Take-home pay in every state

Updated for 2026 tax year · figures checked on November 3, 2026

On the same salary, your take-home pay can differ by thousands of dollars a year depending on the state you work in. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are the same everywhere, so the whole difference comes from state income tax, state payroll programs and, in some places, local taxes.

The table below shows take-home pay on a $60,000 salary in every state with a published calculator. Each row is worked out by the same engine as the calculators, for a single filer paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions and each state's default withholding choices. It's sorted from the highest take-home pay to the lowest.

Where the year's pay goes, by state

Take-home pay per paycheck on a $60,000 salary, single filer, paid every two weeks, no local taxes or pre-tax deductions
State		Take-home
Florida		$1,938.07
Nevada		$1,938.07
New Hampshire		$1,938.07
South Dakota		$1,938.07
Tennessee		$1,938.07
Texas		$1,938.07
Wyoming		$1,938.07
North Dakota		$1,936.07
Alaska		$1,926.53
Washington		$1,906.06
Arizona		$1,891.92
Ohio		$1,883.74
Louisiana		$1,882.06
Mississippi		$1,874.07
Arkansas		$1,871.42
Indiana		$1,871.13
Iowa		$1,870.92
Vermont		$1,870.24
Missouri		$1,866.07
Pennsylvania		$1,865.60
North Carolina		$1,864.07
Kentucky		$1,861.82
New Mexico		$1,859.89
Montana		$1,859.07
West Virginia		$1,858.91
Nebraska		$1,856.37
Oklahoma		$1,855.07
Georgia		$1,851.70
South Carolina		$1,850.23
Michigan		$1,849.64
Idaho		$1,848.07
Alabama		$1,841.57
District of Columbia		$1,840.95
New Jersey		$1,840.62
Maryland		$1,840.51
Kansas		$1,840.04
California		$1,838.71
Connecticut		$1,837.40
Virginia		$1,836.69
Colorado		$1,835.69
Utah		$1,835.07
Wisconsin		$1,831.74
Illinois		$1,829.41
Rhode Island		$1,827.59
Maine		$1,827.53
Delaware		$1,826.80
Massachusetts		$1,824.36
New York		$1,824.00
Minnesota		$1,815.73
Hawaii		$1,809.86
Oregon		$1,758.91

Use the table to see the size of the gap between states, then open your state's calculator to get a figure that matches your own pay, filing status and deductions.

What's the same in every state

Three deductions don't depend on where you work:

Federal income tax depends on your pay, your filing status and your Form W-4, not your state. On the same pay and W-4, it's the same amount in every row of the table.
Social Security is 6.2% of your pay, up to $184,500 of wages in 2026.
Medicare is 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000.

At a $60,000 salary, these three take the same share of every paycheck in every state. Everything else in the table is state and local.

Why take-home pay differs between states

No tax, a flat rate or brackets

No tax on wages (9)Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming
Flat rate (15)Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah
Graduated rates (27)Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Nine states don't tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The no-income-tax guide covers them in detail.

The other states with a calculator tax wages in one of two ways. Some, such as Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, use a single flat rate. Others, such as California, New York, New Jersey and Minnesota, use graduated brackets, where higher slices of income are taxed at higher rates. A flat rate isn't always lower than a bracket system: at a modest salary, a state's lower brackets can mean less tax than another state's flat rate.

Allowances, deductions and credits

Two states with the same rate can withhold different amounts, because each state starts from its own idea of taxable wages. Many states subtract a standard deduction or a set amount for each allowance or exemption on the state withholding form before applying the rate. Some build credits into the withholding formula. A few, like Pennsylvania, use no allowances or filing status at all.

That's why the table uses each state's default choices. If you claim allowances or dependents on your state form, your own state tax will be lower than the table shows.

State payroll programs

Some states run disability, paid family leave or unemployment programs that employees pay into through payroll. These show up as their own lines on your pay stub and in the calculators:

Disability and paid leave programs in California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Hawaii.
Paid family and medical leave in Washington, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota and Delaware.
Employee unemployment contributions in Alaska, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Other programs, such as Washington's WA Cares long-term care fund, Oregon's statewide transit tax and Vermont's child care contribution.

The table includes all of these, so a state with no income tax but a payroll program won't quite match one with neither.

Local income taxes

In some states, cities, counties or school districts tax wages too. Every Indiana county and every Maryland county has an income tax, and many Ohio and Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts do too. Cities such as New York City, Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis and Wilmington, and Kentucky cities such as Louisville and Lexington, tax wages as well.

The table leaves local taxes out, because they depend on the exact place you live or work. Each state's calculator has a picker under More options to add yours. In some places, local tax adds more than half again to the state amount.

What counts as taxable wages

States don't all treat pre-tax deductions the same way. Federally, 401(k) contributions and Section 125 health premiums lower your taxable wages. Pennsylvania taxes your 401(k), 403(b) and 457 contributions, and New Jersey taxes health premiums and flexible spending accounts paid through a cafeteria plan. The table uses no pre-tax deductions, so it doesn't show these differences; the calculators do. The pre-tax deductions guide explains how they work.

The gap changes with your salary

The order of the table isn't fixed. In a flat-tax state, state tax grows in step with your pay. In a bracket state, it grows faster as more of your pay reaches the higher brackets. Some payroll programs stop at a yearly wage cap or contribution limit, such as New York Paid Family Leave, so they take a smaller share of a higher salary. To see the comparison at a different salary, use the salary pages, which have the same table for each amount.

Comparing job offers in different states

To compare two offers fairly, put each one through its own state's calculator with the same details: your filing status, W-4 choices and the deductions you expect to make. Then compare the yearly take-home pay rather than the salaries.

Open the paycheck calculator and choose the first state. Enter the salary, pay frequency and your deductions.
Add any local tax under More options, for the place you'd live or work.
Note the yearly take-home pay, then switch states and enter the second offer.

If one offer is a raise on your current pay in the same state, the pay raise calculator shows the change in take-home pay directly. The salary conversion pages, such as what a 75K salary is per hour, show take-home pay at one salary in every published state, with hourly, weekly and monthly figures.

What the comparison leaves out

Take-home pay is only one part of the picture. The table doesn't include:

Local taxes, which depend on your city, county or school district.
Other taxes you pay, such as sales and property taxes, which don't come out of your paycheck.
Living costs, such as housing, which can matter more than the tax difference.
Your tax return. Withholding is an estimate of your tax. Credits and deductions you claim when you file can change what you finally owe in any state.

It also assumes you live and work in the same state. If you live in one state and work in another, both may have a claim on your wages, and some neighboring states have agreements that let you pay only your home state. Each state's calculator page explains its rules.

Frequently asked questions

Why is federal tax the same in every state? Federal income tax depends on your pay and Form W-4, not where you live. The difference between states comes from state and local taxes and state payroll programs.

Does a flat tax always mean higher take-home pay? No. It depends on the rate, the deductions and allowances the state allows, and your salary. A bracket system can take less at lower incomes.

Why don't the figures include my city's tax? Local taxes depend on your exact location. Add yours in your state's calculator under More options.

Are these figures what I'll get? They're estimates for a single filer with no deductions. Enter your own details in the paycheck calculator for a figure that matches your situation.