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$42 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
At 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, $42 an hour is $87,360 a year before tax — about $7,280 a month and $1,680 a week. After estimated federal tax and FICA you keep roughly $66,240.
The math
$42 × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $87,360. If your schedule is different, the total moves with you:
| Hours per week | Annual | Monthly | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (part time) | $43,680 | $3,640 | $840 |
| 37.5 | $81,900 | $6,825 | $1,575 |
| 40 (full time) | $87,360 | $7,280 | $1,680 |
| 45 | $98,280 | $8,190 | $1,890 |
| 50 | $109,200 | $9,100 | $2,100 |
Most hourly jobs pay for actual hours worked, so a week off without pay removes roughly $1,680 from your year. Federal law (FLSA) requires 1.5× pay for hours over 40 in a workweek for most non-exempt employees; if you regularly work 45 hours at $42, overtime pushes the year to $103,740.
What $42 an hour looks like after tax
For a single filer with no dependents in California, $87,360 gross works out to about $66,240 take-home a year — $5,520 a month, or $31.85 for every hour worked. That is an effective rate of 24.2% across federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security and Medicare.
| Item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $87,360 | $7,280 |
| Federal income tax | −$10,389 | −$866 |
| State income tax | −$4,048 | −$337 |
| Social Security + Medicare | −$6,683 | −$557 |
| Take-home | $66,240 | $5,520 |
Is $42 an hour a good wage?
The median full-time annual wage in the United States is about $48,940. $87,360 sits above that line by $38,420, which is 179% of the median. On a 40-hour week the federal minimum wage of $7.25 brings in $15,080, so $42 is 5.8× the floor.