Salary Calculator
Convert any pay rate into every other one — hourly, weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly, and annual — adjusted for your real hours and unpaid weeks, and benchmarked against the U.S. median.
How you compare to other people
How you compare
The median household income over time
U.S. median household income, 1990–2024 (current dollars, not inflation-adjusted).
U.S. Census Bureau, CPS ASEC historical income tables; 2024 = $83,730.
💰 Budgeting & pay-tracking tools
Explore toolsGross pay, converted honestly
Most salary converters assume 2,080 hours and stop there. Real pay depends on your actual hours and the weeks you’re paid: a “$35/hour” contractor working 30-hour weeks with four unpaid weeks off earns about $50,400 — not the $72,800 the naive math suggests. Set your hours and unpaid weeks above to see your true annual figure before you compare offers.
How it’s calculated
Annual = rate × periods per year, where hourly pay uses (52 − unpaid weeks) × hours/week. Monthly = annual ÷ 12; biweekly = annual ÷ 26; semi-monthly = annual ÷ 24. The hourly equivalent divides annual pay by paid hours. Median benchmarks: U.S. median personal income ~$45,140 and median household income ~$83,730 (Census, 2024). State comparisons use median household income by state (Census CPS ASEC via FRED, 2024).
Gross (pre-tax) figures — taxes, benefits, and overtime rules vary; verify with your offer letter or payroll.
Worked example
$60,000 a year at 40 hours/week works out to $28.85/hour, $1,153.85/week, $2,307.69 biweekly, $2,500 semi-monthly, and $5,000/month — above the ~$45,140 U.S. median personal income (Census, 2024).
Common mistakes
- Quoting an hourly rate × 2,080 when your role has unpaid time off or variable hours.
- Confusing biweekly (26 checks) with semi-monthly (24 checks) when budgeting.
- Comparing salaries across cities without adjusting for cost of living.
Frequently asked questions
How do you convert hourly pay to a salary?
Multiply your hourly rate by hours per week, then by the weeks you're actually paid. Full-time at 40 hours for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, so $28.85/hour ≈ $60,000 a year. If you take unpaid weeks off, the calculator removes them.
Is this before or after taxes?
Before — this converts gross pay between pay periods. For what actually lands in your account, use the paycheck (take-home) calculator, which handles federal, state, and FICA taxes.
What's the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly?
Biweekly means every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year, and two months a year contain three of them. Semi-monthly means twice a month — 24 slightly larger checks. Same salary, different rhythm.
Is $60,000 a good salary?
It's above the U.S. median personal income of about $45,140 but below the median household's $83,730 (Census, 2024). Whether it's good for you depends heavily on your local cost of living — try the cost-of-living pages to adjust for your area.
How should I count overtime or bonuses?
This tool converts your base rate. For a truer annual figure, add expected overtime and bonuses to the annual result — or use the overtime calculator to price time-and-a-half properly.
Can I see how I compare within my state?
Yes — pick your state in the calculator and a second benchmark appears comparing your pay to that state’s median household income (Census CPS ASEC via FRED, 2024). Your choice is remembered in your browser only. You can also type your county for a county-level comparison (Census ACS).