How does Pennsylvania’s tax code compare? Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07 percent individual income tax rate. There are also jurisdictions that collect local income taxes. Pennsylvania has an 8.49 percent corporate income tax rate. Pennsylvania has a 6.00 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 6.34 percent. Pennsylvania also has a 1.26 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Pennsylvania has an inheritance tax. Pennsylvania has a 58.7 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $2.60 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Pennsylvania collects $6,264 in state and local tax collections per capita. Pennsylvania has $9,894 in state and local debt per capita and has a 68 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Pennsylvania’s tax system ranks 34th overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Pennsylvania is no exception. The first step towards understanding Pennsylvania’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Pennsylvania 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?
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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.
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Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
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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).
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Gross receipts taxes impose costs on consumers, workers, and shareholders alike. Shifting from these economically damaging taxes can thus be a part of states’ plans for improving their tax codes in an increasingly competitive tax landscape.
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Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections:
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New Jersey levies the highest top statutory corporate tax rate at 11.5 percent, followed by Minnesota (9.8 percent) and Illinois (9.50 percent). Alaska and Pennsylvania levy top statutory corporate tax rates of 9.40 percent and 8.99 percent, respectively.
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