Quick Answer: A full-time minimum wage worker (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year) earns between $15,080 per year in the 20 states at $7.25/hr and $35,630 per year in Washington State at $17.13/hr. The national average annual income at minimum wage is approximately $22,000, but the range is enormous — a difference of nearly $21,000 per year depending on where you live.
- Lowest annual income: $15,080 (20 states at $7.25/hr)
- Highest annual income: $35,630 (Washington at $17.13/hr)
- Median annual income: ~$22,000
- Federal poverty line (single person): $15,060
- Federal poverty line (family of 4): $31,200
Annual income at minimum wage varies dramatically by state because the minimum wage itself varies from $7.25/hr to $17.13/hr. This means two workers doing the same job in different states can have annual incomes that differ by more than $20,000 — a gap that has profound implications for housing affordability, food security, and economic mobility.
Annual Income at Minimum Wage: Complete State-by-State Table
| State | Hourly Rate | Weekly (40 hrs) | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $17.50 | $700.00 | $3,033.33 | $36,400 |
| Washington | $17.13 | $685.20 | $2,969.20 | $35,630 |
| New York (NYC metro) | $17.00 | $680.00 | $2,946.67 | $35,360 |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $677.60 | $2,936.27 | $35,235 |
| California | $16.90 | $660.00 | $2,860.00 | $34,320 |
| Oregon (Portland) | $16.45 | $658.00 | $2,848.67 | $34,216 |
| New York (upstate) | $16.00 | $640.00 | $2,773.33 | $33,280 |
| Rhode Island | $16.00 | $640.00 | $2,773.33 | $33,280 |
| New Jersey | $15.49 | $619.60 | $2,684.93 | $32,219 |
| Oregon (standard state rate) | $15.55 | $618.00 | $2,678.00 | $32,136 |
| Arizona | $15.15 | $606.00 | $2,626.00 | $31,512 |
| Maryland | $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200 |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200 |
| Florida (after Sept 30) | $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200 |
| Missouri, Delaware, Illinois & Nebraska | $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200 |
| Colorado | $14.81 | $592.40 | $2,567.07 | $30,805 |
| Maine | $14.65 | $586.00 | $2,539.33 | $30,472 |
| Vermont | $14.42 | $576.80 | $2,499.47 | $29,994 |
| Hawaii | $14.00 | $560.00 | $2,426.67 | $29,120 |
| Florida (through Sept 29) | $14.00 | $560.00 | $2,426.67 | $29,120 |
| Alaska | $13.00 | $520.00 | $2,253.33 | $27,040 |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $510.80 | $2,213.47 | $26,562 |
| Nevada & New Mexico | $12.00 | $480.00 | $2,080.00 | $24,960 |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $474.00 | $2,054.00 | $24,648 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $445.20 | $1,929.20 | $23,150 |
| Arkansas & Ohio | $11.00 | $440.00 | $1,906.67 | $22,880 |
| Montana | $10.85 | $434.00 | $1,880.67 | $22,568 |
| Michigan | $10.56 | $422.40 | $1,830.40 | $21,965 |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | $350.00 | $1,516.67 | $18,200 |
| 20 states at federal rate | $7.25 | $290.00 | $1,256.67 | $15,080 |
Source: US Department of Labor, as of January 2026. Assumes 40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year. Does not account for overtime, taxes, or deductions.
How Annual Minimum Wage Income Compares to the Poverty Line
The federal poverty guidelines for 2026 are approximately $15,060 for a single person and $31,200 for a family of four. This means:
- A full-time minimum wage worker in the 20 states at $7.25/hr earns $15,080 — essentially at the poverty line for a single person.
- A full-time minimum wage worker in Washington earns $35,630 — above the poverty line for a family of four.
- In most states with rates between $10-$14/hr, a single full-time worker earns above the poverty line but below a living wage.
Looking at the full table above, 14 states — Washington, Connecticut, California, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Oregon, Arizona, Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, Illinois, and Nebraska — plus the District of Columbia have already reached a $15.00/hr (or higher) minimum wage. That's the threshold at which a single full-time worker's gross annual income, on its own, clears the poverty guideline for a family of four. Florida will join that group once its rate rises to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026. Every other state still leaves a single breadwinner supporting a family of four below the poverty line on minimum wage income alone, even working full-time with no unpaid time off.
Part-Time Minimum Wage Annual Income: 20 vs. 30 Hours a Week
Most of the figures above assume a standard 40-hour week, but a large share of minimum wage jobs — retail, food service, home care — are scheduled well below that. Cutting hours cuts a worker's yearly earnings just as much as a low hourly rate does. Here's what 20-hour and 30-hour weeks produce at a few representative rates:
| Hourly Rate | 20 hrs/week Annual | 30 hrs/week Annual | 40 hrs/week Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7.25 (federal / 20 states) | $7,540 | $11,310 | $15,080 |
| $15.00 (MD, MA, IL, and others) | $15,600 | $23,400 | $31,200 |
| $16.90 (California) | $17,160 | $25,740 | $34,320 |
| $17.13 (Washington) | $17,815 | $26,723 | $35,630 |
The gap is stark: a 20-hour-a-week worker at the federal minimum earns $7,540 a year — roughly half the single-person poverty guideline — while the same worker at 40 hours would earn $15,080. Because many minimum wage employers deliberately keep shifts under 30 hours to avoid benefits eligibility thresholds, actual yearly earnings for millions of minimum wage workers fall well short of the full-time figures in the state-by-state table above.
Tipped Worker Annual Income: How the Tip Credit Changes the Math
Tipped employees — servers, bartenders, and similar roles — are usually paid a lower direct cash wage than the standard minimum, with employers allowed to count a portion of tips toward the rest (the "tip credit"). Federal and state law require the employer to make up the difference if tips don't bring total pay up to the full minimum wage, so a tipped worker's legally guaranteed yearly earnings floor should match the state's standard full minimum wage figure — even though the paycheck alone reflects far less.
| State | Cash Wage | Tip Credit | Full Minimum Wage | Annual at Cash Wage Alone | Annual if Tips Reach Full Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California (no tip credit) | $16.50 | $0.00 | $16.90 | $34,320 | $34,320 |
| Washington (no tip credit) | $17.13 | $0.00 | $17.13 | $35,630 | $35,630 |
| Connecticut | $10.71 | $6.23 | $16.94 | $22,277 | $35,235 |
| New York | $10.65 | $5.35 | $16.00 | $22,152 | $33,280 |
| Maryland | $3.63 | $11.37 | $15.00 | $7,550 | $31,200 |
| Texas (representative of federal-rate states) | $2.13 | $5.12 | $7.25 | $4,430 | $15,080 |
California and Washington are among the small group of states that ban the tip credit outright, so tipped and non-tipped minimum wage workers earn the same annual income there. In tip-credit states like Maryland, the employer's direct cash wage alone works out to just $7,550 a year — barely a quarter of the state's $31,200 full-minimum-wage yearly figure — with the rest legally required to come from tips. That make-up requirement is one of the most under-enforced parts of wage law: tip pooling irregularities, unrecorded cash tips, and employer non-compliance mean many tipped workers' real annual income falls between the cash-wage floor and the full-minimum-wage figure, rather than reliably hitting it.
Annual Income vs. Living Wage: The Real Gap
According to MIT's Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for a single adult with no children ranges from approximately $15/hr in the lowest-cost areas to over $27/hr in the most expensive cities. In no state does the minimum wage meet or exceed the living wage for a single parent with one child.
This gap between the legal minimum and the actual cost of living is the central tension in US wage policy. Even in Washington — the state with the highest minimum wage — a single parent earning $17.13/hr falls well short of the estimated living wage of $35-$40/hr.
Take-Home Pay: The Tax Factor
Annual income figures are gross (before taxes). Take-home pay varies significantly by state due to differences in state income tax:
- No state income tax: Washington, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, New Hampshire (9 states) — workers keep more of their gross pay.
- Highest state income tax: California, New York, New Jersey, Oregon — workers in these states see a larger deduction from their paychecks.
For example, a minimum wage worker in Washington ($35,630 gross) takes home approximately $30,000 after federal taxes and FICA. A minimum wage worker in California ($34,320 gross) takes home approximately $27,500 after federal taxes, state taxes, and FICA — a difference of $2,500 despite similar gross pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the annual income for a full-time minimum wage worker in Texas?
Texas follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr. A full-time worker (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year) earns $15,080 per year before taxes — the same amount minimum wage delivers in the other 19 states still at the federal floor.
How much annual income does a part-time minimum wage job provide?
It depends on both the hourly rate and the hours scheduled. At the federal minimum of $7.25/hr, a 20-hour-a-week job earns $7,540 a year and a 30-hour-a-week job earns $11,310. At a $15.00/hr state minimum, those figures rise to $15,600 and $23,400. Part-time minimum wage income alone rarely covers a single adult's basic expenses, even in higher-wage states.
Do tipped workers actually earn less than other minimum wage workers?
Not legally. Federal and state law require employers to make up the difference if tips don't bring a tipped worker's total pay up to the full minimum wage. In a state like Maryland, that means a server's guaranteed annual income floor should match the standard $31,200 full-minimum-wage figure, even though the employer's direct cash wage works out to only $7,550 a year on paper. Enforcement gaps mean this doesn't always happen in practice.
Which state has the highest annual income at minimum wage?
The District of Columbia has the highest, with a $17.50/hr minimum wage that produces $36,400 a year for a full-time worker, narrowly ahead of Washington State's $35,630.
Which states pay the least at minimum wage?
Twenty states — including Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming — remain at the federal minimum of $7.25/hr, producing an annual income of just $15,080 for a full-time worker, the lowest figure anywhere in the country.
How is annual income at minimum wage calculated?
Multiply the hourly rate by 2,080 (40 hours a week times 52 weeks a year). This is a gross, pre-tax figure that assumes full-time, year-round work with no unpaid time off. Actual take-home pay is lower after taxes, and many workers' real annual income is lower still because minimum wage jobs frequently offer fewer than 40 hours a week.
Related: States with the Highest Minimum Wage · States with the Lowest Minimum Wage · Minimum Wage by State
