25+ Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

With the inflation drastically crunching many people’s budgets, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re looking at jobs that pay $40 an hour (or higher). I would, too!

• How much is $40 an hour in yearly salary? That’s around $83,200 pre-tax, or $62,400 after taxes!
• How much is $40 an hour in monthly salary? That’s $6,400 pre-taxes or $4,800 after taxes.

Is $40 an hour livable wage? It depends on where you live, and your current situation. Do you live alone? Have a partner who works as well? Do you have kids?

If $40 an hour is a huge jump from your current or last job, read on to find out what jobs offer this salary and what companies to eye for.

20+ Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

What types of qualifications or experience do you need to land these jobs?

If the job title includes a “manager,” there’s a big chance that the position requires you to have a relevant management degree under your belt, or extensive management experience to increase your chances.

Is it possible to find jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree? Yes, you’d be surprised that these do exist. You just have to know where to look.

Food Service

• Restaurant chefs or executive chefs – The Chef Agency specializes in hiring talent for the food service and hotel industry. Got mad skills as a chef? Have you been working as an assistant manager at your local boutique hotel? This company could be the jump you need from your $25/hour job.
• Regional directors of fast food companies – Unfortunately, branch managers only earn around $25 to $30 an hour. If you’re in the fast food industry and you’re looking for jobs that pay $40 an hour, your best bet is to aim for a regional director position. If you have the experience to scale up your career, check opportunities at McDonald’s, KFC, and so on.
• Food Service Manager – In large-scale food operations such as hotels, restaurant chains and similar companies, the food service manager ensures that the place is running smoothly.
• Corporate executive chefs – Unlike restaurant chefs who lead commercial restaurants and private chefs that take care of private events, corporate executive chefs plan and create meals for specific companies. These chefs at Compass Group earn around $82,500-$102,500 per year.
• Bartender – Here’s one of those jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree (some even earn up to $75/hour), but you do need a mixology background and experience working at nightclubs, bars, pubs, and other similar establishments.

Healthcare

• Certified nurse midwife in hospitals – This job not only pays $40 to $70 an hour, but it can also be a meaningful career if you’re looking to specialize in your nursing degree.
• Pharmacists – You’ll be earning about $55/hour in this job, but you’ll need a highly specific pharmacy degree to kick off this career. Jobs are available in most hospitals, independent pharmacies, and other similar medical facilities.
• Dental hygienist – If you’re aiming for a path to dentistry, check out how to become a dental hygienist. This position requires you have a science prerequisite and a two-year dental hygiene degree completed, topped by state licensure. Once you get all legalities done, you can earn from $40 to $60 an hour as a dental hygienist.
• Fitness instructor – For those who have a very specific niche (such as yoga+nutritionist or dance+keto) or a target market that is willing to pay you a ton of money, you can earn from $50 to $100 an hour as a fitness instructor.

Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour in Entertainment and Travel

If you’re looking for jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree, you’ll likely find them in the arts and entertainment industry.

• Engineers in hotels – Mariott Hotel, for example, hires in-house engineers to oversee all hotel maintenance from electricity issues to security cameras and more. The engineers at Mariott get a minimum of $80,000 a year. The company has 30 hotels under its belt with hundreds of locations all over the world.
• Wedding industry makeup artists – The Pink Chique is an example of a wedding-focused company that hires freelance hair and makeup artists for about $50 to $90 an hour. Of course, there are many other similar companies like this, so if you’re in the beauty business, check the average salary of makeup artists in your state.
• Interpreters – This job requires that you speak two or more languages fluently. Experience interpreters who are hired by companies, embassies, and other formal settings can earn around $50 to $60 an hour. The best thing about this job? You can supplement your day job with a freelance interpreting gig online, too! And if you’re good at what you do, $50 an hour is definitely doable as well.
• Commercial pilot – Entry-level regional pilots start at $20 an hour, but if you gain more experience, switch to a national airline, become an international pilot, or graduate to a more challenging aircraft, you could increase your hourly rate to around $50 to $60 per hour.
• Private plane flight attendants – Regular flight attendants who work for commercial airlines go for $25 to $40 an hour, but those who are lucky enough to be hired as air hostesses on private planes could earn up to $100/hour.

Retail

• Purchasing Manager – You know how stores decide on what items to sell? The purchasing manager does! Because it’s their job to oversee the selection of items, negotiations with brands, coordinating with suppliers, and supervising a team of purchasing agents and buyers. It’s a pretty big responsibility to be a purchasing manager, which is why the salary of $52 to $68 an hour reflects it as well.
• Salesperson or sales executive – If the position offers commissions for every sale you make, it is easy to get $50 an hour. Of course, this would still depend on your base salary and whether the product you’re trying to sell is actually sellable. Sales executives, a position that requires a business degree, earn higher at $60 to $70 an hour.

Jobs that Pay 20 an Hour in Business, IT, and Finance

• Software developer – This job continues to fall in the evergreen category, so if you have programming skills and a passion to solve computer problems, you won’t find it hard to land a good-paying job in the US. Most IT companies pay software developers around $54 to $65 per hour.
• Marketing manager – You’ll need to be extremely talented in managing people while building a client portfolio and making sure that the company’s existing customers remain happy and signed to the company. This job requires a degree in business, marketing, or a similar field, but pays $65+ an hour.
• Lawyer – The qualifications it takes to become a lawyer can be staggering and expensive, but it is all worth it once you’re working and earning about $60 an hour. Experienced lawyers can earn as high as $300 to $500 an hour.
• PR Managers – Public relations can make or break a company or individual’s name. If you have a good representative handling PR, stock prices won’t be affected or your reputation can be restored. A PR manager ensures that the PR team does its job well in conducting press releases, making fruitful connections, and designing campaigns to benefit their client or company.

Online Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

Online work is fantastic if you’re dreaming of traveling and leading a digital nomad lifestyle. But the digital jobs available may be stable, but they aren’t all highly paid.

If you’re looking for online jobs that pay $40 an hour so you could work from home (or from a beach somewhere in another part of the world), aim for these jobs:

• App developer – App developers earn between $90,000 and $100,000 annually. Since many IT companies went remote during the start of the 2020 pandemic, app developers have mostly stayed in work-from-home positions and still enjoy higher pay.
• Online tutor – Basic English tutors or academic tutors don’t earn as high – these gigs usually fall in the $12 to $30 category. But if you offer a guaranteed SAT prep (and prove your worth with reviews) or teach advanced subjects like calculus, you can sell your tutoring services for $50 per hour or higher.
• Business consulting – If you listen closely to the interviews of billionaire CEOs, you’ll realize that many of them have consulted with another person before they made it big. $50 an hour is on the lower end of consultancy fees. If you have the knowledge and experience in any given field, whether it’s in digital marketing or business law, your input will be valued.
• SEO Specialist – If you’re in the business of web development, blogging, or any online field, you know that a good SEO specialist can earn over $40 an hour. These positions, however, are reserved for those who truly know what they’re doing. In short, this salary isn’t for entry-level SEO positions.
• Copywriters – Experienced copywriters who write copy for ads, corporate websites, newsletters, and other customer-facing communication can earn upward of $40 an hour.

The Bottom Line

Unlike my guide on jobs that pay $15 an hour and jobs that pay $20 an hour, where companies are openly advertising the positions publicly, it is more challenging to find companies that currently offer $40-an-hour jobs.

But I hope the positions above give you a better idea of what jobs you should be aiming for. And if you need more resources, read up on:

• High-paying entry-level jobs you should be aware of
• Best Jobs for the Future: Your Guide to Future-Proofing Your Life