Tax Day is right around the corner, and millions of Americans will be filing annual income taxes in their home states between now and the April 15 deadline. But income tax is only one piece of the tax collection pie. Don’t forget about slices of property tax and sales and excise taxes, too.
So, which states’ residents are burdened the most—and the least—by these taxes? Once again, online financial advisory site WalletHub was up to the task of figuring that out.
For its 2026 Tax Burden by State analysis, WalletHub compared all 50 states by examining the three major types of state tax burdens—individual income taxes, property taxes, and sales and excise taxes—and calculating their cost as a percentage of total personal income in each state.
“Because the tax code is so complex, it can be difficult for the average person to understand exactly how they’re affected. One helpful measure that simplifies things is the ‘tax burden,'” WalletHub says. “Unlike tax rates, which can differ significantly depending on an individual’s situation, tax burden looks at the share of total personal income that residents pay in state and local taxes. This burden isn’t the same across the United States.”
Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub, adds, “It’s easy to be dismayed at tax time when you see just how much of your income you lose. Living in a state with a low tax burden can alleviate some of that stress. Some states charge no income tax or no sales tax, although all states have some form of property taxes and excise taxes.”
For the second consecutive year, Hawaii has the highest overall tax burden (13.3%), while Alaska has the lowest (4.92%).
Other key findings from WalletHub’s 2026 state tax burden analysis include:
- Vermont has the highest property tax burden, while Alabama has the lowest.
- Oregon has the highest individual income tax burden, while seven states (including Texas, Florida, and Nevada) have none.
- Hawaii has the highest sales and excise tax burden, while New Hampshire has the lowest.
- Red states have a lower tax burden than blue states, on average.
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Below are WalletHub’s complete state rankings by total tax burden, with No. 1 being the highest and No. 50 being the lowest:
| Overall Rank | State | Total Tax Burden (%) | Property Tax Burden (%) | Individual Income Tax Burden (%) | Total Sales & Excise Tax Burden (%) |
| 1 | Hawaii | 13.30% | 2.62% (25) | 3.20% (7) | 7.48% (1) |
| 2 | New York | 12.39% | 4.22% (4) | 4.65% (2) | 3.53% (23) |
| 3 | Vermont | 11.10% | 4.89% (1) | 2.75% (14) | 3.46% (26) |
| 4 | New Mexico | 10.75% | 2.22% (36) | 2.25% (28) | 6.28% (3) |
| 5 | Maine | 10.01% | 3.95% (5) | 2.71% (15) | 3.35% (29) |
| 6 | Illinois | 9.92% | 3.75% (6) | 2.40% (24) | 3.77% (18) |
| 7 | Maryland | 9.70% | 2.54% (29) | 4.28% (3) | 2.88% (40) |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9.52% | 4.38% (2) | 2.42% (22) | 2.72% (43) |
| 9 | Oregon | 9.46% | 2.96% (17) | 4.76% (1) | 1.74% (46) |
| 10 | Rhode Island | 9.29% | 3.67% (7) | 2.16% (30) | 3.47% (25) |
| 11 | California | 9.24% | 2.89% (20) | 3.03% (11) | 3.32% (30) |
| 12 | Iowa | 9.21% | 3.32% (12) | 2.36% (27) | 3.53% (22) |
| 13 | Kansas | 9.20% | 2.92% (19) | 2.40% (23) | 3.87% (17) |
| 14 | Indiana | 9.12% | 2.15% (38) | 3.05% (10) | 3.91% (14) |
| 15 | Minnesota | 9.08% | 2.47% (32) | 3.34% (6) | 3.27% (33) |
| 16 | Ohio | 9.05% | 2.62% (24) | 2.54% (19) | 3.88% (16) |
| 17 | Connecticut | 9.00% | 3.66% (8) | 2.69% (16) | 2.65% (44) |
| 18 | West Virginia | 8.89% | 2.10% (39) | 2.87% (13) | 3.92% (13) |
| 19 | Utah | 8.87% | 2.21% (37) | 2.92% (12) | 3.73% (20) |
| 20 | Mississippi | 8.84% | 2.59% (26) | 1.65% (38) | 4.60% (8) |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 8.82% | 3.33% (11) | 3.45% (5) | 2.04% (45) |
| 22 | Louisiana | 8.82% | 1.84% (45) | 1.73% (37) | 5.25% (5) |
| 23 | Kentucky | 8.76% | 1.95% (41) | 3.15% (8) | 3.66% (21) |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | 8.47% | 2.59% (27) | 2.65% (17) | 3.23% (34) |
| 25 | Washington | 8.47% | 2.47% (31) | 0.13% (43) | 5.87% (4) |
| 26 | Arkansas | 8.44% | 1.59% (49) | 1.81% (35) | 5.04% (6) |
| 27 | Nevada | 8.37% | 2.09% (40) | 0.00% (45) | 6.28% (2) |
| 28 | Virginia | 8.26% | 2.92% (18) | 2.58% (18) | 2.75% (42) |
| 29 | Nebraska | 8.16% | 3.22% (14) | 2.11% (31) | 2.82% (41) |
| 30 | Georgia | 8.15% | 2.68% (23) | 2.51% (20) | 2.97% (38) |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 8.12% | 2.84% (21) | 2.39% (25) | 2.89% (39) |
| 32 | Michigan | 7.98% | 2.99% (16) | 2.00% (32) | 2.99% (37) |
| 33 | Alabama | 7.93% | 1.40% (50) | 2.17% (29) | 4.36% (9) |
| 34 | Missouri | 7.84% | 2.35% (33) | 2.38% (26) | 3.11% (35) |
| 35 | North Carolina | 7.81% | 1.92% (44) | 2.49% (21) | 3.41% (27) |
| 36 | Texas | 7.69% | 3.43% (9) | 0.00% (45) | 4.27% (11) |
| 37 | Colorado | 7.56% | 2.77% (22) | 1.43% (39) | 3.36% (28) |
| 38 | South Carolina | 7.49% | 2.56% (28) | 1.86% (33) | 3.07% (36) |
| 39 | Montana | 7.29% | 3.04% (15) | 3.05% (9) | 1.20% (48) |
| 40 | Arizona | 7.24% | 1.95% (42) | 1.01% (40) | 4.28% (10) |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 7.05% | 1.78% (46) | 1.78% (36) | 3.50% (24) |
| 42 | Idaho | 7.04% | 1.92% (43) | 1.84% (34) | 3.29% (31) |
| 43 | North Dakota | 7.02% | 2.23% (35) | 0.88% (41) | 3.91% (15) |
| 44 | Wyoming | 6.70% | 3.42% (10) | 0.00% (45) | 3.28% (32) |
| 45 | South Dakota | 6.38% | 2.32% (34) | 0.00% (45) | 4.06% (12) |
| 46 | Delaware | 6.28% | 1.67% (47) | 3.62% (4) | 0.98% (49) |
| 47 | Florida | 6.27% | 2.52% (30) | 0.00% (45) | 3.74% (19) |
| 48 | Tennessee | 6.21% | 1.60% (48) | 0.00% (44) | 4.61% (7) |
| 49 | New Hampshire | 5.38% | 4.33% (3) | 0.13% (42) | 0.91% (50) |
| 50 | Alaska | 4.92% | 3.32% (13) | 0.00% (45) | 1.60% (47) |
Total tax burden
Hawaii has the highest total tax burden, with residents paying out over 13% of their income to state and local governments. That includes 3.2% on income taxes, 2.6% on property taxes, and 7.5% in sales and excise taxes.
Alaska has the lowest total tax burden, as its residents pay no income tax. They also pay out only 3.3% of their income in property taxes and 1.6% in sales and excise taxes, for a total of 4.9%.
Income tax burden
Oregon has the costliest state and local income taxes in the nation, at 4.8% of its residents’ income. On the flip side, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming do not charge any income tax. This makes them attractive states to move to, WalletHub says.
Property tax burden
Vermont charges the most in property taxes, at 4.9% of residents’ income. All states have some sort of property tax, but Alabama’s is by far the lowest, at just 1.4%.
Sales and excise tax burden
Residents of Hawaii pay out around 7.5% of their income in sales and excise taxes every year. New Hampshire residents have the lowest burden—the state does not charge a general sales tax, and other excise taxes only work out to less than 1% of the average resident’s income each year, WalletHub says.
Photo credit: erhui1979/iStock
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