Wednesday, September 9, 2026·2026 Edition
Best Northeast States for Take-Home Pay (2026)
Tax rates and take-home pay comparison for all Northeast US states.
#1 State
New Hampshire
$79,125 take-home
States Ranked
10
Median: Connecticut
Spread
$5,490
#1 vs #10 difference
Key Takeaways
This ranking covers 10 states, with New Hampshire at the top ($79,125 take-home on $100K) and Maine at the bottom ($73,635). The spread between best and worst is $5,490/year.
The ranking is influenced by state income tax rates, tax structure (flat vs graduated), local taxes, and in cost-adjusted rankings, the cost of living index. States with no income tax generally rank highest for raw take-home pay, but cost adjustments can shuffle the order significantly.
Full Rankings
| # | State | Tax Rate | Type | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost Index | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 108 | $73,264 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 3.07% | Flat | $76,055 | $6,338 | 23.9% | 98 | $77,607 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 5.99% | Grad. | $75,692 | $6,308 | 24.3% | 105 | $72,087 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 10.75% | Grad. | $74,945 | $6,245 | 25.1% | 115 | $65,170 |
| 5 | Vermont | 8.75% | Grad. | $74,907 | $6,242 | 25.1% | 105 | $71,340 |
| 6 | Connecticut | 6.99% | Grad. | $74,375 | $6,198 | 25.6% | 111 | $67,005 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 5% | Flat | $74,345 | $6,195 | 25.7% | 118 | $63,004 |
| 8 | New York | 10.9% | Grad. | $74,265 | $6,189 | 25.7% | 125 | $59,412 |
| 9 | Delaware | 6.6% | Grad. | $73,918 | $6,160 | 26.1% | 102 | $72,468 |
| 10 | Maine | 7.15% | Grad. | $73,635 | $6,136 | 26.4% | 98 | $75,137 |
Pro Tip
Use the take-home calculator to model your specific salary and filing status. Rankings based on $100K may look different at your actual income level, especially in graduated-tax states.