Wednesday, September 9, 2026·2026 Edition
Best Western States for Take-Home Pay (2026)
Tax rates and take-home pay comparison for all Western US states.
#1 State
Alaska
$79,125 take-home
States Ranked
13
Median: Colorado
Spread
$8,193
#1 vs #13 difference
Key Takeaways
This ranking covers 13 states, with Alaska at the top ($79,125 take-home on $100K) and Oregon at the bottom ($70,932). The spread between best and worst is $8,193/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 | Alaska | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 127 | $62,303 |
| 2 | Nevada | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 101 | $78,342 |
| 3 | Washington | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 110 | $71,932 |
| 4 | Wyoming | 0% | None | $79,125 | $6,594 | 20.9% | 94 | $84,176 |
| 5 | Arizona | 2.5% | Flat | $77,028 | $6,419 | 23.0% | 97 | $79,410 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 5.9% | Grad. | $75,556 | $6,296 | 24.4% | 91 | $83,028 |
| 7 | Colorado | 4.4% | Flat | $75,433 | $6,286 | 24.6% | 105 | $71,841 |
| 8 | Montana | 5.65% | Grad. | $74,836 | $6,236 | 25.2% | 97 | $77,150 |
| 9 | Idaho | 5.3% | Flat | $74,678 | $6,223 | 25.3% | 95 | $78,609 |
| 10 | Utah | 4.45% | Flat | $74,675 | $6,223 | 25.3% | 99 | $75,429 |
| 11 | California | 13.3% | Grad. | $73,798 | $6,150 | 26.2% | 142 | $51,970 |
| 12 | Hawaii | 11% | Grad. | $73,242 | $6,103 | 26.8% | 192 | $38,147 |
| 13 | Oregon | 9.9% | Grad. | $70,932 | $5,911 | 29.1% | 110 | $64,484 |
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.