Updated June 2026Reviewed for Tax Year 2026
Lowest Tax States 2026
All 50 states + D.C. ranked by composite tax burden (income + property + sales + capital gains) for 2026. Sortable table, Top 10 chart, methodology, and downloadable CSV.
Top 10 Lowest-Tax States
Composite burden share (income + property + sales) — lower is better.
Composite burden share
Full Interactive Ranking
Click any column header to sort. Click a state name to open its full tax guide.
| 1 | WyomingWY | 0.00% | 0.61% | 5.44% | 0.00% | 68/100 | 2.85% |
| 2 | AlaskaAK | 0.00% | 1.19% | 1.80% | 0.00% | 66/100 | 2.92% |
| 3 | NevadaNV | 0.00% | 0.55% | 8.24% | 0.00% | 66/100 | 3.57% |
| 4 | New HampshireNH | 0.00% | 1.93% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 61/100 | 3.86% |
| 5 | FloridaFL | 0.00% | 0.89% | 7.00% | 0.00% | 64/100 | 3.88% |
| 6 | TennesseeTN | 0.00% | 0.71% | 9.56% | 0.00% | 63/100 | 4.29% |
| 7 | South DakotaSD | 0.00% | 1.24% | 6.44% | 0.00% | 61/100 | 4.41% |
| 8 | WashingtonWA | 0.00% | 0.98% | 9.38% | 7.00% | 61/100 | 4.77% |
| 9 | TexasTX | 0.00% | 1.80% | 8.25% | 0.00% | 54/100 | 6.08% |
| 10 | North DakotaND | 2.04% | 0.98% | 7.04% | 2.04% | 48/100 | 6.11% |
| 11 | ArizonaAZ | 2.50% | 0.62% | 8.40% | 2.50% | 50/100 | 6.26% |
| 12 | IndianaIN | 3.05% | 0.84% | 7.00% | 3.05% | 20/100 | 6.83% |
| 13 | MontanaMT | 5.90% | 0.74% | 0.00% | 4.10% | 42/100 | 7.38% |
| 14 | KentuckyKY | 4.00% | 0.83% | 6.00% | 4.00% | 38/100 | 7.46% |
| 15 | DelawareDE | 6.60% | 0.61% | 0.00% | 6.60% | 42/100 | 7.82% |
| 16 | ColoradoCO | 4.40% | 0.55% | 7.80% | 4.40% | 38/100 | 7.84% |
| 17 | PennsylvaniaPA | 3.07% | 1.49% | 6.34% | 3.07% | 54/100 | 7.95% |
| 18 | North CarolinaNC | 4.50% | 0.73% | 6.99% | 4.50% | 19/100 | 8.06% |
| 19 | AlabamaAL | 4.50% | 0.40% | 9.25% | 5.00% | 48/100 | 8.08% |
| 20 | UtahUT | 4.65% | 0.63% | 7.47% | 4.65% | 37/100 | 8.15% |
| 21 | LouisianaLA | 4.25% | 0.55% | 9.55% | 4.25% | 47/100 | 8.21% |
| 22 | West VirginiaWV | 5.12% | 0.58% | 6.57% | 5.12% | 48/100 | 8.25% |
| 23 | MississippiMS | 4.70% | 0.79% | 7.07% | 4.70% | 58/100 | 8.40% |
| 24 | ArkansasAR | 4.40% | 0.64% | 9.40% | 4.40% | 36/100 | 8.50% |
| 25 | New MexicoNM | 4.90% | 0.67% | 7.63% | 4.90% | 36/100 | 8.53% |
| 26 | OhioOH | 3.50% | 1.52% | 7.25% | 3.50% | 40/100 | 8.71% |
| 27 | MichiganMI | 4.25% | 1.38% | 6.00% | 4.25% | 32/100 | 8.81% |
| 28 | IdahoID | 5.80% | 0.67% | 6.20% | 5.80% | 46/100 | 9.00% |
| 29 | VirginiaVA | 5.75% | 0.81% | 5.77% | 5.75% | 46/100 | 9.10% |
| 30 | MassachusettsMA | 5.00% | 1.14% | 6.25% | 5.00% | 43/100 | 9.16% |
| 31 | OklahomaOK | 4.75% | 0.89% | 8.99% | 4.75% | 33/100 | 9.23% |
| 32 | MissouriMO | 4.80% | 0.97% | 8.39% | 4.80% | 33/100 | 9.26% |
| 33 | GeorgiaGA | 5.39% | 0.92% | 7.40% | 5.39% | 33/100 | 9.45% |
| 34 | IowaIA | 4.38% | 1.57% | 6.94% | 4.38% | 39/100 | 9.60% |
| 35 | MarylandMD | 5.75% | 1.06% | 6.00% | 5.75% | 33/100 | 9.67% |
| 36 | District of ColumbiaDC | 6.75% | 0.56% | 6.00% | 6.75% | 36/100 | 9.67% |
| 37 | South CarolinaSC | 6.40% | 0.57% | 7.50% | 6.40% | 45/100 | 9.79% |
| 38 | HawaiiHI | 8.20% | 0.31% | 4.50% | 7.25% | 48/100 | 10.17% |
| 39 | WisconsinWI | 5.30% | 1.68% | 5.44% | 5.30% | 28/100 | 10.29% |
| 40 | OregonOR | 8.75% | 0.93% | 0.00% | 9.90% | 46/100 | 10.61% |
| 41 | KansasKS | 5.70% | 1.41% | 8.70% | 5.70% | 37/100 | 11.13% |
| 42 | Rhode IslandRI | 5.99% | 1.53% | 7.00% | 5.99% | 27/100 | 11.15% |
| 43 | NebraskaNE | 5.84% | 1.63% | 6.96% | 5.84% | 36/100 | 11.19% |
| 44 | MaineME | 7.15% | 1.36% | 5.50% | 7.15% | 28/100 | 11.52% |
| 45 | IllinoisIL | 4.95% | 2.27% | 8.88% | 4.95% | 1/100 | 12.15% |
| 46 | ConnecticutCT | 6.00% | 2.14% | 6.35% | 6.90% | 21/100 | 12.19% |
| 47 | New YorkNY | 6.85% | 1.40% | 8.53% | 6.85% | 25/100 | 12.21% |
| 48 | VermontVT | 6.60% | 1.90% | 6.35% | 6.60% | 23/100 | 12.31% |
| 49 | MinnesotaMN | 7.85% | 1.11% | 8.05% | 9.85% | 9/100 | 12.48% |
| 50 | New JerseyNJ | 6.37% | 2.46% | 6.63% | 6.37% | 17/100 | 13.28% |
| 51 | CaliforniaCA | 9.30% | 0.75% | 8.82% | 9.30% | 38/100 | 13.45% |
Methodology
All TaxEase rankings use the same per-state data lake refreshed for tax year 2026.
- Income tax — average effective rate paid by middle-quintile households, cross-checked against Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates.
- Property tax — property tax paid divided by median market home value (Census ACS 5-year + state DOR aggregates).
- Sales tax — state statutory rate + population-weighted local average (Tax Foundation 2025 mid-year).
- Capital gains — state long-term capital gains rate (often the same as ordinary income).
- Retirement-friendliness score (0–100) —
50 + retirement_bonus − property×1000 − sales×100 − income×150, clamped 0–100. - Overall burden —
income + property×2 + sales×0.30, assuming home value ≈ 2× income and 30% of income spent on taxable goods.
On this page, lower composite-burden values rank higher.
Cite This Research
Journalists, bloggers, and researchers — please credit TaxEase.money with a link to this page.
- Plain text
Source: TaxEase.money 2026 State Tax Research — "Lowest Tax States 2026 — Ranked by Total Tax Burden" (https://taxease.money/lowest-tax-states)- APA
TaxEase Research Team. (2026). Lowest Tax States 2026 — Ranked by Total Tax Burden. TaxEase.money. https://taxease.money/lowest-tax-states- MLA
"TaxEase Research Team." Lowest Tax States 2026 — Ranked by Total Tax Burden, TaxEase.money, 2026, https://taxease.money/lowest-tax-states.
Press inquiries: research@taxease.money
Data Sources
Every figure is sourced from an official tax authority or non-partisan policy institute.
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ↗Federal 2026 brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32).
- Tax Foundation — State Tax Rates ↗Cross-state income, property, sales, corporate data.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year ↗Median home value and effective property tax.
- State Departments of Revenue ↗Authoritative 2026 schedules, forms, and instructions for each state.
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) ↗Non-partisan federal tax analysis.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — CES ↗Household taxable-spend share used in burden composite.
Related Calculators, Guides & Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which state has the absolute lowest taxes?
- Wyoming, Alaska, and South Dakota consistently lead on composite burden — no income tax plus modest property and sales taxes.
- How is 'lowest tax' calculated?
- We weight effective state income tax, property tax (on a typical home value 2× household income), and average combined sales tax on a 30% taxable-spend share. See Methodology.
- Does cost of living change the ranking?
- Yes — Hawaii is low on income tax burden as a share of income but expensive overall. We track tax incidence, not the cost of living.
- Can I republish this ranking?
- Yes, with attribution to TaxEase.money and a link back to this page. Citation formats are provided above.
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