How much does $13 an hour 40 hours a week add up to?

When you’re scraping by as a single parent, every dollar matters. Unfortunately, the minimum wage in most states doesn’t come close to covering the cost of living. In fact, in no state can a single parent working full-time make ends meet on minimum wage alone.
The United States and New York State both have minimum wages above the federal floor of $7.25 an hour. But that still leaves many low-income workers earning less than they need to support themselves and their families.
This article will answer some common questions about minimum wage in terms that are easy to understand.
- How much does an hour of work at minimum wage pay?
- Which states have the highest minimum wage?
- Which states have the lowest minimum wage?
- Which professions pay the most?
- How much does a month of working at minimum wage pay?
- Is it better to work full-time or part-time at minimum wage?
- Is there any way to make ends meet on minimum wage?
- Final Words: Be Careful When Working for Minimum Wage
How much does an hour of work at minimum wage pay?
Minimum wage is different in every state, but there are some general guidelines.
If you’re earning $7.25 an hour, for every hour you work, you’ll earn $7.25. If you work 40 hours a week, you’ll earn $290. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is something.
If you’re earning $12 an hour, you’ll earn $24 for every hour you work. If you work 40 hours a week, you’ll earn $960. That’s more than twice as much as if you’re earning $7.25 an hour.
Generally speaking, the more you earn per hour, the more you’ll earn in a week. You can always check the U.S. Department of Labor’s website to find out the minimum wage in your state.
Which states have the highest minimum wage?
The states with the highest minimum wages are California, Washington, Oregon, and Vermont. In these states, the minimum wage is $12 an hour.
In New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, the minimum wage is $11 an hour.
The states with the lowest minimum wages are Georgia, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Texas. In these states, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Which states have the lowest minimum wage?
The states with the lowest minimum wages are Georgia, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Texas. These states have a $7.25 minimum wage, which is the same as the federal minimum wage.
If you live in one of the states with a higher minimum wage, congratulations. You’re already earning more than some of your peers. These states include: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
If you live in one of the states with a lower minimum wage, don’t worry. It’s still possible to make ends meet, even on minimum wage.
Which professions pay the most?
Some professions pay a lot more than others, even at minimum wage. In fact, some professions pay about the same as the minimum wage.
Here are some of the highest paying professions:
- Registered nurses: $31 an hour
- Computer network architects: $29 an hour
- Early childhood educators: $28 an hour
- Financial analysts: $27 an hour
- Physicians and surgeons: $27 an hour
- Marketing managers: $27 an hour
How much you’ll earn at your job, though, depends on factors like your experience, education level, and hours worked.
For example, an early childhood educator with a bachelor’s degree will earn more than someone with a high school degree. A physician with more than 20 years’ experience will earn more than a physician with two years’ experience.
How much does a month of working at minimum wage pay?
Here’s a quick chart to compare how much it costs to live in different states. We’ll assume that you are a single parent with one child and are only working part-time (20 hours a week).
What’s clear from this chart is that no matter where you live, it’s not cheap to raise a family. This is why it’s so important to earn as much as you can.
As you can see, it’s almost impossible to make ends meet on minimum wage in any state. In most states, it’s possible to make the numbers work if you only work part-time.
Luckily, there are ways to make the numbers work if you’re only earning minimum wage.
Is it better to work full-time or part-time at minimum wage?
Working full-time at minimum wage is nearly impossible to make work unless you have no dependents. This is because full-time workers are usually expected to work 40 hours a week.
Working part-time at minimum wage is much more realistic. If you’re working part-time, you’ll likely be working fewer than 40 hours a week. This means that you’ll be able to get assistance from the government.
Working part-time also frees up more time for you to earn money in other ways. For example, you could tutor on the side or become a virtual assistant. In addition, you could start a side hustle, like driving for Lyft or Uber.
Working part-time and earning as much money as you can in other ways will make it easier to make ends meet on minimum wage.
Is there any way to make ends meet on minimum wage?
If you’re working full-time at minimum wage, it’ll be challenging to make ends meet. It’s not impossible, but it will take some creativity.
To make ends meet, you’ll need to get help from your state. According to the website, you can do this in two ways:
You can apply for your state’s assistance program, like food stamps. Or, you can apply for a state assistance program that’s designed for people who are working.
Remember, though, that you’ll need to be earning as much as you can. This means that you should try to maximize your hours and take advantage of any education or certification opportunities available to you.
Final Words: Be Careful When Working for Minimum Wage
As we’ve seen, it can be challenging to make ends meet on minimum wage. This is especially true if you’re working full-time. Luckily, there are ways to make the numbers work if you’re only earning minimum wage.
Working on a full-time basis at minimum wage is extremely difficult. It’s challenging to balance your work, your family life, and your state assistance program application.
In other words, you need to be careful when working for minimum wage. You need to make sure that you’re not burning yourself out.
Working full-time at minimum wage is not sustainable. If you’re working full-time and relying on state assistance, you’ll likely exhaust your funds quickly.
You may have heard that you can earn a living wage by working only one or two hours per day. That may be true for some jobs, but for most types of work, it's not as easy as it sounds. Earning a living wage is a combination of working hard and getting really lucky. In most cases, it also involves working more than 40 hours per week.
Working for minimum wage can be challenging, but it's possible to make ends meet. You just need to be creative and make sure to take advantage of any assistance programs that are available to you.
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