Compare state income tax across all 50 states + DC — see whether your state has no tax, a flat rate, or graduated brackets.
States fall into three types: no income tax (9 states), a flat rate applied to all income, or graduated brackets where the rate rises with income. This tool shows which type your state uses and an estimate based on that. For graduated states, the figure shown is an upper-bound using the top marginal rate — your real effective rate will be lower.
Illustrative estimate only, using simplified/rounded 2026 state-level figures — not tax advice. Rates change, and many states add local/county taxes on top. Always confirm with your state's tax authority.
Nine states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — charge no state income tax on wages at all. Among the rest, some use a single flat rate applied to all taxable income regardless of level, while others run their own multi-bracket progressive system entirely independent of the federal brackets, with their own standard deductions, credits, and definitions of taxable income that often diverge from federal rules.
Because each state sets its own rules, the same salary can produce very different total tax bills depending on where you live and, for remote workers, sometimes where you work — some states tax income earned within their borders even for non-residents, and reciprocity agreements between neighboring states (or the lack of one) can change withholding obligations for people who live in one state and work in another.
Generally, the state where you actually live and perform the work has primary claim, though a few states apply a "convenience of the employer" rule that can also tax income based on the employer's location. This is one of the more complicated and state-specific areas of income tax, worth checking directly if it applies to you.
Typically, yes — through higher sales tax, property tax, or industry-specific taxes (Alaska relies heavily on oil revenue, for instance). A state with no income tax is not necessarily a lower total-tax state overall.
No, they are set independently. A state can have as few as one flat rate or as many brackets as it chooses, with its own income thresholds, and does not have to mirror federal rates, deductions, or even the definition of taxable income.
Most states require a part-year resident return, taxing only the income earned while you were a resident (or, in some cases, income sourced to that state regardless of residency). Moving states mid-year often means filing part-year returns in both.