Total burden
7.6%
Share of state income
All states
Tax Foundation 2026Low-to-high rank #3
Tax Foundation 2026Low-to-high rank #3Tennessee Total Tax Burden
7.6% of state income · $4,036 per capita · 3.6% below the US estimate.
By Sammy S. · Founder · AuthorUpdated for 2026
7.6%
Total burden
#3
National rank
$4,036
Per capita
$7,600
$100k illustration
Tennessee total tax burden snapshot
Residents of Tennessee bear an estimated 7.6% of state income in state and local taxes, equal to $4,036 per person. The estimate ranks #3 from lowest to highest.
National rank
#3
#1 is lowest
Per-capita burden
$4,036
State-local taxes borne
Compared with US
−3.6%
Versus 11.2%
Key finding — Tennessee tax burden
Tennessee's estimated state-local tax burden is 7.6% of state income ($4,036 per capita) in Tax Foundation Facts & Figures 2026 (burden year 2022), ranking #3 from lowest to highest (#1 = lowest burden) and 3.6% below the 11.2% US average. On a $100,000 income illustration that is about $7,600 — not a personal tax bill.
Key takeaways for Tennessee
- Tennessee ranks #3 at 7.6% of income — #1 is lowest (Alaska 4.6%), #50 is highest (New York 15.9%).
- Tennessee is 3.6% below the 11.2% US average; per capita is $4,036 vs $6,949 nationally.
- Illustrative scale at $100,000 income: about $7,600 using the statewide average rate — includes allocated business and other taxes, not just withholdings.
- Supporting benchmarks (not summed into burden): combined sales tax 9.61%; effective owner-occupied property tax 0.52%.
- Tennessee has no state wage income tax, yet its total burden is still 7.6% — sales, property, business, and excise taxes fill the mix.
- Nearby on the burden table: Wyoming (7.5%) and South Dakota (8.4%).
Compare Tennessee with another state
Compare any two states
Average burden, per-capita cost, income illustrations, sales tax, and property tax.
Tennessee burden illustrations vs US average
Scale illustrations only — income × average burden rate. Not a personal tax calculation.
$75,000 income
Tennessee ≈ $5,700 · US avg ≈ $8,400 · diff −$2,700
$100,000 income
Tennessee ≈ $7,600 · US avg ≈ $11,200 · diff −$3,600
$150,000 income
Tennessee ≈ $11,400 · US avg ≈ $16,800 · diff −$5,400
Per-capita benchmark
$4,036 in Tennessee vs $6,949 US · sales 9.61% · property 0.52%
Tennessee tax burden illustrations by income
These examples apply the statewide average burden to income to show scale. They are not personal tax calculations; the burden measure includes indirect and business taxes as well as direct household taxes.
| Income | Tennessee illustration | US illustration | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $3,800 | $5,600 | −$1,800 |
| $75,000 | $5,700 | $8,400 | −$2,700 |
| $100,000 | $7,600 | $11,200 | −$3,600 |
| $150,000 | $11,400 | $16,800 | −$5,400 |
| $250,000 | $19,000 | $28,000 | −$9,000 |
$50,000 income
- Tennessee
- $3,800
- US
- $5,600
- Difference
- −$1,800
$75,000 income
- Tennessee
- $5,700
- US
- $8,400
- Difference
- −$2,700
$100,000 income
- Tennessee
- $7,600
- US
- $11,200
- Difference
- −$3,600
$150,000 income
- Tennessee
- $11,400
- US
- $16,800
- Difference
- −$5,400
Understanding Tennessee's tax mix
Total burden is not calculated by adding these rates. The cards provide current, separate benchmarks that help explain how households encounter different parts of the tax system.
Total state-local burden
7.6%
Economic incidence across all major tax categories
Combined sales tax
9.61%
State + population-weighted average local rate →
Effective property tax
0.52%
Owner-occupied housing benchmark →
How to read Tennessee's burden
What Tennessee's 7.6% burden means
Tax Foundation estimates the state and local taxes economically borne by Tennessee residents — including taxes paid to other states when incidence lands at home — then divides by aggregate Tennessee income.
The result is an economy-wide average for calendar year 2022, published in Facts & Figures 2026. It is not your Form W-2 effective rate and not Census collections where governments receive the payment.
On the low-to-high rank, #1 is Alaska (4.6%) and #50 is New York (15.9%).
Tennessee vs the US average
Tennessee is 3.6% below the 11.2% US average. Per capita: $4,036 here vs $6,949 nationally.
A $100,000 income illustration is about $7,600 in Tennessee vs $11,200 at the US average — scale only.
Per-capita burden reflects both tax policy and how high state incomes are; a high dollar figure can accompany a mid-pack percentage when incomes are high.
How Tennessee's tax mix shows up
Tennessee does not tax wages with a broad state personal income tax. Households still face sales, property, excise, and allocated business taxes — which is why a “no income tax” label is not the same as a bottom burden rank.
Current separate benchmarks on this site: combined sales tax 9.61% and effective property tax 0.52%. Do not add those percentages to 7.6%.
For an additive sample household (wage + property + sales dollars), use the household-tax-by-state vignette — a different metric from Tax Foundation burden.
How to use the Tennessee profile
Quote the burden share and per-capita figure when comparing state tax systems in articles or relocation screens.
Model your filing status and salary with the paycheck comparison, then check local sales and parcel-level property tax before treating any average as a personal bill.
Pair this page with a head-to-head compare URL when you need a clear gap between two states at the same income illustration.
Who this Tennessee profile helps
Useful if…
- •Movers and households checking Tennessee's state-local burden share, rank, or per-capita figure with a clear vintage.
- •Relocation planners screening Tennessee before modeling a specific paycheck and home.
- •Readers comparing Tennessee's full tax mix to “no income tax” or high-PIT narratives.
- •Anyone linking this profile to sales-tax, property-tax, or household vignette tools.
Use another tool if…
- •You need a binding estimate for one Tennessee address, school district, or city wage tax.
- •You want only federal + state income tax withholdings — use the paycheck calculator.
- •You need an additive sample household bill (wage + property + sales) — use household tax by state.
- •You are ranking statutory sales or property rates alone — use those dedicated hubs.
Related: Household tax by state · Tennessee sales tax · Tennessee property tax
How Tennessee's total tax burden compares nationally
Share of income
Tennessee's 7.6% burden is 3.6% below the 11.2% US estimate.
Per-capita dollars
The per-capita estimate is $4,036, which is $2,913 below the national $6,949 figure. Per-capita dollars reflect both tax policy and differences in state income.
Calculation details
How Tennessee's 7.6% burden is determined
Tax Foundation estimates the state and local taxes economically borne by Tennessee residents, then compares that amount with aggregate state income. This differs from simply adding tax rates or dividing taxes collected inside Tennessee by population.
Tennessee burden formula
State-local taxes borne by Tennessee residents
Aggregate Tennessee income
× 100 = 7.6%
1. Government collections
Census state and local collections provide the starting totals for detailed tax categories.
2. Economic allocation
Taxes are reassigned to the residents estimated to bear them, including Tennessee residents paying taxes elsewhere.
3. Income denominator
Official economic and income data are used to estimate the aggregate income available to state residents.
4. Per-capita result
Dividing taxes borne by population produces the separate $4,036 per-person estimate.
Taxes included
State and local income, property, general and selective sales, excise, business, license, estate, transfer, severance, and miscellaneous taxes.
Not included in the rate
Federal taxes, the value of government services, and a personalized calculation based on one household's income, spending, property, deductions, or credits.
Who bears state and local taxes?
Direct household taxes
Residents directly pay income tax, sales tax, property tax, vehicle charges, and other taxes depending on their income, purchases, housing, and location.
Taxes shifted through the economy
Businesses may legally remit a tax while workers, consumers, owners, or residents of another state bear part of the economic cost through wages, prices, and investment returns.
Household differences
How Tennessee taxes can affect different households
The 7.6% average combines taxpayers with very different finances. These profiles show which tax categories are most useful to investigate next.
Working households
Compare state and local income tax at your salary, payroll deductions, taxable spending, and available credits.
Renters
Focus on income and sales taxes while recognizing that landlords can pass part of property-tax costs into rent.
Homeowners
Add the address-specific bill to Tennessee's 0.52% statewide property benchmark.
Retirees
Review Social Security, pension and retirement withdrawals, property relief, estate rules, and taxable purchases.
Tax questions to ask before moving to Tennessee
What would Tennessee income tax be at my salary, filing status, and household size?
Does the city or county impose an additional wage or income tax?
How much of my spending would face Tennessee's 9.61% combined sales tax benchmark?
If buying, what will the parcel be assessed at after the sale and which exemptions remain?
How do vehicle fees, fuel taxes, insurance premiums, utilities, and healthcare compare?
Does the difference in wages, housing, and public services outweigh the tax difference?
Why Tennessee's tax burden can change over time
The 2022 burden is a historical benchmark, not a permanent rate. Later estimates can move even without one major tax-law change.
Tax policy
Changes to rates, deductions, exemptions, credits, tax bases, and local levies.
Income and economy
Wage growth, investment income, business activity, employment, and population shifts.
Housing and spending
Property values, reassessments, consumer purchases, and the mix of taxable goods and services.
Cross-state incidence
Taxes exported to visitors or businesses—and taxes residents bear in other states—can change.
Why this is not a personal tax rate
The burden is a statewide average across the entire economy. A renter, homeowner, retiree, business owner, and high-income employee can face very different direct taxes. Use it to compare state tax systems—not to predict a tax return or exact annual bill.
Tennessee total tax burden FAQs
Tennessee's estimated state-local tax burden is 7.6% of state income, or $4,036 per capita (Tax Foundation Facts & Figures 2026, burden year 2022).
Tax Foundation estimates all state and local taxes economically borne by Tennessee residents, including qualifying taxes paid to other states, then divides that total by Tennessee's aggregate income. The 7.6% result is an economy-wide average.
Tennessee ranks #3, where #1 is the lowest burden and #50 is the highest.
Tennessee's 7.6% burden is 3.6% below the 11.2% national estimate.
Applying the statewide average burden rate gives an illustrative $7,600. This is not a personal tax calculation and can differ substantially by household.
The estimate includes state and local individual income, property, sales, excise, business, license, estate, and other taxes allocated through the Tax Foundation's economic-incidence methodology.
No. Federal income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes are excluded from this state-local comparison.
No. Tennessee's 9.61% combined sales tax benchmark is one tax-rate measure. Total burden combines the economic effect of many state and local taxes.
Yes. Property taxes are included. Tennessee's separate effective owner-occupied property tax benchmark is 0.52%.
Tennessee has no broad state wage income tax, but its total burden is still 7.6% because sales, property, business, and other taxes count in the economic-incidence measure.
Household income, filing status, credits, purchases, home value, local jurisdiction, business ownership, and taxes embedded in prices all change individual exposure.
No. That mixes an economic-incidence average with an additive sample bill. Quote one metric, or show both in separate columns.
Use the state-pair selector on this page, or open a compare URL such as Tennessee vs Wyoming. You will see average burden, per-capita burden, sales tax, property tax, and illustrative income amounts side by side.
Use Tennessee's burden as one comparison point, not the sole reason to move. Compare expected take-home pay, housing, insurance, healthcare, transportation, public services, and employment opportunities.
Renters usually do not pay property tax directly, but property taxes can affect rent. Renters also bear sales, income, excise, business, and other taxes through direct payments, prices, and wages.
Not automatically. Tax burden measures taxes borne, not the quality or quantity of services received. Review schools, infrastructure, healthcare, safety, and other services separately.
Yes. State and local tax changes, economic conditions, income growth, property values, consumption, and taxes shifted across state lines can change later estimates.
Compare Tennessee with similar-burden states
Burden year 2022. Average economic-incidence estimate only; not financial, legal, or tax advice.