State vs State: Take-Home Pay Comparisons (2026)
Two states, one salary, two different paychecks. Each comparison shows what $100,000 leaves after federal tax, state tax, Social Security and Medicare on both sides — and the gross salary that closes the gap.
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Sorted by the size of the gap at $100,000, largest first. Every figure is for a single filer paid biweekly with the standard deduction, no 401(k), no health premium and no local tax — the same profile used everywhere else on this site.
| Comparison | Take-home | Gap at $100k |
|---|---|---|
| Maine vs New Hampshire ME / NH | $73,672 · $79,180 | +$5,508 |
| South Dakota vs Minnesota SD / MN | $79,180 · $73,903 | −$5,277 |
| Texas vs New York TX / NY | $79,180 · $74,320 | −$4,860 |
| New Hampshire vs Massachusetts NH / MA | $79,180 · $74,400 | −$4,780 |
| Nevada vs Utah NV / UT | $79,180 · $74,730 | −$4,450 |
| Washington vs Idaho WA / ID | $79,180 · $74,733 | −$4,447 |
| Montana vs Washington MT / WA | $74,891 · $79,180 | +$4,289 |
| Vermont vs New Hampshire VT / NH | $75,040 · $79,180 | +$4,140 |
| Oklahoma vs Texas OK / TX | $75,226 · $79,180 | +$3,955 |
| Oregon vs Idaho OR / ID | $71,004 · $74,733 | +$3,730 |
| Wyoming vs Colorado WY / CO | $79,180 · $75,488 | −$3,692 |
| New Mexico vs Texas NM / TX | $75,611 · $79,180 | +$3,569 |
| North Carolina vs Tennessee NC / TN | $75,699 · $79,180 | +$3,481 |
| Florida vs South Carolina FL / SC | $79,180 · $75,718 | −$3,463 |
| Tennessee vs Kentucky TN / KY | $79,180 · $75,798 | −$3,382 |
| Louisiana vs Texas LA / TX | $76,566 · $79,180 | +$2,614 |
| Delaware vs Pennsylvania DE / PA | $73,811 · $76,110 | +$2,299 |
| Illinois vs Indiana IL / IN | $74,375 · $76,260 | +$1,885 |
| California vs Colorado CA / CO | $73,957 · $75,488 | +$1,532 |
| Arizona vs New Mexico AZ / NM | $77,083 · $75,611 | −$1,472 |
| Virginia vs North Carolina VA / NC | $74,244 · $75,699 | +$1,455 |
| Minnesota vs Wisconsin MN / WI | $73,903 · $75,261 | +$1,357 |
| Michigan vs Ohio MI / OH | $75,181 · $76,496 | +$1,315 |
| New Jersey vs Delaware NJ / DE | $75,000 · $73,811 | −$1,189 |
| Kansas vs Missouri KS / MO | $74,400 · $75,417 | +$1,018 |
| South Carolina vs Georgia SC / GA | $75,718 · $74,789 | −$929 |
| Virginia vs Maryland VA / MD | $74,244 · $74,794 | +$550 |
| Alabama vs Georgia AL / GA | $74,445 · $74,789 | +$344 |
How to read the table
The two take-home figures are in the order of the page title: first the state on the left of “vs”, then the one on the right. A gap in favor of the second state is written with a plus sign, and one in favor of the first with a minus sign.
A larger gap is not automatically a better move. It measures tax only — not rent, not wages, not commute, and not the cost of living that decides whether the extra take-home actually buys more. For that comparison, use the equivalent salary calculator and the state tax ranking.
These pairs are deliberately separate from the moving guides: a moving guide covers residency, the year you relocate and part-year returns for a specific corridor, while a comparison page stays on the arithmetic of two tax schedules.