Introduction
A tax burden is the total responsibility that a person, organization, or government has in regard to paying a percentage of taxes. The higher the percentage of taxes that must be paid, the greater the tax burden and the higher the responsibility to pay them.
In 2022, New York state has the highest overall tax burden out of the 50 states. A total of 15.9% of the state’s net product is used to pay state and local taxes. The second highest tax burden by state is found in Connecticut, at 15.4%. Hawaii is number three, with 14.1%.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, from 2020—2022, the tax burden of the United States increased every year, and in each of those three years the tax burden was the highest it’s been since 1978, and it continues to increase.
The individual taxes that affect the aforementioned percentages include, but are not limited to, the excise tax, estate tax, property tax, state and local sales tax, and inheritance tax. Each tax works in tandem to create a high tax burden in a given state.
Although the three states with the highest tax burdens saw a marked increase in the percentage of their respective tax burdens, many states saw only a minimal increase in their taxes from 2020—2022. In other states, their total tax burden actually decreased during that same period.
| # | State | State-Local Tax Burden | Income Tax Rate | Property Tax Rate | Corporate Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 4.6% | 0% | 0.98% | 9.4% |
| 2 | Wyoming | 7.5% | 0% | 0.51% | 0% |
| 3 | Tennessee | 7.6% | 0% | 0.63% | 6.5% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 8.4% | 0% | 1.14% | 0% |
| 5 | Michigan | 8.6% | 4.25% | 1.53% | 6% |
| 6 | Texas | 8.6% | 0% | 1.6% | 0% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 8.8% | 1.1% | 0.88% | 4.3% |
| 8 | Georgia | 8.9% | 1% | 0.87% | 5.8% |
| 9 | South Carolina | 8.9% | 0% | 0.53% | 5% |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 9% | 0.25% | 0.83% | 4% |
| 11 | Florida | 9.1% | 0% | 0.86% | 5.5% |
| 12 | Louisiana | 9.1% | 1.85% | 0.51% | 7.5% |
| 13 | Indiana | 9.3% | 3.23% | 0.81% | 4.9% |
| 14 | Missouri | 9.3% | 1.5% | 0.96% | 4% |
| 15 | Arizona | 9.5% | 2.59% | 0.6% | 4.9% |
| 16 | Kentucky | 9.6% | 5% | 0.78% | 5% |
| 17 | Nevada | 9.6% | 0% | 0.56% | 0% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 9.6% | 5% | 1.89% | 7.5% |
| 19 | Colorado | 9.7% | 4.55% | 0.52% | 4.6% |
| 20 | Alabama | 9.8% | 2% | 0.37% | 6.5% |
| 21 | Mississippi | 9.8% | 4% | 0.63% | 5% |
| 22 | West Virginia | 9.8% | 3% | 0.53% | 6.5% |
| 23 | North Carolina | 9.9% | 4.99% | 0.78% | 2.5% |
| 24 | Ohio | 10% | 2.77% | 1.52% | 0% |
| 25 | Arkansas | 10.2% | 2% | 0.61% | 5.3% |
| 26 | New Mexico | 10.2% | 1.7% | 0.59% | 5.9% |
| 27 | Montana | 10.5% | 1% | 0.74% | 6.8% |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 10.6% | 3.07% | 1.43% | 9% |
| 29 | Idaho | 10.7% | 1% | 0.65% | 5.8% |
| 30 | Washington | 10.7% | 7% | 0.84% | 0% |
| 31 | Oregon | 10.8% | 4.75% | 0.91% | 7.6% |
| 32 | Wisconsin | 10.9% | 3.54% | 1.53% | 7.9% |
| 33 | Iowa | 11.2% | 0.33% | 1.43% | 8.4% |
| 34 | Kansas | 11.2% | 3.1% | 1.28% | 7% |
| 35 | Maryland | 11.3% | 2% | 1.01% | 8.3% |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 11.4% | 3.75% | 1.37% | 7% |
| 37 | Massachusetts | 11.5% | 5% | 1.08% | 8% |
| 38 | Nebraska | 11.5% | 2.46% | 1.54% | 7.3% |
| 39 | District of Columbia | 12% | 4% | 8.3% | |
| 40 | Minnesota | 12.1% | 5.35% | 1.05% | 9.8% |
| 41 | Utah | 12.1% | 4.95% | 0.56% | 4.9% |
| 42 | Delaware | 12.4% | 2.2% | 0.59% | 8.7% |
| 43 | Maine | 12.4% | 5.8% | 1.2% | 8.9% |
| 44 | Virginia | 12.5% | 2% | 0.84% | 6% |
| 45 | Illinois | 12.9% | 4.95% | 1.97% | 9.5% |
| 46 | New Jersey | 13.2% | 1.4% | 2.13% | 11.5% |
| 47 | California | 13.5% | 1% | 0.7% | 8.8% |
| 48 | Vermont | 13.6% | 3.35% | 1.76% | 8.5% |
| 49 | Hawaii | 14.1% | 1.4% | 0.31% | 6.4% |
| 50 | Connecticut | 15.4% | 3% | 1.73% | 7.5% |
| 51 | New York | 15.9% | 4% | 1.3% | 7.3% |
State-Local Tax Burden by State
Alabama
State-Local Tax Burden
9.8%
Ranked in the US
#20
Ranked in the US
#21
0.37%
Ranked in the US
#2
Ranked in the US
#26
Alaska
State-Local Tax Burden
4.6%
Ranked in the US
#1
Ranked in the US
#1
0.98%
Ranked in the US
#30
Ranked in the US
#48
Arizona
State-Local Tax Burden
9.5%
Ranked in the US
#15
2.59%
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#12
Ranked in the US
#12
Arkansas
State-Local Tax Burden
10.2%
Ranked in the US
#25
Ranked in the US
#22
0.61%
Ranked in the US
#13
Ranked in the US
#18
California
State-Local Tax Burden
13.5%
Ranked in the US
#47
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#17
Ranked in the US
#45
Colorado
State-Local Tax Burden
9.7%
Ranked in the US
#19
4.55%
Ranked in the US
#41
0.52%
Ranked in the US
#5
Ranked in the US
#11
Connecticut
State-Local Tax Burden
15.4%
Ranked in the US
#50
Ranked in the US
#29
1.73%
Ranked in the US
#46
Ranked in the US
#34
Delaware
State-Local Tax Burden
12.4%
Ranked in the US
#42
2.2%
Ranked in the US
#25
0.59%
Ranked in the US
#10
Ranked in the US
#44
District of Columbia
State-Local Tax Burden
12%
Ranked in the US
#39
Ranked in the US
#37
Ranked in the US
#40
Florida
State-Local Tax Burden
9.1%
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#2
0.86%
Ranked in the US
#25
Ranked in the US
#19
Georgia
State-Local Tax Burden
8.9%
Ranked in the US
#8
Ranked in the US
#12
0.87%
Ranked in the US
#26
Ranked in the US
#20
Hawaii
State-Local Tax Burden
14.1%
Ranked in the US
#49
1.4%
Ranked in the US
#16
0.31%
Ranked in the US
#1
Ranked in the US
#25
Idaho
State-Local Tax Burden
10.7%
Ranked in the US
#29
Ranked in the US
#13
0.65%
Ranked in the US
#16
Ranked in the US
#21
Illinois
State-Local Tax Burden
12.9%
Ranked in the US
#45
4.95%
Ranked in the US
#43
1.97%
Ranked in the US
#49
Ranked in the US
#49
Indiana
State-Local Tax Burden
9.3%
Ranked in the US
#13
3.23%
Ranked in the US
#33
0.81%
Ranked in the US
#21
Ranked in the US
#13
Iowa
State-Local Tax Burden
11.2%
Ranked in the US
#33
0.33%
Ranked in the US
#10
1.43%
Ranked in the US
#39
Ranked in the US
#42
Kansas
State-Local Tax Burden
11.2%
Ranked in the US
#34
3.1%
Ranked in the US
#32
1.28%
Ranked in the US
#36
Ranked in the US
#30
Kentucky
State-Local Tax Burden
9.6%
Ranked in the US
#16
Ranked in the US
#46
0.78%
Ranked in the US
#19
Ranked in the US
#15
Louisiana
State-Local Tax Burden
9.1%
Ranked in the US
#12
1.85%
Ranked in the US
#20
0.51%
Ranked in the US
#3
Ranked in the US
#35
Maine
State-Local Tax Burden
12.4%
Ranked in the US
#43
5.8%
Ranked in the US
#50
Ranked in the US
#35
Ranked in the US
#46
Maryland
State-Local Tax Burden
11.3%
Ranked in the US
#35
Ranked in the US
#23
1.01%
Ranked in the US
#31
Ranked in the US
#41
Massachusetts
State-Local Tax Burden
11.5%
Ranked in the US
#37
Ranked in the US
#47
1.08%
Ranked in the US
#33
Ranked in the US
#39
Michigan
State-Local Tax Burden
8.6%
Ranked in the US
#5
4.25%
Ranked in the US
#40
1.53%
Ranked in the US
#42
Ranked in the US
#23
Minnesota
State-Local Tax Burden
12.1%
Ranked in the US
#40
5.35%
Ranked in the US
#49
1.05%
Ranked in the US
#32
Ranked in the US
#50
Mississippi
State-Local Tax Burden
9.8%
Ranked in the US
#21
Ranked in the US
#38
0.63%
Ranked in the US
#14
Ranked in the US
#16
Missouri
State-Local Tax Burden
9.3%
Ranked in the US
#14
1.5%
Ranked in the US
#18
0.96%
Ranked in the US
#29
Ranked in the US
#8
Montana
State-Local Tax Burden
10.5%
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#14
0.74%
Ranked in the US
#18
Ranked in the US
#29
Nebraska
State-Local Tax Burden
11.5%
Ranked in the US
#38
2.46%
Ranked in the US
#26
1.54%
Ranked in the US
#44
Ranked in the US
#32
Nevada
State-Local Tax Burden
9.6%
Ranked in the US
#17
Ranked in the US
#3
0.56%
Ranked in the US
#8
Ranked in the US
#1
New Hampshire
State-Local Tax Burden
9.6%
Ranked in the US
#18
Ranked in the US
#48
1.89%
Ranked in the US
#48
Ranked in the US
#36
New Jersey
State-Local Tax Burden
13.2%
Ranked in the US
#46
1.4%
Ranked in the US
#17
2.13%
Ranked in the US
#50
11.5%
Ranked in the US
#51
New Mexico
State-Local Tax Burden
10.2%
Ranked in the US
#26
1.7%
Ranked in the US
#19
0.59%
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#22
New York
State-Local Tax Burden
15.9%
Ranked in the US
#51
Ranked in the US
#39
Ranked in the US
#37
Ranked in the US
#33
North Carolina
State-Local Tax Burden
9.9%
Ranked in the US
#23
4.99%
Ranked in the US
#45
0.78%
Ranked in the US
#20
Ranked in the US
#7
North Dakota
State-Local Tax Burden
8.8%
Ranked in the US
#7
1.1%
Ranked in the US
#15
0.88%
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#10
Ohio
State-Local Tax Burden
10%
Ranked in the US
#24
2.77%
Ranked in the US
#28
1.52%
Ranked in the US
#41
Ranked in the US
#2
Oklahoma
State-Local Tax Burden
9%
Ranked in the US
#10
0.25%
Ranked in the US
#9
0.83%
Ranked in the US
#22
Ranked in the US
#9
Oregon
State-Local Tax Burden
10.8%
Ranked in the US
#31
4.75%
Ranked in the US
#42
0.91%
Ranked in the US
#28
Ranked in the US
#37
Pennsylvania
State-Local Tax Burden
10.6%
Ranked in the US
#28
3.07%
Ranked in the US
#31
1.43%
Ranked in the US
#40
Ranked in the US
#47
Rhode Island
State-Local Tax Burden
11.4%
Ranked in the US
#36
3.75%
Ranked in the US
#36
1.37%
Ranked in the US
#38
Ranked in the US
#31
South Carolina
State-Local Tax Burden
8.9%
Ranked in the US
#9
Ranked in the US
#4
0.53%
Ranked in the US
#6
Ranked in the US
#17
South Dakota
State-Local Tax Burden
8.4%
Ranked in the US
#4
Ranked in the US
#5
1.14%
Ranked in the US
#34
Ranked in the US
#3
Tennessee
State-Local Tax Burden
7.6%
Ranked in the US
#3
Ranked in the US
#6
0.63%
Ranked in the US
#15
Ranked in the US
#27
Texas
State-Local Tax Burden
8.6%
Ranked in the US
#6
Ranked in the US
#7
Ranked in the US
#45
Ranked in the US
#4
Utah
State-Local Tax Burden
12.1%
Ranked in the US
#41
4.95%
Ranked in the US
#44
0.56%
Ranked in the US
#9
Ranked in the US
#14
Vermont
State-Local Tax Burden
13.6%
Ranked in the US
#48
3.35%
Ranked in the US
#34
1.76%
Ranked in the US
#47
Ranked in the US
#43
Virginia
State-Local Tax Burden
12.5%
Ranked in the US
#44
Ranked in the US
#24
0.84%
Ranked in the US
#23
Ranked in the US
#24
Washington
State-Local Tax Burden
10.7%
Ranked in the US
#30
Ranked in the US
#51
0.84%
Ranked in the US
#24
Ranked in the US
#5
West Virginia
State-Local Tax Burden
9.8%
Ranked in the US
#22
Ranked in the US
#30
0.53%
Ranked in the US
#7
Ranked in the US
#28
Wisconsin
State-Local Tax Burden
10.9%
Ranked in the US
#32
3.54%
Ranked in the US
#35
1.53%
Ranked in the US
#43
Ranked in the US
#38
Wyoming
State-Local Tax Burden
7.5%
Ranked in the US
#2
Ranked in the US
#8
0.51%
Ranked in the US
#4
Ranked in the US
#6