US News

NY has second highest tax burden in the US — but these are best states to catch a break

The Empire State has the second highest tax burden in the country — after Hawaii, according to a new ahead of Tax Day on April 15. 

New York also𝔍 taxes its residents more aggressively than any other state when it comes to income tax, well ahead of second-place California, according to the research firm.

In all, the analysis found New York had a 13.6% tax burden — meaning 13.6 cents of every dollar goes to taxes.

The empire state building against a blue sky with a few white clouds, seen from the street and surrounded by other buildings as well as a brightly colored levi's sign
New York has the highest personal income tax burden in the country. Alex – stock.adobe.com

“People lose sight of how much of their income is actually going to taxes because it’s taken automatically from our paychecks,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

“If they were forced to write a check at the end of the year instead, I think that would raise some red flags and would probably be a call to action for some serious tax reform in this country.”

New York City’s tax burden is even higher than the survey implies, because it adds its own 4.875% sales levy to state’s 4% sales tax at the cash register.

The fina🌟ncial research firm compared tax burdens for all 50 states, looking at income tax, property tax and sales tax.

green Welcome to New York the empire state green sign with the state logo in the upper right corner, with a grey sky and some trees in the background
About 14 cents of every dollar earned goes to taxes in New York – and that excludes federal income. Brian – stock.adobe.com

The state with the lowest tax burden was 🌼Alaska, with an overall rate of 4.9♛3%.

The analysis didn’t factor in federal taxes, since it’s the same across all states, so the real overall tax burden is even higher.