Skip to content

Taxes In North Carolina

North Carolina Tax Rates, Collections, and Burdens

How does North Carolina’s tax code compare? North Carolina has a flat 4.50 percent individual income tax rate. North Carolina has a 2.5 percent corporate income tax rate. North Carolina also has a 4.75 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 7.00 percent. North Carolina has a 0.63 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.

North Carolina does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. North Carolina has a 40.65 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $0.45 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of North Carolina collects $4,859 in state and local tax collections per capita. North Carolina has $4,431 in state and local debt per capita and has an 89 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Overall, North Carolina’s tax system ranks 9th on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.

Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and North Carolina is no exception. The first step towards understanding North Carolina’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does North Carolina 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 2024: How Does Your State Compare?

See Related Articles

Tax Data by State

Get facts about taxes in your state and around the U.S.

Explore Data

State Tax Data

Individual Taxes

Top Individual Income Tax Rate
4.50%See Full Study
State Local Individual Income Tax Collections per Capita
$1496Rank: 25
State and Local Tax Burden
9.9%Rank: 19See Full Study

Business Taxes

Top Corporate Income Tax Rate
2.5%See Full Study
State Business Tax Climate Index Ranking
9See Full Study

Sales Taxes

State Sales Tax Rate
4.75%Rank: 35See Full Study
Average Local Sales Tax Rate
2.25%See Full Study
Combined State and Average Local Sales Tax Rate
7.00%Rank: 27See Full Study
State and Local General Sales Tax Collections per Capita
$1284Rank: 30
State Gasoline Tax Rate (cents per gallon)
40.65¢Rank: 9
State Cigarette Tax Rate (dollars per 20-pack)
$0.45Rank: 47

Property Taxes

Property Taxes Paid as a Percentage of Owner-Occupied Housing Value
0.63%Rank: 36
State and Local Property Tax Collections Per Capita
$1116Rank: 40

All Related Articles

Property taxes by county. Explore 2021 county property tax paid map. Which county has the highest property tax rate? Are property taxes by city or county? Who pays the most property taxes in America?

Property Taxes by County, 2021

The six counties with the highest median property tax payments all have bills exceeding $10,000—Bergen, Essex, and Union Counties in New Jersey, and Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester counties in New York. All six are near New York City, as is the next highest, Passaic County, New Jersey ($9,881).

3 min read
State and local tax deduction benefit by county, compare state and local taxes impact of SALT deduction benefit by county. SALT deduction benefit analysis

Reviewing Benefits of the State and Local Tax Deduction by County in 2018

It is important to understand how the SALT deduction’s benefits have changed since the SALT cap was put into place in 2018 before repealing the cap or making the deduction more generous. Doing so would disproportionately benefit higher earners, making the tax code more regressive.

6 min read
sales tax rates by city, cities with highest sales tax rate, city highest sales tax rate, cities with the highest sales tax

Sales Tax Rates in Major Cities, Midyear 2021

Neither Anchorage, Alaska, nor Portland, Oregon, impose any state or local sales taxes. Honolulu, Hawaii, has a low rate of 4.5 percent and several other major cities, including Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, keep overall rates modest.

13 min read
universal basic income ubi andrew yang, means-tested transfers

States Respond to Strong Fiscal Health with Income Tax Reforms

As states close their books for fiscal year 2021, many have much more revenue on hand than they anticipated last year. Eleven states have responded by reducing income tax rates and making related structural reforms as they strive to solidify a competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive national landscape.

29 min read
north carolina tax competitiveness North Carolina tax reform North Carolina business tax reform

North Carolina’s Tax Competitiveness

Tax reform has paid off for the Tar Heel State. North Carolina features one of the nation’s most competitive tax environments for businesses across the industry spectrum, and the state currently boasts the nation’s third-best effective tax rates for newly established firms and fifth-best rates for mature firms, according to a new analysis conducted by the Tax Foundation and KPMG LLP.

7 min read
2022 state tax resource center offers leading 2022 state tax resources and 2022 state tax policy resources

Location Matters 2021: The State Tax Costs of Doing Business

A landmark comparison of corporate tax costs in all 50 states, Location Matters provides a comprehensive calculation of real-world tax burdens, going beyond headline rates to demonstrate how tax codes impact businesses and offering policymakers a road map to improvement.

8 min read