Beyond the IRS: See who pays the most in state income and other taxes

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Published  April 18, 2026 2:50pm MST
FOX Local

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are shown in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 15, 2026. (Photo by Matias Baglietto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • The IRS deadline was this week, but that also meant state income taxes were due for Americans across the country.
    • New York, Massachusetts, and California collected the most per capita in income taxes.
    • Vermont, Hawaii, and California paid the most in total taxes, while Alaska, New Hampshire, and Florida were the lowest.

Americans coast-to-coast filed their taxes this week. While the IRS dominated many of the headlines, most people were also filling out forms for their state as well.

Unlike with federal taxes, how much the residents of each state paid varied widely - and some of them did not have to pay a state income tax at all. That is because each state decides how it wants to fund its government in different ways. Income and sales taxes make up the bulk of revenue for many of them, with property taxes and some others rounding out the difference.

Big picture view:

No matter how each state decides to pay its bills, they all need taxes to do so. How much they need can swing wildly, and can be based on the services provided at the state level, with some states collecting more than three times as much per person.

Using U.S. Census data, here is a breakdown of approximately how much each state collected in 2025, as well as a per capita figure that is calculated using the agency’s overall population figure from the same year. (Click on the states to see per capita figures)

Highest Total Taxes per Capita

  1. Vermont - $8,075.34
  2. Hawaii - $7,702.55
  3. California - $6,988.67

Lowest Total Taxes per Capita

  1. Alaska - $2,288.09
  2. New Hampshire - $2,382.79
  3. Florida - $2,708.60

Highest State Income Tax

Along with the federal tax deadline earlier this week, many filers were submitting their state returns as well. Not everyone, though. A few states - Nevada, Texas, and Wyoming - collect no income tax. Meanwhile, several more states drastically limit who needs to pay income taxes and everyone else who lives there may not need to file a return at all.

Highest Income Tax per Capita 

  1. New York - $4,399.06
  2. Massachusetts - $4,311.29
  3. California - $4,271.60

Dig deeper:

While they do not garner the same April headlines or dread as income taxes, there is another revenue stream that can also serve as a main income source for state governments: sales taxes. For the majority of states, this was the number one or number two-way of collecting funds.

The Census Bureau identified a few other sources of revenue, including property taxes, which are collected by most but not all states. There are also other taxes, such as those on licenses, that provide other income. 

The Source: Information for this article was taken from the U.S. Census Bureau. This story was reported from Orlando.


 

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