Updated June 2026Reviewed for Tax Year 2026
Highest Tax States 2026
All 50 states ranked from highest to lowest composite tax burden in 2026. Top 10 chart, sortable table, methodology, citation block, and CSV download.
Top 10 Highest-Tax States
Composite burden share (income + property + sales) — higher is heavier.
Composite burden share
Why These Taxes Are High
- New Jersey & Illinois — America's highest property tax rates (2.2–2.5%) fund local schools and pensions.
- California & New York — top income brackets exceed 10%, with NYC adding 3.876% on top.
- Hawaii & Oregon — income tax brackets reach 11% and 9.9% respectively, offset by lower property tax.
- Connecticut — high income brackets stacked with second-highest property tax in the Northeast.
Full Interactive Ranking
Click any column header to sort. Click a state name to open its full tax guide.
| 51 | WyomingWY | 0.00% | 0.61% | 5.44% | 0.00% | 68/100 | 2.85% |
| 50 | AlaskaAK | 0.00% | 1.19% | 1.80% | 0.00% | 66/100 | 2.92% |
| 49 | NevadaNV | 0.00% | 0.55% | 8.24% | 0.00% | 66/100 | 3.57% |
| 48 | New HampshireNH | 0.00% | 1.93% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 61/100 | 3.86% |
| 47 | FloridaFL | 0.00% | 0.89% | 7.00% | 0.00% | 64/100 | 3.88% |
| 46 | TennesseeTN | 0.00% | 0.71% | 9.56% | 0.00% | 63/100 | 4.29% |
| 45 | South DakotaSD | 0.00% | 1.24% | 6.44% | 0.00% | 61/100 | 4.41% |
| 44 | WashingtonWA | 0.00% | 0.98% | 9.38% | 7.00% | 61/100 | 4.77% |
| 43 | TexasTX | 0.00% | 1.80% | 8.25% | 0.00% | 54/100 | 6.08% |
| 42 | North DakotaND | 2.04% | 0.98% | 7.04% | 2.04% | 48/100 | 6.11% |
| 41 | ArizonaAZ | 2.50% | 0.62% | 8.40% | 2.50% | 50/100 | 6.26% |
| 40 | IndianaIN | 3.05% | 0.84% | 7.00% | 3.05% | 20/100 | 6.83% |
| 39 | MontanaMT | 5.90% | 0.74% | 0.00% | 4.10% | 42/100 | 7.38% |
| 38 | KentuckyKY | 4.00% | 0.83% | 6.00% | 4.00% | 38/100 | 7.46% |
| 37 | DelawareDE | 6.60% | 0.61% | 0.00% | 6.60% | 42/100 | 7.82% |
| 36 | ColoradoCO | 4.40% | 0.55% | 7.80% | 4.40% | 38/100 | 7.84% |
| 35 | PennsylvaniaPA | 3.07% | 1.49% | 6.34% | 3.07% | 54/100 | 7.95% |
| 34 | North CarolinaNC | 4.50% | 0.73% | 6.99% | 4.50% | 19/100 | 8.06% |
| 33 | AlabamaAL | 4.50% | 0.40% | 9.25% | 5.00% | 48/100 | 8.08% |
| 32 | UtahUT | 4.65% | 0.63% | 7.47% | 4.65% | 37/100 | 8.15% |
| 31 | LouisianaLA | 4.25% | 0.55% | 9.55% | 4.25% | 47/100 | 8.21% |
| 30 | West VirginiaWV | 5.12% | 0.58% | 6.57% | 5.12% | 48/100 | 8.25% |
| 29 | MississippiMS | 4.70% | 0.79% | 7.07% | 4.70% | 58/100 | 8.40% |
| 28 | ArkansasAR | 4.40% | 0.64% | 9.40% | 4.40% | 36/100 | 8.50% |
| 27 | 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% |
| 25 | MichiganMI | 4.25% | 1.38% | 6.00% | 4.25% | 32/100 | 8.81% |
| 24 | IdahoID | 5.80% | 0.67% | 6.20% | 5.80% | 46/100 | 9.00% |
| 23 | VirginiaVA | 5.75% | 0.81% | 5.77% | 5.75% | 46/100 | 9.10% |
| 22 | MassachusettsMA | 5.00% | 1.14% | 6.25% | 5.00% | 43/100 | 9.16% |
| 21 | OklahomaOK | 4.75% | 0.89% | 8.99% | 4.75% | 33/100 | 9.23% |
| 20 | MissouriMO | 4.80% | 0.97% | 8.39% | 4.80% | 33/100 | 9.26% |
| 19 | GeorgiaGA | 5.39% | 0.92% | 7.40% | 5.39% | 33/100 | 9.45% |
| 18 | IowaIA | 4.38% | 1.57% | 6.94% | 4.38% | 39/100 | 9.60% |
| 16 | MarylandMD | 5.75% | 1.06% | 6.00% | 5.75% | 33/100 | 9.67% |
| 17 | District of ColumbiaDC | 6.75% | 0.56% | 6.00% | 6.75% | 36/100 | 9.67% |
| 15 | South CarolinaSC | 6.40% | 0.57% | 7.50% | 6.40% | 45/100 | 9.79% |
| 14 | HawaiiHI | 8.20% | 0.31% | 4.50% | 7.25% | 48/100 | 10.17% |
| 13 | WisconsinWI | 5.30% | 1.68% | 5.44% | 5.30% | 28/100 | 10.29% |
| 12 | OregonOR | 8.75% | 0.93% | 0.00% | 9.90% | 46/100 | 10.61% |
| 11 | KansasKS | 5.70% | 1.41% | 8.70% | 5.70% | 37/100 | 11.13% |
| 10 | Rhode IslandRI | 5.99% | 1.53% | 7.00% | 5.99% | 27/100 | 11.15% |
| 9 | NebraskaNE | 5.84% | 1.63% | 6.96% | 5.84% | 36/100 | 11.19% |
| 8 | MaineME | 7.15% | 1.36% | 5.50% | 7.15% | 28/100 | 11.52% |
| 7 | IllinoisIL | 4.95% | 2.27% | 8.88% | 4.95% | 1/100 | 12.15% |
| 6 | ConnecticutCT | 6.00% | 2.14% | 6.35% | 6.90% | 21/100 | 12.19% |
| 5 | New YorkNY | 6.85% | 1.40% | 8.53% | 6.85% | 25/100 | 12.21% |
| 4 | VermontVT | 6.60% | 1.90% | 6.35% | 6.60% | 23/100 | 12.31% |
| 3 | MinnesotaMN | 7.85% | 1.11% | 8.05% | 9.85% | 9/100 | 12.48% |
| 2 | New JerseyNJ | 6.37% | 2.46% | 6.63% | 6.37% | 17/100 | 13.28% |
| 1 | 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, higher composite-burden values rank higher (worse for residents).
Cite This Research
Journalists, bloggers, and researchers — please credit TaxEase.money with a link to this page.
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Source: TaxEase.money 2026 State Tax Research — "Highest Tax States 2026 — Total Tax Burden Ranking" (https://taxease.money/highest-tax-states)- APA
TaxEase Research Team. (2026). Highest Tax States 2026 — Total Tax Burden Ranking. TaxEase.money. https://taxease.money/highest-tax-states- MLA
"TaxEase Research Team." Highest Tax States 2026 — Total Tax Burden Ranking, TaxEase.money, 2026, https://taxease.money/highest-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
- What state has the highest taxes overall?
- New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois consistently rank at the top — high income tax brackets stacked on above-average property and sales taxes.
- Why are taxes so high in these states?
- Larger public-sector workforces, generous pension obligations, robust public transit and education funding, and dense urban infrastructure. Top income tax rates reach 10%+.
- Is moving to a low-tax state always worth it?
- Only if your housing, healthcare, and career costs don't rise to offset the tax savings. Run our state-vs-state comparisons for your salary before deciding.
- Can I cite this in an article?
- Yes — please credit TaxEase.money with a link to this page. Citation formats are provided above for plain text, APA, and MLA.
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