New Jersey has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 1.40 percent to 10.75 percent. New Jersey has a graduated corporate income tax with a top rate of 11.50 percent—the highest in the nation—a 6.625 percent state sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 6.60 percent. New Jersey has a 1.88 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value—also the highest in the nation. New Jersey has an inheritance tax. New Jersey’s gas tax is 49.15 cents per gallon, and its cigarette excise tax is $3.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
New Jersey raises tax revenue primarily through property taxes (39.1 percent of total state and local tax revenue), individual income taxes (21.6 percent), and general sales taxes (17.2 percent). New Jersey collects $9,178 in state and local tax collections per capita, carries $9,375 in state and local debt per capita, and has a 60 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. New Jersey’s tax system ranks 49th overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and New Jersey is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare New Jersey taxes with other states and to see how New Jersey raises tax revenue. You can also browse our tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2026: How Does Your State Compare?
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The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.
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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
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?
9 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for nearly a quarter of combined state and local tax collections.
18 min read
Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax, with top rates ranging from a 2 percent flat rate in North Carolina to an 11.5 percent top marginal rate in New Jersey. Four states—Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—reduced their corporate income tax rates effective January 1, 2026.
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Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments. While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: the people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services.
9 min read
New Jersey’s tax design adds another element to the ongoing experiment with legal recreational marijuana in the states.
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Voters in four states, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota, approved ballot measures legalizing recreational marijuana.
7 min read
President Joe Biden’s tax plan would yield combined top marginal state and local rates in excess of 60 percent in three states: California, Hawaii, and New Jersey (also New York City).
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Here are the state tax ballot measures to watch on Election Day 2020. Explore the most notable 2020 state tax ballot measures in 15 states.
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After six unsuccessful tries at passage, it appears the coronavirus crisis has tipped the scales in favor of Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) millionaires tax. New Jersey may be feeling the financial squeeze right now, but this large income tax change will not solve budget problems and may exacerbate funding issues by making the state even unfriendlier to businesses.
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Legalizing recreational marijuana is a hot topic in many states where the state budgets are in disarray because of the coronavirus pandemic and new revenue sources are being sought.
7 min read
State tax revenue collections were down 5.5 percent in FY 2020, driven by a dismal final quarter (April through June) as states began to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these early losses are certainly not desirable, they are manageable and far better than many feared.
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As the NYSE prepares to conduct a test of their server capacity elsewhere, New Jersey lawmakers may be forced to rethink the viability of their financial transaction tax proposal.
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Nineteen states had notable tax changes take effect on July 1, 2020. Pandemic-shortened sessions contributed to less—and different—activity on the tax front than is seen in most years, and will likely yield an unusually active summer and autumn, with many legislatures considering new measures during special sessions.
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