$17 an Hour Is How Much a Year? [Can You Live Off It In 2023]

$17 an hour is how much a year? If this is what you are earning, trying to earn, or wondering if you should settle for, a simple math equation will show that you would gross $35,360 annually for a 40-hour work week.

Check out 32,000 a year is how much an hour to get a comparison.

Then you are probably wondering what you remain with after taxes and if it is a decent living wage. We can only get these answers by delving deeper into what a $17 hourly wage means.

This article is everything you need to know about a $17 hourly pay. We will get into the specifics of 17 dollars an hour in yearly, monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly income before and after taxes.

Knowing how much you expect will help you plan better how to spend your income, strategize on how to live more comfortably within your means, and also decide if you need to and what you can do to increase or supplement your income.

This article would not be complete if I did not share actionable tips on all this as well, so keep reading.

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$17 an Hour Is How Much a Year Full-time?

In America, anyone working for 35-45 hours a week is considered a full-time employee. The average, 40 hours per week is widely recognized as the typical full-time job.

Going by the traditional 40 hours per week, and assuming you work for 52 weeks annually or take 2 weeks of paid vacation, the equivalent annual salary based on $17 an hour will be $35,360 before taxes.

Here is how I arrived at this answer:

$17 x 40-hrs x 52 weeks= $35,360

You can get an even more accurate result of how much annual salary a $17 an hour job earns you. To do this, multiply the hourly rate by your daily work hours and the total number of working days you have in a year.

If you have also clocked in some overtime hours, you should also factor in the overtime pay.

What if you took a 2 weeks unpaid vacation? This will imply that you work for a total of 50 weeks a year.

Taking the average 40 hours a week multiplied by 17 dollars and by 50 weeks will give you a total yearly income of $34,000.

$17 x 40-hrs x 50 weeks= $34,000 before taxes

If you fall somewhere else within the work week range of 35-45 hours, with a paid vacation, then you should expect something between $30,940 and $39,780 yearly salary pre-taxed.

$17 an Hour is How Much Annual Salary After Taxes?

Several factors can determine your taxable income including your taxable income, state of residence, filing status, tax adjustments, and tax exceptions.

That said, the total amount of tax and the take-home pay can vary from one person to another even with the same annual salary.

Normally, besides paying Federal income taxes, you also pay state taxes, social security taxes, Medicare, SDI(State Disability Insurance), and FLI (Family Leave Insurance) in states where such tax deductions apply.

So, putting the above into consideration, how much is 17 dollars an hour annual salary after taxes? We can use the income tax calculator to calculate the estimated take-home pay for the average person residing in New York.

With an annual pre-tax income of $35,360 and living in New York, you will have all the above tax obligations. Your total tax deductions account for 19.5% of your income which equals $6,823.

Your take-home pay will therefore be $28,537.

That is, $35,360 – $6,823 (19.5% of 35,360)= $28,537

$17 an Hour is how much a year Part-time?

Part-time employment is said to be anything worked under 30 hours. Normally, employees working anywhere between 20-29 hours are said to be part-time employed.

If you fall within this range, you’ll be accumulating between 17,680 ($17 x 20 x 52) and $25,636 ($17 x 29 x 52) pre-taxed at the end of a year.

If you work about 25 hours per week, for example, you should expect an annual salary of $22,100 before taxes.

$17 x 25-hrs x 52 weeks= $22,100

$17 an Hour Part-time is How Much Yearly Salary after Taxes

$17 hourly employees working part-time for approximately 25 hours every week earn $18,684 net income after 15.5% income tax deductions.

$22,100 – $3,416 (15.5 of $22,100)= $18,684 annual take-home pay.

$17 an Hour is How Much a Month?

There are different ways to calculate the monthly income you make on a $17 hourly wage. You can divide the equivalent annual salary based on the hourly rate by 12.

Annual income ($35,360) ÷ 12 months = $2,947 per month before taxes.

Alternatively, you can get a more accurate figure by multiplying the number of hours worked every month by the hourly rate. This is because some months have fewer or more days than others.

$17 hourly is how Much Monthly Income After Taxes

A monthly income of about $2,947 attracts a deduction of $569 in income taxes deductions. This accounts for 19.3% of the income and results in $2,378 per month.

$2,947- $569 (19.3% of $2,947)= $2,378 monthly take-home pay.

$17 an Hour is How Much Bi-weekly?

Bi-weekly simply means after every two weeks. To get the total gross income accumulated bi-weekly, you will multiply the total hours worked in a week by the hourly wage and then by 2.

40 hours x $17 x 2= $1,360 before income taxes

$17 an Hour is how Much Bi-Weekly Salary After Taxes

A $1,360 biweekly income attracts 19.3% tax deductions totaling $262. This leaves you a biweekly net income of $1,098.

$1360- $262 (19.3% x $1,360)= $1,098 biweekly take-home pay

$17 Hourly Wage is How Much a Week?

To know $17 an hour is how much a week, take your hourly pay which is $17 and multiply it by the number of hours you work in a week.

In our case, 40 hours x $17= $680 before income taxes.

$17 Hourly Wage is How Much a Week After Taxes?

A weekly salary of $680 attracts 19.3% income taxes totaling $131. Your after-tax will, therefore, be $549 every week.

$680- $131 (19.3% of $680)= $549 weekly take-home pay.

$17 Hourly pay is How Much a Day?

Assuming that you work at an average rate of 8 hours a day, or full time, then the gross income will be $17X8 hours= $136

After income taxes, you will be left with a net pay of $110

$17 x 40= $136 daily income before income tax
$136-$26.24(19.3 x$136)= 110 daily take-home pay

Can You Live off $17 an Hour Comfortably?

If you live alone, and you are willing to be intentional with your spending, as well as to adopt some frugal living practices, you can get by on an hourly pay of $17 per hour in some states.

In certain states where the cost of living is low, you might even live with a little comfort. To live comfortably though, or even support a family, you would have to do better than an hourly wage of $17.

So if you ask, is $17 an hour good pay? Not really!

First of all, $17 per hour is below the median pay as reflected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Report; Americans are making a mean of $1,041 per week as of the second quarter of 2022.

Then, as per Trading Economics, United States wages increased from $27.12 per hour to $27.33 per hour in May of 2022.

Though the $17 hourly wage is above the federal minimum wage, it is still below the living wage for an individual in most states.

This means that the level of comfort you experience with a $17 per hour salary may depend on factors such as your area of residence and financial obligations such as dependants.

Example Budget for $17 an Hour Salary

The sample budget below gives you an idea of how you can distribute your monthly salary. It is based on an approximate monthly expenditure.

Expense	Budget
Income	2,378 (net pay)
Housing	$730
Utilities	$220
Food & Groceries	$300
Healthcare	$200
Transport (fuel, etc.)	$200
Misc Expenses	$300
Debt Repayment	$200
Savings	$230

Example Monthly Budget

Tips to Live on 17 Dollars an Hour Pay

As I have indicated above, with a few adjustments in your spending habits, you can stretch your income to cater to your needs. Below, I have shared handy tried and tested tips, some of which I can personally swear by.

1. Spend Less Than You Make

One major factor that will drive you to live paycheck to paycheck is debt. To keep yourself from getting into a distressful debt cycle, or to start walking away from it, you must ensure that your expenses are less than your net income. Coming up with and sticking to a monthly budget can help to develop financial discipline.

One principle that I personally find helpful is that if I have to borrow to have it, then I can’t afford it and so I should either do without it or plan better to have it!

You can also try to only spend money on essential items for a certain period to get out of a bad financial situation.

Here’s how to do a no-spend challenge.

2. Take Advantage of Cheap/Free Stuff

If you look carefully, expenses such as entertainment and shopping can provide the perfect opportunity for cheap or free stuff.

Why? For starters, you don’t have to spend a fortune to have fun. Think of how much you would enjoy hiking, playing with your kids at the park, boating, fishing, or attending free concerts, while spending a little cash or nothing.

While it’s ok to spend some money on entertainment from time to time, don’t ignore an opportunity where the extra bucks are not necessary.

When it comes to shopping, shopping with or without a budget, where you shop, and how you pay for your shopping can make a big difference in how much you spend.

Keeping your income in mind, it doesn’t hurt to do little research and price comparison to narrow down outlets that give you the best value for your money.

Other opportunities that you can cash on include redeeming credit card points, using coupons, buying discount gift cards, and paying using cash instead of credit cards.

3. Make Saving Exciting and Enjoyable

Think $17 is too little to save? Here’s how to save money fast on a low income

Frankly speaking, many people find saving to be a boring and monotonous activity because they lack the proper motivation. You can decide on involving your family in participating in this activity and you’d be surprised how enjoyable it actually turns out to be.

Below are some of the ways of having fun saving money.

Challenge yourself to conquer those spending areas you usually struggle with. They could be your utilities, gas, or food.
Set out to save the same amount you use on a want. This might make things look a bit more expensive but chances are, you are likely to start spending less. For example, if you spend $40 on a piece of cloth that just caught your eye, make sure to deposit the same amount into your savings account.
Participating in both the no spending challenge as well as the savings challenge where you challenge yourself to save a certain amount every week until the year ends.

4. Develop Interest in Reading Personal Finance Content

I can personally attest that reading personal finance content can really help in keeping you interested in saving money.

As author Jim Rohn put it“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

By reading, you open your eyes to great ideas you hadn’t thought of before and where others have shared their experiences, an opportunity to relate your financial progress to that of others.

5. Quickly Pay off Your Debts

Truth be told, you will find it hard to start saving before you settle all of your debts. And, as long as you are in debt, you may find yourself living a life depending entirely on your next paycheck.

The idea of paying out your outstanding debts and avoiding new debt requires great persistence, patience, and more often than not, sacrifice but again, as long as you are willing to veer off your area of comfort, it is doable.

How to Increase Your Income When 17 an Hour is Low?

Increasing your income by something as little as $0.50 every hour can make a whole lot of difference to your quality of life.

With more money, you can pay off more of your debts, start saving, stop living from paycheck to paycheck, and generally, stress less over finances.

Check out 21 an hour is how much a year to see what difference an increase in income makes.

There are numerous ways to increase your income. Whether you want to increase the current pay, supplement it, or explore new opportunities, trust me to nudge you in the right direction.

Here are a few approaches to try:

1. Ask for a raise from your employer

This is definitely one of the easiest ways to raise your income but to my surprise, the most overlooked. For this to work though, you have to be certain that the value you input in your place of work is worth asking for a raise.

This way, you need not be afraid of approaching your employer to negotiate for a raise or other perks such as bonuses, paid vacation, better overtime pay discount programs, meal allowances, and childcare which may help you make more or save on your expenses in the long run.

2. Find a new gig

You’ll never know what else you can do and how much more money you can earn until you start looking. Here, you can opt to explore a whole new industry or look for a better-paying opportunity in the same industry.

To increase your negotiating power, ensure that you collect and document your past successes and also highlight your strengths.

You can then narrow down the jobs you are likely to get and since more and more companies are hiring remote workers, cast a wider net geographically.

3. Find a new career

A huge number of people feel like they are trapped in a career they feel doesn’t compensate for their hard work.

They also find it hard to change their career due to multiple reasons such as an association of their identities and self-worth with current jobs in addition to perceiving a career change as being a time-consuming process.

Does this sound like you?

If you are willing to put in the effort and time, then it is possible to change to a new better-paying career. You may need to improve your skills to be more marketable or sometimes, acquire a new set of skills.

4. Earn money passively

Passive jobs won’t consume much of your effort and resources to get started. They are a great choice if you already like your current job and are only looking to supplement your income.

There are numerous passive income ideas including renting out your spare room, affiliate marketing, renting out your car for ad space, investing in stocks, and taking surveys just to mention a few.

You can also pick other ideas from this list of 12 unique ways to make money from home.

Jobs that Pay $17 an Hour

Even though most of these jobs paying $17 an hour do not require advanced formal education or experience, you may still need a high school diploma in most cases for you to be considered for employment.

Based on popular job review sites, below is a list of what jobs pay $17 an hour.

Job Name	Job Description	Pay
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator	A cooling and freezing equipment operator manages refrigerators, freezing tunnels, and batch freezers for the purpose of cooling or freezing products, blood plasma, food, and chemicals among other commodities.	$17
Bill and Account Collector	Also referred to as collection agents their tasks are to negotiate repayment plans on overdue bills with the debtor on behalf of the creditor and assist the former in coming up with solutions that will make the repayment process easier.	$17.6
Material Recording Clerk	Tasked with compiling and maintaining inventory of the materials that have been received, stocked, and issued so as to keep the business on track and the supply chain on schedule.	from $16
Small Engine Mechanic	A small engine mechanic provides services such as diagnosing, servicing, and repairing small engine equipment such as motorcycles, scooters, dirt bikes, and mopeds. Typically like all of the above-mentioned jobs, you will require a high school diploma and on-the-job training to be recognized as a small engine mechanic	$17
Optician	Opticians can be located at either optometrists’ offices, physicians’ offices, or stores that sell visual aids or eyeglasses. Their main work involves fitting contact lenses and eyeglasses as prescribed by ophthalmologists and optometrists	$17.10
Animal Control Worker	An animal control worker handles an animal with the aim of either controlling dangerous, abandoned, unattended animals or investigating cases of mistreatment on/by the animal and writing reports.	$17.79

Jobs that pay $17 per Hour

Where to Get $17 an Hour Jobs?

$17 an hour gig can be found on Google listings for “jobs near me”. You can also turn to popular job boards that advertise to freelancers and other job seekers. Notably, the job boards offer a wide range of jobs at varied rates so you may have to filter your searches to match the job and the rate you are looking for.

The top picks for such websites include:

17 Dollars an Hour: Conclusion

17 dollars an hour amounts to $35,360 a year before taxes but your net annual income can vary based on your income taxes.

Depending on your spending habits and factors such as your location and financial obligations, this amount makes a livable wage in most states especially if you don’t have any dependents.

That said, $17 per hour is way below the median pay of full-time workers in the US and far from being a good salary.

Like every pay, there are numerous ways to make the best of your $17 an hour, increase it, or supplement it. I just shared tips to steer you in the right direction.

So, what do you think of the $17 hourly rate? Do you have ideas, tips, or hacks that you think can benefit you and others? Let’s hear it in our comments section below.