Electrician · Detroit, MI

29.6 hours of work

cover a month's rent on a one-bedroom in Detroit for an electrician earning the median $39.42 an hour.

Comfortable Rank 1 of 20 for Electricians (by rent share of take-home) · Metro median pay is 30% above this job's U.S. median

Median pay
$81,990
per year · $39.42/hr · 11,210 Electricians
1-bedroom rent
$1,167
per month · HUD Fair Market Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Take-home
$5,542
per month after federal tax + FICA
Left after rent
$4,375
per month · yours · 21% of take-home

Hours of work = monthly rent ÷ BLS median hourly wage ($1,167 ÷ $39.42). After federal taxes the same rent takes 36.5 h of take-home pay. MI state income tax isn't deducted, so real take-home is a bit higher-taxed.

EARNINGS STATEMENT FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Electrician
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Rate (median, hourly)$39.42
Hours in a month173.3
Gross pay$6,833
Federal income tax−$767
Social Security + Medicare−$523
Take-home$5,542
Rent · 1BR · HUD FMR−$1,167

Rent costs

29.6 hours

of work to cover one month

STUB-01

Wages May 2025 estimates · Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)

01 · Paycheck prints

A month at the median wage, line by line.

Rate $39.42 × 173.3 hours (2,080 ÷ 12) prints gross pay of $6,833.

EARNINGS STATEMENT FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Electrician
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Rate (median, hourly)$39.42
Hours in a month173.3
Gross pay$6,833
Federal income tax−$767
Social Security + Medicare−$523
Take-home$5,542
Rent · 1BR · HUD FMR−$1,167

Rent costs

29.6 hours

of work to cover one month

STUB-01

Wages May 2025 estimates · Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)

02 · Taxes peel off

Federal income tax and FICA come off the stub.

2026 single filer, standard deduction. State income tax is not deducted here.

Federal income tax 2026, single−$767
Social Security + Medicare−$523

Taxes · $1,290 · peeled

03 · Rent tears away

A strip as tall as the rent.

29.6 h

of work at $39.42/hr pays $1,167, one month of a one-bedroom in Detroit. The strip is drawn to scale: $1,167 of a $6,833 gross month (17% of stub).

Background tint · rent burden 21.1% of take-home

Rent · 1BR FMR−$1,167

Hours of work

29.6

HUD Fair Market Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026) · Detroit metro

04 · What's left is yours

After tax and the 1-bedroom, this remains.

Comfortable

What's left · yours

$4,375

Take-home before rent$5,542
2BR instead (−$1,459)$4,083
vs HUD 30%-of-gross rule1.76×

05 · Floor plan

The stub becomes a one-bedroom.

Rent hatches rooms in ledger red, to scale against take-home. Toggle a 2-bedroom — both figures are precomputed HUD FMRs.

1-bedroom floor plan with rent hatched LIVING BED BATH KITCHEN

Hatched share is 21% of take-home (1BR).

06 · Street grid

How Detroit compares for Electricians

Hours of work to cover a one-bedroom's rent, all metros, fewest hours first.

Comfortable (rent ≤ 30% of take-home)Stretched (30–40%)Strained (> 40%)

Sorted by hours of work (1-bedroom HUD FMR ÷ median hourly wage), fewest first. Rank on the page still uses rent share of take-home.

# Metro Hours Rent Wage / hr 0 – 52 h (HUD 30% of gross)
01 Detroit 29.6 h $1,167 $39.42
02 Chicago 36.2 h $1,780 $49.21
03 Minneapolis–St. Paul 36.2 h $1,427 $39.37
04 Philadelphia 43.4 h $1,558 $35.86
05 Houston 44.3 h $1,261 $28.45
06 Seattle 44.6 h $2,180 $48.93
07 Riverside–San Bernardino 48.7 h $1,705 $35.00
08 Phoenix 50.7 h $1,493 $29.43
09 San Francisco 51.3 h $2,290 $44.63
10 Baltimore 51.5 h $1,625 $31.54
11 Dallas–Fort Worth 54.1 h $1,536 $28.37
12 Atlanta 57.4 h $1,619 $28.20
13 Tampa 59.7 h $1,648 $27.62
14 Denver 60.3 h $1,831 $30.36
15 Washington, DC 60.4 h $2,204 $36.50
16 San Diego 63.8 h $2,335 $36.62
17 Boston 65.5 h $2,518 $38.42
18 Los Angeles 67.7 h $2,402 $35.49
19 New York 71.8 h $2,729 $37.99
20 Miami 75.2 h $2,121 $28.19

The ledger

One month at the median wage, line by line, in dollars and in hours of work.

LinePer monthHours of workBasis
Gross pay$6,833173.3$81,990 ÷ 12
Federal income tax−$76719.5$9,208/yr ÷ 12
Social Security + Medicare−$52313.3$6,272/yr ÷ 12
Take-home$5,542140.6MI wage tax not deducted
Rent · 1BR FMR−$1,16729.6HUD FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Yours$4,375111.0take-home − rent

Hours = dollars ÷ $39.42; 173.3 = 2,080 hrs ÷ 12. May not sum exactly due to rounding.

Hours of work for rent, by pay level

Same $1,167 one-bedroom, different electrician paychecks.

10th · $22.43 52.0 h
25th · $28.97 40.3 h
Median · $39.42 29.6 h
75th · $45.36 25.7 h
90th · $51.60 22.6 h

Bar scale includes the HUD 30%-of-gross line at 52.0 h (52 h rounded). Same 1-bedroom, different paychecks (BLS wage percentiles ÷ 2,080 hrs).

Take-home vs rent

Monthly take-home pay: $5,542 1-bedroom Left $4,375 Rent $1,167 2-bedroom Rent $1,459 Left $4,083

Where Electricians keep more after rent

This ranking uses rent share of take-home (rank 1 of 20), not hours.

≤30% of take-home30–40%>40%30% line

Sources & method

  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — metropolitan areas — vintage: May 2025 estimates. File: oesm25ma.zip, retrieved 2026-10-06.
  2. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD USER), Fair Market Rents, FY2027 — vintage: FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). File: FY27_FMRs.xlsx, retrieved 2026-10-05.
  3. Internal Revenue Service, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (tax year 2026 brackets, $16,100 standard deduction) and SSA's $184,500 wage base, used for the take-home estimate.
  4. HUD FMR area: Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI HUD Metro FMR Area (METRO19820M19820).
  5. Occupation: SOC 47-2111 Electricians.

Take-home = annual wage − 2026 federal income tax (single filer, standard deduction) − Social Security and Medicare. State and local income taxes are not deducted. Wages are May 2025 estimates; rents are HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). Full details on the methodology page. Page data last rebuilt 2026-10-06.

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