Tax rates and take-home pay comparison for all Southern US states.
This ranking covers 15 states, with Florida at the top ($79,125 take-home on $100K) and Maryland at the bottom ($73,888). The spread between best and worst is $5,238/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.
| # | State | Tax Rate | Type | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost Index | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 100 | $79,125 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 90 | $87,917 |
| 3 | Texas | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 93 | $85,081 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3.9% | Grad. | $76,590 | $6,383 | 23.4% | 86 | $89,058 |
| 5 | Louisiana | 4.25% | Grad. | $76,363 | $6,364 | 23.6% | 91 | $83,915 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 4.75% | Grad. | $76,038 | $6,336 | 24.0% | 87 | $87,399 |
| 7 | Mississippi | 5% | Grad. | $75,875 | $6,323 | 24.1% | 83 | $91,416 |
| 8 | West Virginia | 5.12% | Grad. | $75,797 | $6,316 | 24.2% | 83 | $91,322 |
| 9 | Virginia | 5.75% | Grad. | $75,388 | $6,282 | 24.6% | 103 | $73,192 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 3.99% | Flat | $75,135 | $6,261 | 24.9% | 95 | $79,089 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 6.4% | Grad. | $74,965 | $6,247 | 25.0% | 92 | $81,484 |
| 12 | Alabama | 5% | Grad. | $74,375 | $6,198 | 25.6% | 88 | $84,517 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 3.5% | Flat | $74,125 | $6,177 | 25.9% | 90 | $82,361 |
| 14 | Georgia | 5.19% | Flat | $73,935 | $6,161 | 26.1% | 93 | $79,500 |
| 15 | Maryland | 5.75% | Grad. | $73,888 | $6,157 | 26.1% | 112 | $65,971 |