No 24 The Atlas
Where your dollar
keeps its shape.
Federal, state, and FICA taxes summed, then divided by local cost of living. Fifty states ranked by what actually stays in your pocket.
Lowest burden
Wyoming
$23,736.88
Highest burden
Connecticut
$34,172.902
Best take-home
West Virginia
$85,011.59
Avg. composite
51 states
29.1%
Gross income, for reading
$100,000
$25k
$50k
$75k
$100k
$150k
$250k
$500k
Sort by
| № | State | ISO | Type | Burden | Composite | Take-home | COL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wyoming West | WY | No tax | $23,736.88 | 23.7% | $80,276.968 | 95 |
| 02 | Alaska Pacific | AK | No tax | $23,940 | 23.9% | $59,889.764 | 127 |
| 03 | Nevada West | NV | No tax | $24,579.532 | 24.6% | $72,519.681 | 104 |
| 04 | Tennessee Southeast | TN | No tax | $24,957.04 | 25.0% | $83,381.067 | 90 |
| 05 | Florida Southeast | FL | No tax | $25,390.32 | 25.4% | $72,436.583 | 103 |
| 06 | Washington Pacific | WA | No tax | $25,488.68 | 25.5% | $64,792.452 | 115 |
| 07 | South Dakota Midwest | SD | No tax | $25,905.24 | 25.9% | $80,537.783 | 92 |
| 08 | New Hampshire Northeast | NH | No tax | $26,400 | 26.4% | $65,132.743 | 113 |
| 09 | Arizona Southwest | AZ | flat | $26,540.808 | 26.5% | $71,319.604 | 103 |
| 10 | Colorado West | CO | flat | $26,922.5 | 26.9% | $69,597.619 | 105 |
| 11 | North Dakota Midwest | ND | flat | $26,975.594 | 27.0% | $78,520.867 | 93 |
| 12 | Louisiana Southeast | LA | progressive | $27,482.85 | 27.5% | $79,689.176 | 91 |
| 13 | Montana West | MT | progressive | $27,670.35 | 27.7% | $71,613.515 | 101 |
| 14 | Texas Southwest | TX | No tax | $27,839.5 | 27.8% | $77,591.935 | 93 |
| 15 | Delaware Northeast | DE | progressive | $27,869 | 27.9% | $68,048.113 | 106 |
| 16 | North Carolina Southeast | NC | flat | $27,977.138 | 28.0% | $75,023.814 | 96 |
| 17 | Alabama Southeast | AL | progressive | $28,019.92 | 28.0% | $81,795.545 | 88 |
| 18 | Arkansas Southeast | AR | progressive | $28,199.828 | 28.2% | $83,488.572 | 86 |
| 19 | New Mexico Southwest | NM | progressive | $28,240.598 | 28.2% | $78,856.486 | 91 |
| 20 | Indiana Midwest | IN | flat | $28,394.44 | 28.4% | $79,561.733 | 90 |
| 21 | Kentucky Southeast | KY | flat | $28,518.374 | 28.5% | $79,424.028 | 90 |
| 22 | West Virginia Southeast | WV | progressive | $28,590.264 | 28.6% | $85,011.59 | 84 |
| 23 | Missouri Midwest | MO | progressive | $28,810.755 | 28.8% | $79,987.916 | 89 |
| 24 | Oklahoma Southwest | OK | progressive | $28,874.812 | 28.9% | $82,703.708 | 86 |
| 25 | Utah West | UT | flat | $28,998.532 | 29.0% | $70,298.483 | 101 |
| 26 | South Carolina Southeast | SC | progressive | $29,028.358 | 29.0% | $75,501.747 | 94 |
| 27 | Georgia Southeast | GA | flat | $29,191.005 | 29.2% | $76,138.705 | 93 |
| 28 | Mississippi Southeast | MS | flat | $29,205.616 | 29.2% | $84,279.029 | 84 |
| 29 | Ohio Midwest | OH | flat | $29,217.992 | 29.2% | $78,646.676 | 90 |
| 30 | Idaho West | ID | flat | $29,444.643 | 29.4% | $72,737.481 | 97 |
| 31 | District of Columbia Northeast | DC | progressive | $29,923.504 | 29.9% | $47,348.984 | 148 |
| 32 | Virginia Southeast | VA | progressive | $30,021.41 | 30.0% | $67,940.378 | 103 |
| 33 | Hawaii Pacific | HI | progressive | $30,131.826 | 30.1% | $41,098.926 | 170 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania Northeast | PA | flat | $30,186.64 | 30.2% | $70,518.545 | 99 |
| 35 | Maryland Northeast | MD | progressive | $30,396.862 | 30.4% | $58,490.032 | 119 |
| 36 | Iowa Midwest | IA | flat | $30,447.635 | 30.4% | $78,148.724 | 89 |
| 37 | California Pacific | CA | progressive | $30,526.159 | 30.5% | $48,925.24 | 142 |
| 38 | Rhode Island Northeast | RI | progressive | $30,614.133 | 30.6% | $63,078.061 | 110 |
| 39 | Michigan Midwest | MI | flat | $31,008.32 | 31.0% | $77,518.742 | 89 |
| 40 | Massachusetts Northeast | MA | flat | $31,124.5 | 31.1% | $51,018.889 | 135 |
| 41 | Nebraska Midwest | NE | progressive | $31,329.241 | 31.3% | $74,642.129 | 92 |
| 42 | Wisconsin Midwest | WI | progressive | $31,426.636 | 31.4% | $73,734.8 | 93 |
| 43 | Minnesota Midwest | MN | progressive | $31,439.737 | 31.4% | $69,252.791 | 99 |
| 44 | Maine Northeast | ME | progressive | $31,770.716 | 31.8% | $60,919.004 | 112 |
| 45 | Kansas Midwest | KS | progressive | $31,780.562 | 31.8% | $77,522.089 | 88 |
| 46 | Oregon Pacific | OR | progressive | $31,834.813 | 31.8% | $60,861.775 | 112 |
| 47 | New York Northeast | NY | progressive | $32,077.21 | 32.1% | $48,516.279 | 140 |
| 48 | Vermont Northeast | VT | progressive | $32,757.699 | 32.8% | $58,984.474 | 114 |
| 49 | New Jersey Northeast | NJ | progressive | $33,739.561 | 33.7% | $55,217.033 | 120 |
| 50 | Illinois Midwest | IL | flat | $33,835.75 | 33.8% | $70,387.5 | 94 |
| 51 | Connecticut Northeast | CT | progressive | $34,172.902 | 34.2% | $51,427.42 | 128 |
These estimates use simplified tax models for comparison purposes. Actual taxes depend on filing status, deductions, credits, and local taxes. Always consult a licensed tax professional before making relocation decisions.
Marginalia · Method
Composite rate = (federal + state + FICA) ÷ gross income. Cost of living index base 100 = national average. Sources: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 + state Departments of Revenue.