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) | $26.00 |
| Daily (8 hrs) | $208.00 |
| Weekly | $1,040 |
| Biweekly (every 2 weeks) | $2,080 |
| Semi-monthly (twice a month) | $2,253 |
| Monthly | $4,507 |
| Annual | $54,080 |
Part-time and shift work rarely lands on exactly forty. At $26 an hour:
| Hours per week | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 40 hrs | $54,080 | $4,507 |
| 35 hrs | $47,320 | $3,943 |
| 30 hrs | $40,560 | $3,380 |
| 25 hrs | $33,800 | $2,817 |
| 20 hrs | $27,040 | $2,253 |
These are the occupations whose national median sits within a dollar of $26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $25.84 | $53,750 | 416,210 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $25.40 | $52,830 | 193,370 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $26.72 | $55,570 | 156,280 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | $26.06 | $54,210 | 154,800 |
| Automotive Body and Related Repairers | $26.39 | $54,890 | 149,310 |
| Roofers | $26.65 | $55,440 | 135,490 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $25.50 | $53,040 | 102,500 |
| Tax Preparers | $26.40 | $54,920 | 76,480 |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | $26.08 | $54,240 | 58,010 |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | $25.64 | $53,340 | 41,820 |
| Financial Clerks, All Other | $25.88 | $53,830 | 36,260 |
| Tile and Stone Setters | $26.77 | $55,690 | 35,850 |
$26 an hour is higher than the median wage in about 44% of the occupations the federal wage survey tracks. The median American worker earns $24.51 an hour ($50,980 a year), so $26 is 6% 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.