Least taxed
Wyoming
$16,606
- Wage (80.74%)
- $13,408
- Property (12.77%)
- $2,120
- Sales (6.49%)
- $1,078
Sales rate 5.39% · Property 0.53% · Burden bench. $5,625
Household tax hub
🏠2026 · wage + property + sales
Most & least taxed state for a $75,000 household
Merge paycheck taxes, property tax, and sales tax into one household total. Wyoming is least taxed (~$16,606); Illinois is most taxed (~$26,436) under the same assumptions.
By Sammy S. · Founder · AuthorUpdated for 2026
Wyoming
Least taxed (~$16,606)
Illinois
Most taxed (~$26,436)
$9,831
Most−least gap
51
States + DC
Choose household wages
Same home value and taxable spending — only wages change. Rankings recompute wage tax and the household total.
Sample household · 2026
Gross wages
$75,000
Filing status
Single, standard deduction, no dependents
Home value
$400,000
Taxable spending
$20,000
Household total = wage tax + property tax + sales tax
Key finding — most / least taxed
Most / least taxed US household vignette 2026: single filer, $75,000 wages, $400,000 home, $20,000 taxable spending — Wyoming is least taxed at about $16,606 (wage $13,408 + property $2,120 + sales $1,078); Illinois is most taxed at about $26,436. Gap ≈ $9,831/year before local quirks.
Updated 2026-08-07 · paychecktaxcalculator.net/household-tax-by-state
Least vs most taxed
Most taxed
Illinois
$26,436
- Wage (64.76%)
- $17,120
- Property (28.45%)
- $7,520
- Sales (6.79%)
- $1,796
Sales rate 8.98% · Property 1.88% · Burden bench. $9,675
Key takeaways
- Wyoming is the least-taxed vignette state at ~$16,606 combined; Illinois is highest at ~$26,436.
- The modeled annual gap between most and least is about $9,831 at $75,000 wages.
- Household total = paycheck withholdings (federal + state + FICA) + statewide effective property tax on a $400,000 home + combined sales tax on $20,000 spending.
- Wyoming and Texas share the same vignette wage tax (~$13,408) because both have no state wage income tax — Wyoming still ranks lower on property + sales.
- Texas vignette total ~$20,648 vs California ~$21,825 — no state wage tax does not automatically mean the lowest household total.
- New Jersey’s 1.88% effective property rate (tied with Illinois for highest) is about 30.19% of its household total (~$7,520).
- Tax Foundation state-local burden (US avg 11.2%) is a separate economic-incidence benchmark — not added into the household total.
Worked examples at $75,000
Same home value and taxable spend in every row — only state rates and wage tax change.
Wyoming (least taxed)
$13,408 wage + $2,120 property + $1,078 sales = $16,606
Illinois (most taxed)
$17,120 wage + $7,520 property + $1,796 sales = $26,436
Texas
$20,648 total · property 1.40% · sales 8.20% · no state wage PIT
California
$21,825 total · property 0.70% · sales 9.03% · state PIT applies
Top 5 least & most taxed
Least taxed
- 1Wyoming$16,606
- 2
Nevada$17,056 - 3
Tennessee$17,410 - 4
Alaska$17,532 - 5
Florida$17,924
Most taxed
- 1Illinois$26,436
- 2
New Jersey$24,911 - 3
New York$23,800 - 4
Maryland$23,784 - 5
Kansas$23,766
Most−least gap by wage preset
Home value and taxable spending stay fixed; only wages change. Leaders can shift as state brackets kick in.
Full ranking — least taxed first
#1 = lowest household total. Burden benchmark is Tax Foundation state-local incidence at the same wage — shown for context, not summed into the total.
| # | State | Household total | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $16,60622.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 2 | Nevada | $17,05622.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 3 | Tennessee | $17,41023.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 4 | Alaska | $17,53223.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 5 | Florida | $17,92423.9% of wages | Burden → |
| 6 |  South Dakota | $18,63024.8% of wages | Burden → |
| 7 |  North Dakota | $18,73825.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 8 |  West Virginia | $18,75025.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 9 |  Washington | $18,78325.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 10 |  Arizona | $18,91125.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 11 |  Montana | $19,22425.6% of wages | Burden → |
| 12 |  Delaware | $19,27925.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 13 |  New Hampshire | $19,40825.9% of wages | Burden → |
| 14 |  South Carolina | $19,55726.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 15 |  Mississippi | $19,74026.3% of wages | Burden → |
| 16 |  Louisiana | $19,88426.5% of wages | Burden → |
| 17 |  New Mexico | $19,94826.6% of wages | Burden → |
| 18 |  Indiana | $20,06026.8% of wages | Burden → |
| 19 |  Utah | $20,18726.9% of wages | Burden → |
| 20 |  Kentucky | $20,19326.9% of wages | Burden → |
| 21 |  Arkansas | $20,24027.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 22 |  Alabama | $20,26527.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 23 |  Colorado | $20,28627.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 24 |  North Carolina | $20,46027.3% of wages | Burden → |
| 25 |  Idaho | $20,58927.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 26 |  Texas | $20,64827.5% of wages | Burden → |
| 27 |  Hawaii | $20,91927.9% of wages | Burden → |
| 28 |  Oregon | $21,14028.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 29 |  Virginia | $21,16628.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 30 |  Missouri | $21,27828.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $21,28328.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 32 |  Oklahoma | $21,33728.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 33 |  Ohio | $21,58628.8% of wages | Burden → |
| 34 |  Georgia | $21,82229.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 35 |  California | $21,82529.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 36 |  Maine | $21,95529.3% of wages | Burden → |
| 37 |  Pennsylvania | $22,01829.4% of wages | Burden → |
| 38 |  Minnesota | $22,37229.8% of wages | Burden → |
| 39 |  Rhode Island | $22,49930.0% of wages | Burden → |
| 40 |  Michigan | $22,55530.1% of wages | Burden → |
| 41 |  Wisconsin | $22,72630.3% of wages | Burden → |
| 42 |  Vermont | $22,92430.6% of wages | Burden → |
| 43 |  Iowa | $22,96630.6% of wages | Burden → |
| 44 |  Nebraska | $23,01130.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 45 |  Massachusetts | $23,06830.8% of wages | Burden → |
| 46 |  Connecticut | $23,38831.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 47 | Kansas | $23,76631.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 48 | Maryland | $23,78431.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 49 | New York | $23,80031.7% of wages | Burden → |
| 50 | New Jersey | $24,91133.2% of wages | Burden → |
| 51 | Illinois | $26,43635.3% of wages | Burden → |
Popular corridors
Texas vs California
Classic no-income-tax vs high-PIT corridor. Property and sales still move the household total.
Texas $20,648 vs California $21,825
Gap ≈ $1,177/year
Full Texas vs California compare →New York vs Florida
Sun Belt relocation screen: Florida has no wage PIT; New York stacks state tax with above-average property.
New York $23,800 vs Florida $17,924
Gap ≈ $5,876/year
Full New York vs Florida compare →New Jersey vs Tennessee
High effective property tax vs no wage income tax — different levers, large household gap.
New Jersey $24,911 vs Tennessee $17,410
Gap ≈ $7,502/year
Full New Jersey vs Tennessee compare →Illinois vs Indiana
Midwest border pair: Illinois ties for the highest property effective rate; Indiana is lower on the vignette total.
Illinois $26,436 vs Indiana $20,060
Gap ≈ $6,376/year
Full Illinois vs Indiana compare →Compare two states side by side
Pick any pair for a head-to-head page: paycheck tax, property tax, and sales tax on the same household.
Compare any two states
Combined wage, property, and sales tax on the $75,000 household vignette.
How to read this ranking
What “most / least taxed” means on this page
We fix one sample household — single filer, $75,000 wages, $400,000 home, $20,000 taxable spending — then estimate three bills in every state and DC.
The household total is the sum of (1) paycheck tax from our US engine, (2) statewide effective property tax on that home value, and (3) combined sales tax on that spending. Rank #1 least-taxed is the lowest sum.
Wyoming lands at about $16,606; Illinois at about $26,436 — a $9,831 gap under identical assumptions.
What is inside the wage-tax column
Wage tax is gross wages minus take-home after federal income tax, state income tax (where levied), employee Social Security and Medicare (FICA), and any state payroll premiums our engine models (for example Washington’s WA Cares / PFML-style lines when applicable).
States with no wage income tax still show a large wage-tax figure because federal income tax and employee FICA apply everywhere. That is intentional: a single-state dollar total should reflect the full paycheck, not only the state PIT line.
On this vignette, no-income-tax states share the same wage tax (~$13,408 at $75,000). Differences among them come only from property and sales.
Property and sales: why the home and spend are fixed
Property tax uses each state’s Tax Foundation / ACS effective rate on owner-occupied housing applied to a fixed $400,000 home. Holding value constant isolates rate differences — it is not a claim that every state has the same median home price.
Sales tax uses each state’s combined state + average local rate on a fixed $20,000 taxable basket. Grocery, clothing, and digital-goods taxability still vary in real life.
Together these two lines answer the relocation question paycheck rankings miss: how much do housing levies and everyday sales tax add after take-home pay.
No state income tax ≠ automatically least taxed
9 jurisdictions in this table have no wage income tax. Among them, Wyoming has the lowest household total (~$16,606) while Texas is highest among that group (~$20,648).
Texas (~$20,648) beats California (~$21,825) on this vignette, but Texas is not the overall least-taxed state — lower property and sales in places like Wyoming still win.
Always quote the full household total (or show the three columns) when comparing “tax-free” marketing claims to actual carrying costs.
Household total vs Tax Foundation burden
Tax Foundation Facts & Figures reports state-local taxes economically borne by residents as a share of state income (US average 11.2% for the published vintage). That incidence measure includes taxes households never see as a line item (much of business tax allocation).
We show a dollar burden benchmark = burden rate × vignette wages as context only. It is not added into householdTotal, and it will not match wage + property + sales.
Use householdTotal for a sample filer’s additive bill; use burden for macro “how heavy is the state-local tax system” stories.
Who this vignette helps
Useful if…
- •Relocation planners and households comparing most/least-taxed rankings with explicit assumptions.
- •Anyone stress-testing “no income tax” marketing against property and sales.
- •Readers linking wage, sales, property, and burden hubs into one narrative.
- •Analysts who need a transparent, assumption-locked sample household.
Use another tool if…
- •You need a binding estimate for a specific address, school district, or city wage tax.
- •Your filing status is married, head of household, or you claim large credits/itemized deductions.
- •You rent (no property tax line) or spend far more/less than the fixed taxable basket.
- •You need Tax Foundation burden alone as the ranking metric — use /total-tax-burden-by-state.
How we build the household total
- 1
Fix the household
Use the published vignette: single filer, $75,000 wages, $400,000 home, $20,000 taxable spend.
- 2
Compute wage tax
Run federal + state income tax + employee payroll (FICA and modeled state premiums) via the same engine as the paycheck calculator.
- 3
Add property and sales
Apply each state’s statewide effective property rate to the home value and combined sales rate to taxable spending.
- 4
Rank household totals
Sum wage + property + sales. Lowest sum = least taxed; highest = most taxed. Keep Tax Foundation burden as a separate column.
Home value is fixed at $400,000 so property differences reflect rates, not local home prices. Spending is fixed at $20,000 for the same reason.
How to use this for reporting
Quote the vignette assumptions
Always cite wages, filing status, home value, and taxable spend with the ranking.
Separate burden from the household total
Use burden for macro state-local context; use householdTotal for the sample filer’s additive bill.
Check the parcel before relocating
Property tax on a specific address can diverge sharply from the statewide effective rate.
Stack COL separately
A lower-tax state can still be harder to afford if rents and insurance are higher — see cost of living by state.
Limitations
- One filing status (single), one home value, and one taxable-spend figure — not a median household in each state.
- Property and sales use statewide averages, not county, city, or school-district levies.
- Wage model excludes most itemized deductions, credits, local income taxes, and employer benefits.
- Tax Foundation burden includes business taxes allocated to residents — do not add it to householdTotal.
- Federal tax is included in wage tax for comparable dollar totals; it does not create cross-state federal differences.
Glossary
- Household total
- Modeled annual tax for the vignette: wage withholdings + property tax estimate + sales tax estimate.
- Wage tax
- Gross wages minus take-home after federal, state, and employee payroll taxes in our engine.
- FICA (employee)
- Employee Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from wages; included in wage tax for every state.
- Effective property tax rate
- ACS-based taxes paid ÷ owner-occupied home value (Tax Foundation statewide benchmark).
- Combined sales tax rate
- State rate plus average local rate used for cross-state comparisons.
- State-local tax burden
- Tax Foundation Facts & Figures economic-incidence rate — not summed into the household total.
- No wage income tax
- State does not levy a broad wage personal income tax; federal income tax and FICA still apply.
FAQs
Wyoming ranks #1 least-taxed on this vignette at about $16,606 combined (wage $13,408, property $2,120, sales $1,078).
Illinois ranks #1 most-taxed at about $26,436 — about $9,831 more than Wyoming under the same assumptions.
Paycheck withholdings (federal income tax, state income tax where applicable, employee FICA and modeled state payroll premiums) plus estimated property tax on a fixed home value and sales tax on fixed taxable spending. Local wage taxes (e.g. NYC) are not included.
No. Burden is an economic-incidence measure of state and local taxes as a share of state income (US average 11.2%). We show it as a parallel benchmark. The household total is an additive model for one sample filer.
Federal brackets are the same for every state, so they cancel in pairwise gaps — but a single-state dollar total still needs the full paycheck. State ranking by householdTotal still reflects state PIT + property + sales differences.
Both have no state wage income tax on this model, so federal income tax + employee FICA dominate. At $75,000 they share ~$13,408 wage tax; Wyoming still ranks lower overall because property and sales are lower than Texas (~$20,648 TX total).
9 jurisdictions here have no wage income tax. They are not automatically the least-taxed on householdTotal — property and sales still differ widely inside that group.
Statewide effective property rates already embed typical owner-occupied relief in ACS aggregates. A specific parcel, sale-triggered reassessment, or investor classification can move a real bill far from the vignette.
Yes for comparability — $20,000 of purchases taxed at each state’s combined state + average local sales rate. Real baskets and taxability rules differ.
Leaders can shift slightly as state PIT brackets interact with wages, but property and sales dollars stay fixed on this vignette (same home value and spend). Use the amount chips on this hub to compare presets.
Use the interactive State Tax Report (/state-tax-report) for live scenarios, or the dedicated sales, property, and $100k take-home hubs for component deep-dives.
No. That double-counts conceptually different measures. Quote one or the other, or show both in separate columns as we do.