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

State conformity to federal pandemic relief, state tax conformity to federal COVID-19 relief legislation (CARES Act, American Rescue Plan), including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and unemployment compensation tax exclusion.

State Conformity to Federal Pandemic-Related Tax Provisions in CARES and ARPA

With so many federal changes occurring in such a short amount of time—including some federal provisions changing more than once and a major change to the treatment of UC income occurring in the middle of tax filing season—state legislators have faced the challenge of responding to these changes quickly in order to provide certainty to taxpayers.

24 min read
State tax burden map, state and local tax burden, state-local tax burden rankings, 2021 state tax burden rankings, state tax burdens map

State and Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2019

New Yorkers faced the highest burden, with 14.1 percent of income in the state going to state and local taxes. Connecticut (12.8 percent) and Hawaii (12.7 percent) followed.

19 min read
PPP state tax PPP loan forgiveness. State tax treatment of PPP loans. States tax forgiven PPP loans August 23 2021

Which States Are Taxing Forgiven PPP Loans?

Congress chose to exempt forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from federal income taxation. Many states, however, remain on track to tax them by either treating forgiven loans as taxable income, denying the deduction for expenses paid for using forgiven loans, or both.

7 min read
2021 state income tax rates. 2021 state individual income tax rates. States with no income tax. 2021 top state marginal individual income tax rates

State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2021

Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for 37 percent of state tax collections in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Several states had notable individual income tax changes in 2020: Arizona, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

22 min read
Where did Americans move in 2020? 2020 state migration data, 2020 moving study, state-by-state migration trends, state migration trends, state migration data

Where Did Americans Move in 2020?

States compete with each other in a variety of ways, including in attracting (and retaining) residents. Sustained periods of inbound migration lead to (and reflect) greater economic output and growth. Prolonged periods of net outbound migration, however, can strain state coffers, contributing to revenue declines as economic activity and tax revenue follow individuals out of state.

4 min read
2021 sales taxes, 2021 state and local sales tax rates. 2021 state sales tax rates, 2021 sales tax rates. sales tax rates by state, sales taxes by state

State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2021

While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within lawmakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.

12 min read
tax exemption definition TaxEDU 2021 state tax changes. net operating loss policies in the OECD NOL omnibus covid-19 relief deal. phase 4 coronavirus relief, phase 4 business relief, phase 4 relief net operating loss, cost recovery

State Tax Changes Effective January 1, 2021

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia had notable tax changes take effect on January 1, 2021. Because most states’ legislative sessions were cut short in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer tax changes were adopted in 2020 than in a typical year.

24 min read