Income taxes aren’t the only tax you pay. States have other ways of getting your money. Here are all 50 states ranked from highest to lowest tax burden.
Right now you’re probably feeling the pain of paying taxes. If you’re lucky, you’re getting a refund.
If you live in one of the seven states with no state income tax (Nevada, Washington, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming and Alaska) you’re enjoying lower state income tax than the rest of the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re tax burden is lower.
The ratio known as the “tax burden” is different from tax rates, which vary widely based on an individual’s circumstances. Tax burden measures the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes. The common types of taxes that many states impose on individuals are personal income tax, sales tax, and property tax.
State tax burdens aren’t uniform across the country. For example, while Nevada and Washington have no state income tax, they have the second and third highest sales & excise taxes, and they rank No. 33 and 30, respectively, for overall tax burden.
To determine the states that tax their residents the most and least aggressively, WalletHub compared the 50 states across the three tax types of state tax burdens — property taxes, individual income taxes and sales/excise taxes — as a share of total personal income in the state. Each category is expressed as a percent, followed by that state’s ranking in the individual category—(1) is the highest, and (50) is lowest.
1. New York
Total tax burden: 12.75%Property tax burden: 4.43% (rank: 6)Individual income tax burden: 4.90% (rank: 1=highest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.42% (rank: 25)
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2. Hawaii
Total tax burden: 12.70%Property tax burden: 2.55% (34)Individual income tax burden: 3.18% (8)Total sales & excise tax burden: 6.97% (Highest)
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3. Maine
Total tax burden: 11.42%Property tax burden: 5.48% (Highest)Individual income tax burden: 2.51% (21)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.43% (24)
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4. Vermont
Total tax burden: 11.13%Property tax burden: 5.31% (2)Individual income tax burden: 2.49% (22)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.33% (27)
5. Minnesota
Total tax burden: 10.20%Property tax burden: 2.93% (22)Individual income tax burden: 3.74% (5)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.53% (22)
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6. New Jersey
Total tax burden: 10.11%Property tax burden: 4.98% (4)Individual income tax burden: 2.54% (20)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.59% (43)
7. Connecticut
Total tax burden: 10.06%Property tax burden: 4.16% (7)Individual income tax burden: 3.07% (11)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.83% (41)
8. Rhode Island
Total tax burden: 9.91%Property tax burden: 4.48% (5)Individual income tax burden: 2.31% (28)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.12% (34)
9. California
Total tax burden: 9.72%Property tax burden: 2.76% (30)Individual income tax burden: 3.80% (4)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.16% (32)
10. Illinois
Total tax burden: 9.70%Property tax burden: 3.98% (8)Individual income tax burden: 2.22% (30)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.50% (23)
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11. Maryland
Total tax burden: 9.47%Property tax burden: 2.61% (33)Individual income tax burden: 4.07% (3)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.79% (42)
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12. New Mexico
Total tax burden: 9.37%Property tax burden: 2.04% (42)Individual income tax burden: 1.75% (37)Total sales & excise tax burden: 5.58% (4)
13. Iowa
Total tax burden: 9.34%Property tax burden: 3.42% (14)Individual income tax burden: 2.57% (18)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.35% (26)
14. Kansas
Total tax burden: 9.34%Property tax burden: 3.11% (18)Individual income tax burden: 2.43% (23)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.80% (18)
15. Utah
Total tax burden: 9.19%Property tax burden: 2.36% (37)Individual income tax burden: 3.17% (9)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.66% (19)
16. Mississippi
Total tax burden: 9.16%Property tax burden: 2.84% (23)Individual income tax burden: 1.70% (39)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.62% (7)
17. West Virginia
Total tax burden: 9.08%Property tax burden: 2.28% (40)Individual income tax burden: 2.76% (14)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.04% (12)
18. Nebraska
Total tax burden: 9.01%Property tax burden: 3.69% (10)Individual income tax burden: 2.41% (24)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.91% (39)
19. Ohio
Total tax burden: 8.99%Property tax burden: 2.78% (27)Individual income tax burden: 2.60% (17)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.61% (21)
20. Wisconsin
Total tax burden: 8.92%Property tax burden: 3.17% (16)Individual income tax burden: 2.83% (13)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.92% (38)
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21. Massachusetts
Total tax burden: 8.80%Property tax burden: 3.49% (12)Individual income tax burden: 3.35% (6)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.96% (45)
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22. Arkansas
Total tax burden: 8.77%Property tax burden: 1.77% (46)Individual income tax burden: 2.24% (29)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.76% (6)
2. Kentucky
Total tax burden: 8.77%Property tax burden: 1.99% (44)Individual income tax burden: 3.16% (10)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.62% (20)
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24. Louisiana
Total tax burden: 8.75%Property tax burden: 1.95% (45)Individual income tax burden: 1.74% (38)Total sales & excise tax burden: 5.06% (5)
25. Oregon
Total tax burden: 8.65%Property tax burden: 3.14% (17)Individual income tax burden: 4.39% (2)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.12% (lowest)
26. Pennsylvania
Total tax burden: 8.57%Property tax burden: 2.81% (25)Individual income tax burden: 2.57% (18)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.19% (30)
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27. Colorado
Total tax burden: 8.52%Property tax burden: 2.97% (20)Individual income tax burden: 2.32% (27)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.23% (29)
28. Indiana
Total tax burden: 8.42%Property tax burden: 2.34% (38)Individual income tax burden: 2.17% (32)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.91% (15)
29. Arizona
Total tax burden: 8.39%Property tax burden: 2.50% (35)Individual income tax burden: 1.60% (40)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.29% (8)
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30. Washington
Total tax burden: 8.37%Property tax burden: 2.63% (32)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 5.74% (3)
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31. Michigan
Total tax burden: 8.25%Property tax burden: 3.09% (19)Individual income tax burden: 2.19% (31)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.97% (36)
32. Texas
Total tax burden: 8.22%Property tax burden: 3.97% (9)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.25% (11)
33. Nevada
Total tax burden: 8.19%Property tax burden: 2.03% (43)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 6.16% (2)
34. Virginia
Total tax burden: 8.18%Property tax burden: 2.97% (20)Individual income tax burden: 2.92% (12)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.29% (44)
35. North Carolina
Total tax burden: 8.16%Property tax burden: 2.19% (41)Individual income tax burden: 2.65% (16)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.32 (28)
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36. Georgia
Total tax burden: 8.01%Property tax burden: 2.68% (31)Individual income tax burden: 2.38% (25)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.95% (37)
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37. North Dakota
Total tax burden: 8.00%Property tax burden: 2.77% (28)Individual income tax burden: 0.95% (41)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.28% (9)
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38. Missouri
Total tax burden: 7.80%Property tax burden: 2.30% (39)Individual income tax burden: 2.36% (26)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.14% (33)
39. South Carolina
Total tax burden: 7.67%Property tax burden: 2.80 (26)Individual income tax burden: 2.03% (33)Total sales & excise tax burden: 2.84% (40)
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40. Idaho
Total tax burden: 7.59%Property tax burden: 2.39% (36)Individual income tax burden: 2.03% (33)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.17% (31)
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41. Oklahoma
Total tax burden: 7.47%Property tax burden: 1.74% (48)Individual income tax burden: 1.90% (36)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.83% (17)
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42. Alabama
Total tax burden: 7.41%Property tax burden: 1.41% (lowest)Individual income tax burden: 2.00% (35)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.00% (13)
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43. Montana
Total tax burden: 7.39%Property tax burden: 3.45% (13)Individual income tax burden: 2.66% (15)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.28% (47)
44. South Dakota
Total tax burden: 7.12%Property tax burden: 2.84% (23)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 4.28% (9)
45. Florida
Total tax burden: 6.64%Property tax burden: 2.77% (28)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.87% (16)
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46. New Hampshire
Total tax burden: 6.41%Property tax burden: 5.11% (3)Individual income tax burden: 0.14% (42)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.16% (49)
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47. Wyoming
Total tax burden: 6.32%Property tax burden: 3.32% (15)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest) Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.00% (35)
48. Delaware
Total tax burden: 6.22%Property tax burden: 1.77% (46)Individual income tax burden: 3.28% (7)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.17% (48)
49. Tennessee
Total tax burden: 5.75%Property tax burden: 1.71% (49)Individual income tax burden: 0.06% (43)Total sales & excise tax burden: 3.98% (14)
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50. Alaska
Total tax burden: 5.06%Property tax burden: 3.54% (11)Individual income tax burden: 0.00% (lowest)Total sales & excise tax burden: 1.52% (46)
Read more about the tax burdens by state at WalletHub.
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