Guide
US take-home pay by state 2026: the same $75,000 salary in 14 states
Two people on the same $75,000 salary can take home very different amounts depending on the state they live and work in. The federal part of the bill does not move. What changes is the state income tax, and a handful of small state payroll deductions that are easy to miss on an offer letter. This guide holds everything else fixed and varies only the state. It is general education, not tax advice. Figures are for tax year 2026, checked on 2026-10-10.
For the federal rules in detail, read US take-home pay 2026. To run your own numbers, use the US take-home pay calculator. US tools sit on the US region page.
What stays the same in every state, and what changes?
Take-home pay = gross wages − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare − state income tax − state payroll items
For a single filer with one W-2 job, no 401(k) and no HSA:
| Item | Same in every state? | $75,000 example |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | Yes: 2026 brackets and a $16,100 standard deduction | $7,670.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%, wage cap $184,500) | Yes | $4,650.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | Yes | $1,087.50 |
| State income tax | No | $0 to $3,567.71 |
| State payroll items (paid leave, disability, unemployment) | No | $0 to $1,040.37 |
The federal figure works out as taxable income of 75,000 − 16,100 = 58,900, so 12,400 × 10% + 38,000 × 12% + 8,500 × 22% = 1,240 + 4,560 + 1,870 = $7,670. Add FICA of $5,737.50 and the common bill is $13,407.50 before any state takes a cent.
How much does the same $75,000 take home in each state?
| State | State income tax | State payroll items | Take-home pay a year | A month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wyoming | $0 | $0 | $61,592.50 | $5,132.71 | 17.88% |
| Alaska | $0 | $271.00 (unemployment insurance) | $61,321.50 | $5,110.13 | 18.24% |
| Washington | $0 | $1,040.37 (paid leave $605.37, WA Cares $435.00) | $60,552.13 | $5,046.01 | 19.26% |
| Pennsylvania | $2,302.50 | $52.50 | $59,237.50 | $4,936.46 | 21.02% |
| Illinois | $3,567.71 | $0 | $58,024.79 | $4,835.40 | 22.63% |
| California | $2,665.12 | $975.00 (SDI) | $57,952.38 | $4,829.37 | 22.73% |
| Massachusetts | $3,430.00 | $345.00 (PFML) | $57,817.50 | $4,818.13 | 22.91% |
| New York | $3,453.40 | $355.20 (SDI $31.20, PFL $324.00) | $57,783.90 | $4,815.33 | 22.95% |
Effective rate is total tax and payroll deductions divided by gross pay. Seven states sit at the top with exactly the same result, because they have neither a wage income tax nor an employee payroll deduction in this model.
Three patterns stand out:
- The ranking among the taxed states is tight at $75,000. Illinois, California, Massachusetts and New York land within $241 of each other ($58,024.79 to $57,783.90), even though their tax systems look nothing alike. Illinois is a flat 4.95% after a $2,925 exemption, California has graduated brackets plus a 1.3% SDI payroll deduction, Massachusetts is a flat 5% after a $4,400 exemption and a FICA deduction, and New York has graduated brackets plus small payroll items.
- Pennsylvania is the cheapest taxed state here. Its flat 3.07% applies to wages and its only payroll item is a 0.07% unemployment deduction.
- “No income tax” is not the same as “no deductions”. Alaska and Washington still take payroll items, and Washington’s come to $1,040.37, about 1.4% of the salary.
Does the ranking change at a higher salary?
Yes. At $150,000 (single, no 401(k), no HSA) the graduated systems pull away from the flat ones:
| State | Take-home pay a year | Gap versus Texas | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (and the six other no-wage-tax states with no payroll item) | $113,791.00 | $0 | 24.14% |
| Alaska | $113,520.00 | $271.00 | 24.32% |
| Washington | $111,710.26 | $2,080.74 | 25.53% |
| Pennsylvania | $109,081.00 | $4,710.00 | 27.28% |
| Illinois | $106,510.79 | $7,280.21 | 28.99% |
| Massachusetts | $105,921.00 | $7,870.00 | 29.39% |
| New York | $105,056.99 | $8,734.01 | 29.96% |
| California | $102,280.14 | $11,510.86 | 31.81% |
California goes from the third-heaviest state at $75,000 to the heaviest at $150,000. Its graduated brackets rise to 9.3% on taxable income above $75,197, and its 1.3% SDI applies to every dollar of wages. New York’s recapture rule phases out the benefit of its lower brackets once income passes $107,650, so its effective rate climbs faster than Illinois’ flat 4.95%. Illinois, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts keep one state rate however much you earn.
Why do the payroll items differ by state?
State payroll deductions fund programmes that a state chooses to run:
- California SDI (State Disability Insurance): 1.3% of all wages in 2026, with no wage limit.
- New York SDI and Paid Family Leave: SDI is 0.5% of wages up to $0.60 a week ($31.20 a year); PFL is 0.432% of wages up to $411.91 a year. At $75,000 the PFL deduction is $324.00.
- Washington: paid family and medical leave is 1.13% in total in 2026, of which employees pay 71.43%; WA Cares is 0.58% of all wages unless you hold an approved exemption.
- Alaska: employees pay 0.50% unemployment insurance on wages up to $54,200, so $271.00 once you pass that level.
- Massachusetts PFML: up to 0.46% of wages, capped at the Social Security wage base of $184,500. The calculator uses the full 0.46% employee share (0.18% family plus 0.28% medical).
- Pennsylvania: employees pay 0.07% unemployment insurance with no wage cap.
Which of these apply to you also depends on your employer’s size and plan, so check a payslip.
What the comparison leaves out
- Local taxes. New York City, Yonkers, Pennsylvania local earned income tax, the Philadelphia wage tax and similar charges are not included.
- Everything except wage withholding. Property tax, sales tax, housing cost and state taxes on investments are outside the comparison. Several no-wage-tax states fund services in other ways.
- Single filer, one W-2 job, standard deduction. Married filing jointly, head of household, itemised deductions and credits other than the nonrefundable Child Tax Credit are not modelled in the table.
- Year-end liability, not paycheck withholding. See the FAQ below.
- Tax law changes. Washington’s new 9.9% tax on income above $1 million starts in 2028 and does not affect a 2026 wage earner. Treat all figures as 2026 only.
FAQ
Does moving to a state with no income tax always raise my take-home pay?
On wages alone it removes the state income tax, which is $2,302.50 to $3,567.71 a year at a $75,000 salary in the five taxed states modelled here. But Washington still deducts paid-leave and WA Cares premiums, and your total cost of living, property tax, sales tax and any local taxes can outweigh the saving. This guide compares wage withholding only.
Why does Washington take home less than Texas if neither taxes wages?
Washington has no tax on wage income in 2026, but employees pay paid family and medical leave premiums and, unless they hold an approved exemption, WA Cares. At $75,000 that is $605.37 plus $435.00, or $1,040.37 a year. Texas has no comparable employee deduction.
Are New York City, Philadelphia and other local taxes included?
No. The calculator and this guide exclude city and local taxes such as New York City and Yonkers income tax, Pennsylvania local earned income tax and the Philadelphia wage tax. Add them yourself if they apply, because they can be a large part of the real difference between two addresses.
Will my paycheck match these figures exactly?
Not necessarily. The figures are the year-end liability for one W-2 job with the standard deduction, not Publication 15-T paycheck withholding. Your W-4, bonuses, pay frequency, pre-tax benefits and state forms change what is withheld each period, and your return settles the final bill.
Sources
Federal and Social Security items, and the payroll rates below, were read from the official pages on 2026-10-10. Figures are for tax year 2026.
- IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 standard deduction: $16,100 single; Child Tax Credit $2,200)
- SSA, Contribution and benefit base (2026: $184,500; OASDI 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%)
- Illinois Department of Revenue, Income tax rates and Informational Bulletin FY 2026-15 (4.95%; 2026 exemption $2,925)
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, 2025 PA-40 instructions (3.07%); PA Department of Labor & Industry, UC yearly tax highlights (employee withholding 0.07%)
- Massachusetts DOR, 4% surtax (2026 threshold $1,107,750); DFML, PFML contribution rates (0.18% family and 0.28% medical employee share)
- California EDD, Rates and withholding (2026 SDI 1.3%, all wages)
- New York Paid Family Leave, 2026 updates (0.432%, maximum $411.91); NY Workers’ Compensation Board, Disability benefits (employee contribution one-half of one percent, at most sixty cents a week)
- Washington ESD, Paid Family & Medical Leave premium 1.13% in 2026 (employees pay 71.43%); WA Cares Fund (0.58% of gross wages); Washington DOR, Income tax
- Alaska Department of Labor, 2026 unemployment insurance rates (wage base $54,200; employee rate 0.50%)
- South Dakota DOR, Taxes and Texas Comptroller, Taxes (no state income tax). The other no-wage-tax states (Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Wyoming) rest on the sources in our calculator specification, last read 2026-10-05; the New Hampshire site blocked our fetch on 2026-10-10.
- California 2026 tax schedules and New York Tax Law §601 / §614 bracket and deduction amounts, as in our calculator specification (last read 2026-10-05; not re-opened on 2026-10-10)
This page is general education, not tax advice. See the disclaimer.