Wednesday, September 9, 2026·2026 Edition
Best Southern States for Take-Home Pay (2026)
Tax rates and take-home pay comparison for all Southern US states.
#1 State
Florida
$79,125 take-home
States Ranked
15
Median: Arkansas
Spread
$7,438
#1 vs #15 difference
Key Takeaways
This ranking covers 15 states, with Florida at the top ($79,125 take-home on $100K) and Maryland at the bottom ($71,687). The spread between best and worst is $7,438/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 | 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 | Louisiana | 3% | Flat | $76,500 | $6,375 | 23.5% | 91 | $84,066 |
| 5 | Mississippi | 4% | Flat | $75,857 | $6,321 | 24.1% | 83 | $91,394 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 3.5% | Flat | $75,743 | $6,312 | 24.3% | 90 | $84,158 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 3.99% | Flat | $75,644 | $6,304 | 24.4% | 95 | $79,625 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 3.9% | Grad. | $75,400 | $6,283 | 24.6% | 86 | $87,674 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 4.82% | Grad. | $75,240 | $6,270 | 24.8% | 83 | $90,650 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 4.5% | Grad. | $75,081 | $6,257 | 24.9% | 87 | $86,300 |
| 11 | Alabama | 5% | Grad. | $75,026 | $6,252 | 25.0% | 88 | $85,257 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 6% | Grad. | $74,733 | $6,228 | 25.3% | 92 | $81,231 |
| 13 | Georgia | 5.19% | Flat | $74,558 | $6,213 | 25.4% | 93 | $80,170 |
| 14 | Virginia | 5.75% | Grad. | $74,121 | $6,177 | 25.9% | 103 | $71,962 |
| 15 | Maryland | 6.5% | Grad. | $71,687 | $5,974 | 28.3% | 112 | $64,006 |
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.