Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State

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May 8, 2024 Graphics/Design:

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

This map graphic visualizes the total tax burden in each U.S. state as of March 2024, based on figures compiled by WalletHub.

It’s important to understand that under this methodology, the tax burden measures the percent of an average person’s income that is paid towards state and local taxes. It considers property taxes, income taxes, and sales & excise tax.

Data and Methodology

The figures we used to create this graphic are listed in the table below.

StateTotal Tax Burden New York12.0% Hawaii11.8% Vermont11.1% Maine10.7% California10.4% Connecticut10.1% Minnesota10.0% Illinois9.7% New Jersey9.5% Rhode Island9.4% Utah9.4% Kansas9.3% Maryland9.3% Iowa9.2% Nebraska9.2% Ohio8.9% Indiana8.9% Arkansas8.8% Mississippi8.8% Massachusetts8.6% Virginia8.5% West Virginia8.5% Oregon8.4% Colorado8.4% Pennsylvania8.4% Wisconsin8.3% Louisiana8.3% Kentucky8.3% Washington8.0% New Mexico8.0% Michigan8.0% North Carolina7.9% Idaho7.9% Arizona7.8% Missouri7.8% Georgia7.7% Texas7.6% Alabama7.5% Montana7.5% South Carolina7.5% Nevada7.4% Oklahoma7.0% North Dakota6.8% South Dakota6.4% Delaware6.4% Tennessee6.1% Florida6.1% Wyoming5.7% New Hampshire5.6% Alaska4.9%

From this data we can see that New York has the highest total tax burden. Residents in this state will pay, on average, 12% of their income to state and local governments.

Breaking this down into its three components, the average New Yorker pays 4.6% of their income on income taxes, 4.4% on property taxes, and 3% in sales & excise taxes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Alaska has the lowest tax burden of any state, equaling 4.9% of income. This