Living on minimum wage · Arkansas
Living on Minimum Wage in Arkansas
A full-time job at Arkansas’s $11.00 minimum wage pays $22,880 a year. After federal taxes that is about $1,698 a month, the 28th-highest take-home of the 51 states and DC (tied).
- Take-home a month $1,698 single, after federal tax
- Take-home a year $20,377 89% of $22,880
- Real hourly pay $9.80 after tax, of $11.00
- Work for $100 of goods 11.1 hrs incl. 8.625% sales tax
From gross pay to take-home
| Year | Month | Every 2 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $22,880 | $1,907 | $880 |
| Federal income tax | −$753 | −$63 | −$29 |
| Social Security & Medicare | −$1,750 | −$146 | −$67 |
| Take-home | $20,377 | $1,698 | $784 |
Figures assume 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, a single filer and the 2026 standard deduction. Arkansas state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower. For a different situation, use the take-home pay calculator.
Compared with the federal minimum
A full-time worker in Arkansas takes home about $6,450 more a year than someone paid the $7.25 federal minimum, who keeps $13,926. The highest take-home is in District of Columbia, at $32,842. See this state’s rate history and rank on minimum wage in Arkansas.
What spending costs in hours of work
The combined sales tax in Little Rock is 8.625%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $108.63 at the register. At $9.80 of take-home pay an hour, that takes about 11.1 hours of work, the 30th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Rates differ across the state; see sales tax in Arkansas for other cities.
Two earners
A couple who both work full-time at minimum wage and file jointly earn $45,760 and take home about $3,396 a month after federal taxes.
How big a mortgage minimum wage supports
Lenders commonly cap housing costs at 28% of gross pay. At this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, that lets one full-time earner here borrow about $82,227 and a two-earner couple about $164,453, before property tax and insurance. See what a $150,000 mortgage costs month to month.
Minimum wage in Arkansas: take-home FAQ
What is take-home pay on minimum wage in Arkansas?
Full-time at $11.00 an hour, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, earns $22,880 a year. After $753 of federal income tax and $1,750 of Social Security and Medicare, a single filer takes home about $20,377, or $1,698 a month. Arkansas state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower.
How much federal tax does a minimum wage worker pay in Arkansas?
About $753 of federal income tax and $1,750 of Social Security and Medicare, using 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for a single filer. Together that is 11% of gross pay.
How long does a minimum wage worker in Arkansas work to buy $100 of goods?
The combined sales tax in Little Rock is 8.625%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $108.63 at the register. At a take-home rate of $9.80 an hour, that is about 11.1 hours of work, the 30th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Can you afford a mortgage on minimum wage in Arkansas?
Keeping principal and interest to 28% of gross pay at this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, one full-time minimum wage earner could borrow about $82,227. Two full-time earners could borrow about $164,453, before property tax and insurance.
2026 state minimum wage, 2026 federal brackets for a single filer with the standard deduction, and Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%. State and local income taxes are not included . Sales tax is the combined rate for one downtown ZIP code in Little Rock.
Data: U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue, via APIVerve. Our tables, charts and text are licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: share and adapt them for non-commercial use as long as you credit us. For commercial use or bulk data, use the APIVerve API. See the data terms. Cite as: Digest Your Finances, “Living on Minimum Wage by State”, https://digestyourfinances.com/studies/living-on-minimum-wage/arkansas/ — based on U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue. CC BY-NC 4.0.
