(MEDIA GENERAL) – Tax season is upon us. And, depending on where you live, you may be paying more or less taxes than somebody living in a neighboring state.
According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average taxpayer forks over more than $5,700 per household. In fact, nearly 77 percent of all taxes paid are to the feds. But, the remaining 22 percent depends on where you live. State and local income taxes, personal property taxes, vehicle taxes and other small taxes and refunds vary based on your location.
Wallet Hub analyzed a number of factors and released a list of the states with the highest and lowest tax rates this year. The financial organization calculated relative income-tax obligations by applying the effective income-tax rates in each state and locality to the average American’s income.
Alaska topped the results with the lowest state and local tax rate based on a median U.S. household of 5.69%. Delaware, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada and Tennessee followed.
The highest rate was found in Illinois at 14.54%. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan and Ohio followed.
States like South Carolina appeared on the list for having low gas taxes. While California, Hawaii, New York and Pennsylvania showed up for high fuel taxes per gallon.
States such as Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama all had low cigarette taxes. Hawaii, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York all had high taxes for smokers picking up a pack.
While 35 states have no tax on food, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kansas and Louisiana all showed up for being the worst states when it came to food taxes.
The map below, put together by WalletHub, lets you click on your state to see where it ranks. It might give you something to think about while filling out those tax forms this year.
