At $200K+ income, state tax differences become massive. These states let high earners keep the most.
This ranking covers 50 states, with Alaska at the top ($148,887 take-home on $100K) and California at the bottom ($131,597). The spread between best and worst is $17,290/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 | Alaska | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 127 | $117,234 |
| 2 | Florida | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 100 | $148,887 |
| 3 | Nevada | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 101 | $147,413 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 108 | $137,858 |
| 5 | South Dakota | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 92 | $161,834 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 90 | $165,430 |
| 7 | Texas | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 93 | $160,094 |
| 8 | Washington | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 110 | $135,352 |
| 9 | Wyoming | 0% | None | $148,887 | $12,407 | 25.6% | 94 | $158,390 |
| 10 | North Dakota | 1.95% | Grad. | $146,352 | $12,196 | 26.8% | 92 | $159,078 |
| 11 | Arizona | 2.5% | Flat | $143,887 | $11,991 | 28.1% | 97 | $148,337 |
| 12 | Arkansas | 3.9% | Grad. | $143,817 | $11,985 | 28.1% | 86 | $167,229 |
| 13 | Louisiana | 4.25% | Grad. | $143,362 | $11,947 | 28.3% | 91 | $157,541 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 4.55% | Grad. | $142,972 | $11,914 | 28.5% | 91 | $157,112 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 4.75% | Grad. | $142,712 | $11,893 | 28.6% | 87 | $164,037 |
| 16 | Mississippi | 5% | Grad. | $142,387 | $11,866 | 28.8% | 83 | $171,551 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 5.12% | Grad. | $142,231 | $11,853 | 28.9% | 83 | $171,363 |
| 18 | Montana | 5.65% | Grad. | $141,542 | $11,795 | 29.2% | 97 | $145,920 |
| 19 | Kansas | 5.7% | Grad. | $141,477 | $11,790 | 29.3% | 90 | $157,197 |
| 20 | Virginia | 5.75% | Grad. | $141,412 | $11,784 | 29.3% | 103 | $137,293 |
| 21 | Iowa | 3.8% | Flat | $141,287 | $11,774 | 29.4% | 89 | $158,749 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 5.9% | Grad. | $141,217 | $11,768 | 29.4% | 91 | $155,184 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 5.99% | Grad. | $141,100 | $11,758 | 29.4% | 105 | $134,381 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 3.99% | Flat | $140,907 | $11,742 | 29.5% | 95 | $148,323 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 6.4% | Grad. | $140,567 | $11,714 | 29.7% | 92 | $152,790 |
| 26 | Ohio | 2.75% | Flat | $140,387 | $11,699 | 29.8% | 90 | $155,986 |
| 27 | Colorado | 4.4% | Flat | $140,087 | $11,674 | 30.0% | 105 | $133,416 |
| 28 | Indiana | 2.95% | Flat | $139,987 | $11,666 | 30.0% | 90 | $155,541 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 6.99% | Grad. | $139,800 | $11,650 | 30.1% | 111 | $125,946 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | 3.07% | Flat | $139,747 | $11,646 | 30.1% | 98 | $142,599 |
| 31 | Missouri | 4.8% | Grad. | $139,647 | $11,637 | 30.2% | 89 | $156,907 |
| 32 | Maine | 7.15% | Grad. | $139,592 | $11,633 | 30.2% | 98 | $142,441 |
| 33 | Utah | 4.65% | Flat | $139,587 | $11,632 | 30.2% | 99 | $140,997 |
| 34 | Alabama | 5% | Grad. | $139,387 | $11,616 | 30.3% | 88 | $158,394 |
| 35 | Illinois | 4.95% | Flat | $138,987 | $11,582 | 30.5% | 93 | $149,448 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 7.65% | Grad. | $138,942 | $11,579 | 30.5% | 93 | $149,400 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 3.5% | Flat | $138,887 | $11,574 | 30.6% | 90 | $154,319 |
| 38 | Massachusetts | 5% | Flat | $138,887 | $11,574 | 30.6% | 118 | $117,701 |
| 39 | Georgia | 5.19% | Flat | $138,507 | $11,542 | 30.7% | 93 | $148,932 |
| 40 | Maryland | 5.75% | Grad. | $138,412 | $11,534 | 30.8% | 112 | $123,582 |
| 41 | Idaho | 5.3% | Flat | $138,287 | $11,524 | 30.9% | 95 | $145,565 |
| 42 | Vermont | 8.75% | Grad. | $137,512 | $11,459 | 31.2% | 105 | $130,964 |
| 43 | Michigan | 4.25% | Flat | $137,387 | $11,449 | 31.3% | 91 | $150,975 |
| 44 | Delaware | 6.6% | Grad. | $137,307 | $11,442 | 31.3% | 102 | $134,615 |
| 45 | Minnesota | 9.85% | Grad. | $136,082 | $11,340 | 32.0% | 99 | $137,457 |
| 46 | New Jersey | 10.75% | Grad. | $134,912 | $11,243 | 32.5% | 115 | $117,315 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 11% | Grad. | $134,587 | $11,216 | 32.7% | 192 | $70,097 |
| 48 | Oregon | 9.9% | Grad. | $133,017 | $11,085 | 33.5% | 110 | $120,925 |
| 49 | New York | 10.9% | Grad. | $131,717 | $10,976 | 34.1% | 125 | $105,374 |
| 50 | California | 13.3% | Grad. | $131,597 | $10,966 | 34.2% | 142 | $92,674 |