How Does Your State Rank on Taxes?

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[Straight Vermonter]

 

Comparing the Total Tax Burden in Each State to Just the State/Local Tax Burden

 

Each state’s total tax burden represents a combination of federal, state, and local tax burdens. It can be instructive, however, to strip out federal taxes and compare just the tax burdens of states and localities.

The 33 links below display tables that compare total taxes as a percentage of income for each state to state/local taxes as a percentage of income, ranked in order, for the years 1971 to 2002.

Look at other years

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Effective State and Local Tax Burdens by State and Rank
Calendar Year 2002

	State and Local			Total
	Tax Burden	Rank		Tax Burden	Rank	Change in Ranking
Total	10.2%			32.1%
Maine	12.8%	1	Maine	32.7%	11	-10
New York	12.3%	2	New York	34.7%	3	-1
Wisconsin	12.0%	3	Wisconsin	33.2%	6	-3
Hawaii	11.6%	4	Hawaii	30.9%	30	-26
Minnesota	11.3%	5	Minnesota	32.9%	7	-2
Rhode Island	11.3%	6	Rhode Island	32.5%	13	-7
Arkansas	11.3%	7	Arkansas	31.2%	26	-19
Utah	11.2%	8	Utah	31.2%	27	-19
Ohio	11.2%	9	Ohio	31.6%	20	-11
Vermont	11.0%	10	Vermont	32.1%	16	-6
Connecticut	10.9%	11	Connecticut	36.7%	1	10
New Mexico	10.9%	12	New Mexico	30.4%	34	-22
Nebraska	10.8%	13	Nebraska	31.6%	19	-6
Michigan	10.7%	14	Michigan	32.8%	8	6
Mississippi	10.7%	15	Mississippi	29.8%	43	-28
Louisiana	10.5%	16	Louisiana	30.1%	41	-25
Idaho	10.5%	17	Idaho	30.3%	37	-20
Kentucky	10.5%	18	Kentucky	30.2%	39	-21
West Virginia	10.5%	19	West Virginia	29.1%	48	-29
Washington	10.5%	20	Washington	35.6%	2	18
Kansas	10.4%	21	Kansas	31.4%	23	-2
Iowa	10.4%	22	Iowa	30.6%	32	-10
New Jersey	10.3%	23	New Jersey	34.3%	4	19
California	10.3%	24	California	32.7%	10	14
Georgia	10.2%	25	Georgia	31.4%	22	3
North Dakota	10.2%	26	North Dakota	29.5%	45	-19
Delaware	10.2%	27	Delaware	31.7%	17	10
Arizona	10.1%	28	Arizona	31.7%	18	10
North Carolina	10.1%	29	North Carolina	30.4%	35	-6
South Carolina	10.0%	30	South Carolina	30.2%	40	-10
Illinois	10.0%	31	Illinois	32.8%	9	22
Montana	10.0%	32	Montana	29.8%	42	-10
Oklahoma	9.9%	33	Oklahoma	29.0%	49	-16
Indiana	9.9%	34	Indiana	30.9%	31	3
Pennsylvania	9.9%	35	Pennsylvania	31.1%	28	7
Wyoming	9.8%	36	Wyoming	34.1%	5	31
Maryland	9.7%	37	Maryland	31.1%	29	8
Missouri	9.7%	38	Missouri	30.2%	38	0
Massachusetts	9.5%	39	Massachusetts	32.6%	12	27
Virginia	9.4%	40	Virginia	31.3%	25	15
Oregon	9.4%	41	Oregon	30.5%	33	8
Florida	9.3%	42	Florida	32.2%	15	27
Nevada	9.2%	43	Nevada	32.3%	14	29
South Dakota	9.1%	44	South Dakota	29.7%	44	0
Colorado	9.1%	45	Colorado	31.3%	24	21
Alabama	9.1%	46	Alabama	29.1%	47	-1
Texas	9.0%	47	Texas	30.4%	36	11
New Hampshire	8.6%	48	New Hampshire	31.6%	21	27
Tennessee	8.4%	49	Tennessee	29.2%	46	3
Alaska	6.3%	50	Alaska	27.0%	50	0
District of Columbia	13.9%	-		37.6%

 

 

Look at other years

 

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[Black Agnes]

Oop, I meant your nice corrupt legislature! (from what i've learned via freep articles).

[Brett66]

All-right Oklahoma! 2nd lowest overall tax burden to Alaska. Hopefully we could improve on that in the future. There's been talk of eliminating the state income tax for a sales tax.

[Hodar]

...Washington state sucks...

I couldn't possibly agree more. I'm re-locating as soon as I find a job outside of the state. This place is awful, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Worst transportation system in the USA, and getting worse. Credit where credit is due ... wonderful summers ... but we pay through the nose the other 10 months of the year. Gonna get my behind back to Texas.

[Jack Black]

This seems meaningless to me. The total tax burden for Oregon is listed at 9.4% while Washington is listed at 10.5%.

Oregon has no sales tax. Washington has no income tax. If they are claiming the burdens are the same it depends entirely on how much you make and how much you spend. A simple table of state Income, Sales and Property tax rates would be more useful.

Is corporate tax or income included in these calculated figures? If so it could throw it off a lot.

Thanks for posting it anyway though, but I just think this is obscuring as much as it is revealing.

[DallasDeb]

Move to Texas.

[Hodar]

We don't have an income tax ... but we are getting nailed for gasoline (with another 20 cent/gallon tax being introduced), sales tax, property tax, and the business tax is competely unfair. That's why Boeing told the governer to go abuse himself, and moved their corporate headquarters to Chicago.

[who knows what evil?]

Do a search for tn or tenn, they're trying to get state income tax passed.

Correction: our corrupt, good 'ol boy state legislature is trying to get an income tax passed. The people, with the exception of the education cartel, government workers, and the media, are opposed.

[SamAdams76]

Okay, I don't want to hear any more crap about Massachusetts from my fellow Freepers. We rank 39 out of 50. Who'd have thought it? Of course, this may be due in part to having a Republican governor for the past 10 years - RINO's all, but at least they are a tad better than the tax-and-spend Democrats of the Dukakis era.

[Ken H]

Why would Federal taxes be different from State to State?

Also, I'd like to see the budget deficit of each State. I'd bet the States with high tax rates are in no better shape than lower tax States.

[SheLion]

Yea! Maine number 1! Figures.......

[Laserman]

It would be interesting to see this table with columns showing which party controls the governor and legislature in each state!

[Straight Vermonter]

One would think with all this revenue that they wouldn't have to have closed down the waysides (with restrooms) along public highways. Nothing else says "Welcome To Wisconsin" like closed public waysides along the highways!

In Vermont we are spending millions to upgrade and enlarge our highway rest areas, which are still nothing more than a bathroom and a lobby with VT tourism info. Meanwhile, NY has highway rest areas with convenience stores, rest areas, and gas stations. I'm sure these areas pay for themselves AND provide far better service to the traveler. God forbid, however, that VT allow the evils of corporate greed to taint our road ways.

[riley1992]

Okay, I don't want to hear any more crap about Massachusetts from my fellow Freepers.

Yes, that definitely makes up for all the other grossly negligent acts of the state. I promise to never, ever say another bad word about Mass. In fact, I pinky swear it.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Man, I expected NJ to be #2 or #3.....imagine my surprise.........lol

[GailA]

btt

[GailA]

I KNOW AND I WANT TO STAY THERE AT THE BOTTOM. This is one of the few times I like to be LAST.

[Straight Vermonter]

The state by state breakdown of control follows.

State	Legislature	Governor
Alabama	Democrat	Democrat
Alaska	Republican	Democrat
Arizona	Split	Republican
Arkansas	Democrat	Republican
California	Democrat	Democrat
Colorado	Split	Republican
Connecticut	Democrat	Republican
Delaware	Split	Democrat
Florida	Republican	Republican
Georgia	Democrat	Democrat
Hawaii	Democrat	Democrat
Idaho	Republican	Republican
Illinois	Split	Republican
Indiana	Split	Democrat
Iowa	Republican	Democrat
Kansas	Republican	Republican
Kentucky	Split	Democrat
Louisiana	Democrat	Republican
Maine	Split	Independent
Maryland	Democrat	Democrat
Massachusetts	Democrat	Republican
Michigan	Republican	Republican
Minnesota	Split	Independent
Mississippi	Democrat	Democrat
Missouri	Split	Democrat
Montana	Republican	Republican
Nebraska	Non-Partisan	Republican
Nevada	Split	Republican
New Hampshire	Republican	Democrat
New Jersey	Republican	Republican
New Mexico	Democrat	Republican
New York	Split	Republican
North Carolina	Democrat	Democrat
North Dakota	Republican	Republican
Ohio	Republican	Republican
Oklahoma	Democrat	Republican
Oregon	Republican	Democrat
Pennsylvania	Republican	Republican
Rhode Island	Democrat	Republican
South Carolina	Split	Democrat
South Dakota	Republican	Republican
Tennessee	Democrat	Republican
Texas	Split	Republican
Utah	Republican	Republican
Vermont	Split	Democrat
Virginia	Republican	Republican
Washington	Democrat	Democrat
West Virginia	Democrat	Democrat
Wisconsin	Split	Republican
Wyoming	Republican	Republican

[alaskanfan]

I like finishing last in this category.