State paycheck directory
Estimated take home pay by state
9 states take no income tax from wages, though 2 of them still withhold a contribution of their own. The other 42 run top rates from 2.50% to 13.30%. The table compares the current model under one shared scenario: $25 an hour, 40 hours a week, single filer. It is not a payslip prediction.
Modeled spread
$3,722
a year under the reference assumptions, from the highest to lowest estimated take home.
The middle state
$1,864
a year in state income tax across the 42 that charge one. Half take more, half take less.
Top rates run
2.50% to 13.30%
Arizona at the bottom, California at the top.
Take more than tax
14
states withhold a disability, paid leave or unemployment contribution on top of income tax, or instead of it.
No income tax on wages
Modeled state deductions and take home
$52,000 a year, single filer, standard deduction. Estimates under the listed assumptions; most local taxes are excluded.
| State | Top rate | State tax a year | Contributions | Estimated take home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| Nevada | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| New Hampshire | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| North Dakota | 2.50% | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| South Dakota | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| Tennessee | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| Texas | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| Wyoming | none | $0 | none | $43,962 |
| Alaska | none | $0 | $260.00 | $43,702 |
| Washington | none | $0 | $721.34 | $43,241 |
| Arizona | 2.50% | $1,040.00 | none | $42,922 |
| Ohio | 2.75% | $1,192.71 | none | $42,769 |
| Louisiana | 3.00% | $1,208.96 | none | $42,753 |
| Mississippi | 4.00% | $1,348.00 | none | $42,614 |
| Vermont | 8.75% | $1,429.61 | none | $42,532 |
| Arkansas | 3.70% | $1,437.00 | none | $42,525 |
| Iowa | 3.80% | $1,442.00 | none | $42,520 |
| Indiana | 2.95% | $1,504.50 | none | $42,458 |
| Missouri | 4.70% | $1,508.00 | none | $42,454 |
| West Virginia | 4.58% | $1,528.50 | none | $42,434 |
| North Carolina | 3.99% | $1,612.00 | none | $42,350 |
| Pennsylvania | 3.07% | $1,596.40 | $36.40 | $42,329 |
| New Mexico | 5.90% | $1,656.65 | none | $42,305 |
| Montana | 5.65% | $1,690.00 | none | $42,272 |
| Kentucky | 3.50% | $1,702.40 | none | $42,260 |
| Oklahoma | 4.50% | $1,846.00 | none | $42,116 |
| Georgia | 4.99% | $1,846.30 | none | $42,116 |
| South Carolina | 6.00% | $1,851.90 | none | $42,110 |
| New Jersey | 10.75% | $1,466.00 | $408.80 | $42,087 |
| Nebraska | 4.55% | $1,875.33 | none | $42,087 |
| Idaho | 5.30% | $1,902.70 | none | $42,059 |
| California | 13.30% | $1,275.48 | $676.00 | $42,011 |
| District of Columbia | 10.75% | $1,954.00 | none | $42,008 |
| Michigan | 4.25% | $1,959.25 | none | $42,003 |
| Kansas | 5.58% | $2,101.91 | none | $41,860 |
| Maryland | 6.50% | $2,156.50 | none | $41,806 |
| Alabama | 5.00% | $2,157.00 | none | $41,805 |
| Connecticut | 6.99% | $1,899.00 | $260.00 | $41,803 |
| Virginia | 5.75% | $2,175.90 | none | $41,786 |
| Colorado | 4.40% | $2,046.00 | $228.80 | $41,687 |
| Wisconsin | 7.65% | $2,289.72 | none | $41,672 |
| Maine | 7.15% | $2,054.00 | $260.00 | $41,648 |
| Utah | 4.50% | $2,314.00 | none | $41,648 |
| Delaware | 6.60% | $2,209.13 | $208.00 | $41,545 |
| Illinois | 4.95% | $2,429.21 | none | $41,533 |
| Hawaii | 11.00% | $2,431.63 | none | $41,530 |
| New York | 10.90% | $2,243.80 | $224.64 | $41,494 |
| Rhode Island | 5.99% | $1,912.50 | $572.00 | $41,478 |
| Massachusetts | 9.00% | $2,380.00 | $239.20 | $41,343 |
| Minnesota | 9.85% | $2,733.41 | $228.80 | $41,000 |
| Oregon | 9.90% | $3,357.63 | $364.00 | $40,240 |
Return-rate comparison source: Tax Foundation, 2026 return-rate comparison (secondary cross-check). Employer-withholding sources and model limitations are described on individual state pages.
What the reference scenario shows
Under the stated assumptions, the modeled annual take home ranges from $40,240 in Oregon to $43,962 in Florida, a spread of about $143.14 per biweekly period. A top marginal rate applies only above its threshold, so it should not be read as the share taken from the whole wage.
The bigger catch is that no income tax is not the same as nothing withheld. Alaska and Washington charge no income tax and still take a payroll contribution: AK and WA appear lower in this model than states for which no statewide employee deduction is represented. The ordering is limited to the deductions and assumptions shown here.
Flat rate or brackets
Of the 42 jurisdictions that tax wages, 13 charge a single rate on every taxable dollar: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah. The other 29 run a schedule of bands, and the schedules are not the same size at all. Hawaii runs 12 of them, which is more than the federal system has.
A flat rate is simpler to predict but not automatically cheaper. What decides the bill is the rate together with what the state exempts before it applies, and the exemptions vary far more than the rates do.
Where the payslip and the return disagree
A state’s withholding tables and its tax return are two different documents, and in 26 of the 42 taxing jurisdictions the two modeled amounts differ for this reference job. The difference may be reconciled when a return is filed, but the final result depends on circumstances not represented here.
The widest gaps here are Minnesota at $720.81 over-withheld, Wisconsin at $614.42 over-withheld, Rhode Island at $579.38 over-withheld. Individual state pages distinguish the employer-method estimate from the return-based estimate where both are represented. Neither amount is a guarantee of the final payslip, refund or balance due.
What these figures leave out
Local income tax, mostly. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania all have cities, counties, municipalities or school districts that levy a tax of their own on top of the state figure, and none of it is in the table above. Maryland is the exception: its county rate is part of the calculation once a county is chosen.
The figures also assume a single filer taking the standard deduction with a blank Form W-4, on 40 hours a week at $25 an hour. 41 of the 51 jurisdictions have a withholding certificate of their own that asks something the federal form does not, and each state page carries its questions.
Questions people ask
Which states have no income tax on wages?+
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The current model also includes an employee payroll contribution for Alaska and Washington, so "no income tax" does not mean that every state-level deduction is zero.
Which state takes the most from a paycheck?+
Under this site's $52,000 reference scenario, Oregon has the lowest modeled take home at $40,240, counting the statewide deductions represented here. California has the highest listed top rate at 13.30%, but that rate applies only above its threshold and does not by itself determine the result.
How much is moving to a no-tax state worth?+
Within this reference scenario, the difference between the highest and lowest modeled take home is $3,722 a year, or about $143.14 a fortnight. This is not a moving-cost or cost-of-living comparison and excludes many local, household and employer-specific factors.
Which states charge a flat income tax rate?+
13 of the 42 that tax wages: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah. The remaining 29 use a schedule of bands, running from two to 12.
Are local and city income taxes included here?+
Only selectable Maryland county withholding is currently modeled. Local taxes in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania are not included, so an actual payslip may contain additional local withholding.
Why does my payslip differ from the tax I owe for the year?+
Employer withholding and annual return calculations can use different methods. In 26 of the 42 taxing jurisdictions, the two modeled amounts differ under this reference scenario. A final refund or balance depends on the full return and may not equal the difference shown here.