Paycheck Calculator: Compare Take-Home Pay Between Two States

How this comparison works

This tool runs the same calculation twice on the same salary — once for each state you pick — using the identical engine behind every individual state calculator on this site. Nothing about the arithmetic changes: the same 2026 federal brackets, the same Social Security and Medicare rates, and each state’s own income tax rules exactly as published on its own calculator page.

What is held constant so the comparison is fair:

• The same gross annual salary in both columns.
• The same filing status in both columns.
• A single filer’s standard deduction, no 401(k) contribution, no itemizing and no tax credits beyond what a state builds into its withholding formula (Utah and Nebraska both do; their own calculators explain how).

What it does not do, on purpose: it does not model local or city income tax (Philadelphia, Detroit, and a number of Ohio municipalities all levy their own, on top of the state figure shown here), and it does not model cost of living, rent, or property tax. A state with a larger paycheck is not automatically the cheaper place to live. Full sourcing for every rate used here is on the methodology page, dated 2026-09-30.

Key facts about comparing states

• 9 of the 42 states we publish have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
• 33 do tax wages: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin — each at its own rate, with its own standard deduction, and in some cases a credit or a sliding formula instead of a flat deduction. Their calculators show the full arithmetic.
• "No income tax" is not the same claim as "nothing withheld." Washington has no income tax but withholds Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares; both are state payroll programs, not income tax, and both show up in this comparison.
• Indiana adds a county income tax, and the comparison has to pick a county. Indiana withholds county tax along with state tax, at a rate set by each of its 92 counties. Here Indiana is shown with Marion County at 2.02%; the rates run from 0.5% to 3.0%. The Indiana calculator lets you choose yours.
• Maryland adds a local income tax, and the comparison has to pick a county. Maryland withholds local tax along with state tax, at a rate set by each of its 23 counties and Baltimore City. Here Maryland is shown with Montgomery County at 3.20%; the actual rates run from 2.25% to 3.30%. The Maryland calculator lets you choose yours.
• Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare never move between states. Only the rows this tool actually changes — state tax and state programs — explain any gap you see.

Common mistakes when comparing take-home pay across states

• Comparing two job offers by gross salary alone. A $5,000 raise to move from a no-tax state into a state with a flat 5% tax can be a smaller raise after tax than it looks, once the standard deduction and rate are applied.
• Assuming every no-income-tax state withholds nothing else. Washington is the counter-example on this site: on a $75,000 salary its WA Cares and Paid Leave premiums together take $1,040.37 that Texas does not, even though neither state has an income tax. See the Washington calculator for the full breakdown.
• Forgetting local or city income tax. This tool, like every calculator on this site, stops at the state figure. Philadelphia, Detroit, and several Ohio school districts add a further layer that a state-level comparison will not show.
• Treating a larger paycheck as a lower cost of living. The two are not the same question, and this tool only answers the first one.

Example: $75,000 in Texas versus Illinois

A single filer earning $75,000 keeps $61,592.50 a year in Texas and $58,024.79 a year in Illinois — a difference of $3,567.71 a year, or $297.31 a month. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare account for $13,407.50 in both states, identically. The entire gap is Illinois’s state income tax of $3,567.71, which Texas does not levy at all.

Both figures come directly from this site’s own state calculators: see the full breakdown on the Texas calculator and the Illinois calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What actually changes when you compare two states on the same salary?

Only the state part. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are set by federal law and come out the same in every state — on a $75,000 single filer they take $13,407.50 no matter where you work. What differs is state income tax and any state payroll program, such as Washington's Paid Leave and WA Cares. That is the whole gap this tool measures.

Which of the states you publish have no state income tax?

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming tax no wages at all. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin do, each at its own rate and with its own standard deduction — see each state's own calculator for the full breakdown.

Why does Washington show a smaller paycheck than Texas even though neither taxes income?

Washington withholds two state programs that Texas does not: Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares, a long-term-care premium. Together they take about 1.4% of gross wages in Washington. “No income tax” and “nothing withheld at all” are not the same claim, and this tool keeps them separate rather than lumping every no-tax state together.

Does this tool account for cost of living, rent or property tax?

No, and it does not claim to. It compares payroll withholding only — the same scope as every calculator on this site. A state with no income tax can still cost more to live in once housing and property tax are counted, and a state with a smaller paycheck can cost less overall. Those figures are outside what a paycheck calculator can honestly tell you.

Browse every state calculator

The comparator above draws from these same 42 pages. Each one shows the full deduction-by-deduction arithmetic for that state alone, with its 2026 rate sourced and dated.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

More states are being added; each one needs its own rates read from that state's own agency before it appears here or in the comparator — see the state index.

Published 2026-09-12 · Updated 2026-09-30. Figures are read from the same sources as our individual state calculators; see the methodology page for the full list.

This tool is information, not tax or relocation advice. It compares payroll withholding only — not local income tax, cost of living, rent, or property tax. Rates are read from the agency or law that sets them and dated; if a state publishes a correction, the figure here changes with it. See our full disclaimer.