State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2024
Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections. How do income taxes compare in your state?
8 min read
California Tax Rates, Collections, and Burdens
How does California’s tax code compare? California has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 1.00 percent to 13.30 percent. California has a 8.84 percent corporate income tax rate. California has a 7.25 percent state sales tax rate, a max local sales tax rate of 4.75 percent, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 8.85 percent. California has the highest gas tax rate in the nation at 77.90 cents per gallon. California’s tax system ranks 48th overall on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and California is no exception. The first step towards understanding California’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does California collect tax revenue? Click the tabs below to learn more! You can also explore our state tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures: How Does Your State Compare?
Tax Data by State
Get facts about taxes in your state and around the U.S.
State Tax Data
Individual Taxes
Business Taxes
Sales Taxes
Featured Articles
State Corporate Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2024
Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
7 min read
State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2024
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).
9 min read
Facts & Figures 2023: How Does Your State Compare?
Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
2 min read
2024 State Business Tax Climate Index
In recognition of the fact that there are better and worse ways to raise revenue, our Index focuses on how state tax revenue is raised, not how much. The rankings, therefore, reflect how well states structure their tax systems.
111 min read
Unpacking the State and Local Tax Toolkit: Sources of State and Local Tax Collections (FY 2020)
The mix of tax sources states choose can have important implications for both revenue stability and economic growth, and the many variations across states are indicative of the different ways states weigh competing policy goals.
29 min readAll Related Articles
How Do Taxes Affect Interstate Migration?
IRS and Census data show that people and businesses favor states with low and structurally sound tax systems, which can impact the state’s economic growth and governmental coffers.
12 min read
Combined Federal and State Corporate Income Tax Rates in 2022
When examining tax burdens on businesses, it is important to consider both federal and state corporate taxes. Corporate taxes are one of the most economically damaging ways to raise revenue and are a promising area of reform for states to increase competitiveness and promote economic growth, benefiting both companies and workers.
2 min read
Doing Tax Policy at the Ballot Is Not for the Faint of Heart
Some tax ballot initiatives will be straightforward, some will be complex, and—let’s be honest—some will be a drafting nightmare.
5 min read
Where Do People Pay the Most in Property Taxes?
Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local government and generating state-level revenue in some states as well.
5 min read
Unpacking the State and Local Tax Toolkit: Sources of State and Local Tax Collections (FY 2020)
The mix of tax sources states choose can have important implications for both revenue stability and economic growth, and the many variations across states are indicative of the different ways states weigh competing policy goals.
29 min read
FDA Ban on Flavored Cigars Could Cost $836 Million in Annual Excise Tax Revenue
The FDA’s proposal to ban flavored cigars would carry significant revenue implications for many state governments.
7 min read
Does Your State Have a Marriage Penalty?
A marriage penalty exists when a state’s income brackets for married taxpayers filing jointly are less than double the bracket widths that apply to single filers. In other words, married couples who file jointly under this scenario have a higher effective tax rate than they would if they filed as two single individuals with the same amount of combined income.
2 min read
State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2022
While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within policymakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.
12 min read
State Tax Reform and Relief Enacted in 2022
Among the 46 states that held legislative sessions this year, structural state tax reform and temporary tax relief measures were recurring themes.
13 min read
Vapor Taxes by State, 2022
If the policy goal of taxing cigarettes is to encourage cessation, vapor taxation must be considered a part of that policy design.
4 min read