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Income taxes across every income level

Net state and local income tax for each place, computed from source-verified rules at every income from $0 to $2M — what's modeled and every source is under the chart.

Income tax across the income range

Net state/local income tax by income for each compared jurisdiction. The value cards above follow the slider income.

Same source-verified rules as the full tax calculator — what's modeled and all sources are below the chart. Negative values are net refunds. Dots mark the slider income.

Places compared

We chart places in the Washington, DC area and the Cincinnati, Ohio area today — browse the full list below.

Browse all supported places

District of Columbia

  • Washington on the chart

Maryland

Ohio

Virginia

What's in the Income Tax Calculation
  • Rates and brackets for every income-taxing jurisdiction at each place — the state, plus any county or city income tax (Maryland counties and Ohio cities, for example). Federal income tax is excluded on purpose: it is the same everywhere you would move, so it cancels out of a place-to-place comparison.
  • Standard deduction, as loaded per state and filing status. We compare on the standard deduction; you may itemize instead, and both what qualifies and whether you may itemize at all varies by state — DC reduces most itemized deductions above $200,000, and Maryland only allows itemizing if you itemized federally. Itemizing is not modeled.
  • Personal exemptions where a state has them — for example, Virginia's $930 per person and Maryland's $3,200 per person, which phases down at higher incomes. The children choice on the chart sets dependent exemptions and credits together.
  • Earned Income Tax Credit matches, when the EITC view is on. The EITC is a refundable federal credit for lower-income working households; we include each jurisdiction's own match or supplement of it. The federal EITC itself is computed as the base but — like federal income tax — is not included in the totals, because it is the same everywhere you would move. Negative values are net refunds.
  • Not modeled (yet): Ohio school-district income taxes need a street address to resolve, so they are not in these curves — county-level places chart only the layers that apply county-wide, and places whose rates we cannot yet fully compute are marked on their chip instead of charted wrong. These curves also model income tax where you live; Ohio municipal income tax additionally applies to wages where they are earned, so commuting into a taxing city — Cincinnati, for example — adds that city's tax on those wages. Beyond that, many jurisdictions add or subtract their own idiosyncratic amounts — examples include age 65+, being blind or having other disabilities, being a veteran, etc., as well as subtractions and retirement-income exclusions — and which of these exist (and how they work) varies place to place. Itemized deductions and part-year residency are also not modeled. If something like this fits your household, treat these curves as a starting point.

Where you pay the least — and the most

The lowest- and highest-tax place for each credit choice, with the incomes where the spot changes hands (rounded to the chart's income grid; places within a dollar are treated as tied). Colors match the chart lines; the selected filing status is expanded.

Single
Tax credits Lowest tax Highest tax
0 children Washington up to about $75,000 Arlington County above about $75,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $15,000 Montgomery County about $15,000 – $1,025,000 Washington above about $1,025,000
1 child Washington up to about $70,000 Arlington County above about $70,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $40,000 Montgomery County about $40,000 – $1,025,000 Washington above about $1,025,000
2 children Washington up to about $62,500 Arlington County above about $62,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $50,000 Montgomery County about $50,000 – $1,025,000 Washington above about $1,025,000
3+ children Washington up to about $62,500 Arlington County above about $62,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $55,000 Montgomery County about $55,000 – $1,025,000 Washington above about $1,025,000
Credits off Washington up to about $75,000 Arlington County above about $75,000 Montgomery County up to about $1,025,000 Washington above about $1,025,000
Married filing jointly
Tax credits Lowest tax Highest tax
0 children Washington up to about $110,000 Arlington County above about $110,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $20,000 Montgomery County about $20,000 – $1,050,000 Washington above about $1,050,000
1 child Washington up to about $100,000 Arlington County above about $100,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $45,000 Montgomery County about $45,000 – $1,050,000 Washington above about $1,050,000
2 children Washington up to about $97,500 Arlington County above about $97,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $55,000 Montgomery County about $55,000 – $1,050,000 Washington above about $1,050,000
3+ children Washington up to about $97,500 Arlington County above about $97,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $60,000 Montgomery County about $60,000 – $1,050,000 Washington above about $1,050,000
Credits off Washington up to about $110,000 Arlington County above about $110,000 Montgomery County up to about $1,050,000 Washington above about $1,050,000
Head of household
Tax credits Lowest tax Highest tax
0 children Washington up to about $100,000 Arlington County above about $100,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $17,500 Montgomery County about $17,500 – $800,000 Washington above about $800,000
1 child Washington up to about $97,500 Arlington County above about $97,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $42,500 Montgomery County about $42,500 – $800,000 Washington above about $800,000
2 children Washington up to about $95,000 Arlington County above about $95,000 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $52,500 Montgomery County about $52,500 – $800,000 Washington above about $800,000
3+ children Washington up to about $92,500 Arlington County above about $92,500 Montgomery County up to about $2,500 Arlington County about $2,500 – $57,500 Montgomery County about $57,500 – $800,000 Washington above about $800,000
Credits off Washington up to about $100,000 Arlington County above about $100,000 Montgomery County up to about $10,000 Arlington County about $10,000 – $12,500 Montgomery County about $12,500 – $800,000 Washington above about $800,000
Sources

Every rate, deduction, exemption, and credit above is loaded from the official sources below, and the loaded rules are regression-tested against independent oracles (PolicyEngine and NBER TAXSIM).

See the full comparison including sales & property taxes

Data: NYS Comptroller · CA State Controller · US Census Bureau benchmarkusa.org