Take-Home Pay by State 2026 — Ranked Comparison
One salary, every verified state, ranked by what actually reaches your account. Federal tax and FICA are identical everywhere, so the spread comes entirely from state income tax and employee payroll programs — the number that matters for a relocation decision.
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Federal withholding, Social Security and Medicare are the same in every state, so the ranking below is driven entirely by state income tax and employee-paid payroll programs. Cost of living is not modelled — a bigger paycheck in one state does not mean more money left at the end of the month.
On $85,000, the spread between the highest and lowest verified state is
$6,693
a year — Florida keeps the most, Oregon the least, of the 51 states verified so far.
| # | State | State tax + programs | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Floridano income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 2 | Nevadano income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 3 | New Hampshireno income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 4 | South Dakotano income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 5 | Tennesseeno income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 6 | Texasno income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 7 | Wyomingno income tax | $0 | $68,628 |
| 8 | Alaskano income tax | $425 | $68,202 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $534 | $68,094 |
| 10 | Washingtonno income tax | $1,179 | $67,448 |
| 11 | Arizona | $1,700 | $66,928 |
| 12 | Ohio | $2,160 | $66,467 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $2,229 | $66,399 |
| 14 | Indiana | $2,478 | $66,149 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $2,668 | $65,959 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $2,669 | $65,958 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $2,686 | $65,941 |
| 18 | Iowa | $2,736 | $65,892 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $2,857 | $65,770 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $2,955 | $65,673 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $3,004 | $65,624 |
| 22 | Missouri | $3,058 | $65,570 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $3,229 | $65,399 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $3,253 | $65,374 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $3,279 | $65,348 |
| 26 | Vermont | $3,345 | $65,282 |
| 27 | Michigan | $3,362 | $65,266 |
| 28 | Montana | $3,442 | $65,186 |
| 29 | Alabama | $3,492 | $65,136 |
| 30 | Georgia | $3,493 | $65,134 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $3,525 | $65,102 |
| 32 | Idaho | $3,652 | $64,976 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $3,694 | $64,934 |
| 34 | Maryland | $3,724 | $64,904 |
| 35 | Utah | $3,782 | $64,845 |
| 36 | Colorado | $3,872 | $64,756 |
| 37 | Kansas | $3,943 | $64,684 |
| 38 | Illinois | $4,063 | $64,565 |
| 39 | Virginia | $4,073 | $64,554 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | $4,104 | $64,523 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $4,176 | $64,451 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $4,256 | $64,371 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $4,278 | $64,349 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $4,421 | $64,206 |
| 45 | Maine | $4,714 | $63,914 |
| 46 | Delaware | $4,719 | $63,909 |
| 47 | New York | $4,818 | $63,810 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $4,991 | $63,637 |
| 49 | California | $5,299 | $63,328 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $5,359 | $63,269 |
| 51 | Oregon | $6,693 | $61,934 |
Estimates from each state's verified rule pack, assuming a bi-weekly schedule, no pre-tax deductions, and no local taxes — several states have city or county wage taxes that would narrow these gaps. Each state page discloses how its own figure is approximated.
Verified 2026-07-31 against IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — section 1, Worksheet 1A and the 2026 Annual Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems; FICA rates and wage base from IRS Publication 15 (2026) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-07-31 against Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Fiscal Notes — Texas is open for small business (state income tax rate: 0%) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-07-31 against Pennsylvania Department of Revenue — Personal Income Tax Rates (3.07%, tax years 2004 to present) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only IRS can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: IRS Publication 15-T — Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods ↗
🎓 Understand this tool
What it is
A ranking of every verified state by what a given salary actually leaves in your account after payroll withholding — the comparison a single-state calculator cannot make.
How it works
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are computed once, because they are identical in every state. Each state’s income tax and employee-paid payroll programs are then computed from its own verified pack and subtracted, and the states are sorted by what remains.
Getting the most from it
- Enter the salary you are comparing and your filing status.
- Read the spread figure first — it is the honest headline for a relocation question.
- Scan the ranking, noting which states have no income tax but still deduct payroll programs.
- Open any state for its own page, where the approximation is disclosed in full.
Reading your result
The gap between states widens as income rises, so a comparison at one salary does not transfer to another. Cost of living is deliberately excluded: property, sales, and housing costs frequently run opposite to income tax.
What it can't tell you
No pre-tax deductions, no local wage taxes (which exist in several states and would narrow the gaps), and no cost-of-living adjustment. State figures are annualized approximations of published schedules, disclosed per state.
Frequently asked questions
On any given salary the states with no wage income tax generally lead, though several of them still deduct employee-paid payroll programs. The ranking recomputes for the salary you enter, because the gap between states widens as income rises.
Related calculators
Paycheck
Estimate take-home pay in any verified state: federal withholding under the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method, Social Security and Medicare, plus that state’s income tax and any employee payroll programs. Computed in your browser, with the approximation disclosed on every result.
Federal Withholding
See how much federal income tax and FICA come out of each paycheck, using the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method your employer’s payroll system uses. Enter gross pay, pay frequency, and your Form W-4 entries to estimate the withholding and what lands in your account.
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