State Tax Comparison Tool 2026

Why top marginal rates mislead

California's 13.3% top rate applies to income above $1 million. At $80,000 of net profit a California freelancer pays about $2,889 — almost exactly what Michigan's flat 4.25% produces, and less than Oregon, whose headline rate is lower. Where a state's brackets begin matters far more at freelancer income than where they end.

The layer this comparison cannot show

Seventeen states let cities, counties or school districts levy their own income tax, and no state-level comparison includes it. A Columbus resident adds 2.5% municipal tax to Ohio's 2.75%. A Philadelphia resident pays roughly 3.75% to the city on top of Pennsylvania's 3.07%. New York City adds up to 3.876% on top of the state.

For those residents the local layer can exceed the state layer. Check your own state's page for the detail — each one states what applies locally.

What a no-income-tax state actually saves

Roughly $2,500–$3,500 a year on $80,000 of net profit against a median state, and up to $5,932 against Oregon, the most expensive state, before any local income tax. That is about $200–$300 a month in the common case — real, but usually less than the difference in rent between the cities being compared.

Frequently asked questions