That is the full-time figure: 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, 2080 hours — the same basis the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses when it converts hourly rates to annual ones. Gross, before tax and deductions.
| Period | Gross pay |
|---|---|
| Hourly (40 hrs/week) | $25.00 |
| Daily (8 hrs) | $200.00 |
| Weekly | $1,000 |
| Biweekly (every 2 weeks) | $2,000 |
| Semi-monthly (twice a month) | $2,167 |
| Monthly | $4,333 |
| Annual | $52,000 |
Part-time and shift work rarely lands on exactly forty. At $25 an hour:
| Hours per week | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 40 hrs | $52,000 | $4,333 |
| 35 hrs | $45,500 | $3,792 |
| 30 hrs | $39,000 | $3,250 |
| 25 hrs | $32,500 | $2,708 |
| 20 hrs | $26,000 | $2,167 |
These are the occupations whose national median sits within a dollar of $25 an hour. Median means half the people in that occupation earn more, half less — so this is the middle of the profession, not its entry rate or its ceiling.
| Occupation | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $24.36 | $50,670 | 1,373,680 |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | $24.34 | $50,620 | 704,640 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $25.84 | $53,750 | 416,210 |
| Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance | $24.20 | $50,340 | 202,810 |
| Medical Records Specialists | $24.59 | $51,140 | 194,720 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $25.40 | $52,830 | 193,370 |
| Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other | $24.18 | $50,290 | 182,610 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $24.37 | $50,690 | 169,450 |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | $24.16 | $50,260 | 154,960 |
| Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other | $24.47 | $50,890 | 118,590 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $25.50 | $53,040 | 102,500 |
| Cargo and Freight Agents | $25.13 | $52,260 | 97,670 |
$25 an hour is higher than the median wage in about 42% of the occupations the federal wage survey tracks. The median American worker earns $24.51 an hour ($50,980 a year), so $25 is 2% above that. This is close to the middle of the distribution.
Overtime, shift differentials, bonuses and employer benefits are excluded, and so is tax. Location matters more than most people expect: the same occupation can pay two or three times more in one metro than another, which is why every salary guide here breaks the figure down by metropolitan area rather than quoting one national number.