live on. They might even live a luxurious lifestyle on 60k a year.

On the other hand, someone who lives in a high-cost-of-living area may find it difficult to cover expenses on a 60k per-year salary, and they could end up living paycheck to paycheck.

Additionally, someone who has a lot of debt, such as student loans, a large mortgage, or high-interest debt like credit cards, may need more than $60,000 per year to pay off their debt.

What is $60,000 a year monthly?

$60,000 a year monthly comes out to $5,000. While most jobs pay bi-weekly or weekly, some jobs are paid monthly.

Monthly paychecks can be an adjustment, especially if you’re used to getting two paychecks—or more—a month. Carefully budget your income and monthly expenses list to meet your monthly needs.

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Knowing how much $60,000 a year is an hour can affect your decisions

The simple answer to “How much an hour is $60,000 a year?” is $28.85 per hour. However, the exact amount you make an hour on a 60k salary depends on your location, tax situation, and even whether or not you’re a member of a union.

Additionally, many jobs make 60k a year. Some will have a starting salary of 60k, meaning your pay is likely to increase with schooling, training, and experience. Other jobs reach the top of their salary range at 60k per year.

It’s important to understand your financial needs, cost of living, and experience level or training as factors to consider when choosing a career. This can help you determine if 60k a year is a good salary for your individual situation.