Facts & Figures 2024: 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
Washington Tax Rates, Collections, and Burdens
How does Washington’s tax code compare? Washington does not have a typical individual income tax but does levy a 7.0 percent tax on capital gains income. Washington does not have a corporate income tax but does levy a state gross receipts tax. Washington has a 6.50 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 9.38 percent. Washington has a 0.76 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Washington has an estate tax. Washington has a 52.8 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $3.025 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Washington collects $6,644 in state and local tax collections per capita. Washington has $11,632 in state and local debt per capita and has a 103 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Overall, Washington’s tax system ranks 35th on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Washington is no exception. The first step towards understanding Washington’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Washington State 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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Featured Articles
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
State and Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2022
Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
24 min read
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
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 readAll Related Articles
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
Property Taxes by State and County, 2022
Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local government and generating state-level revenue in some states as well.
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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.
3 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
Vaping 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
Two Dozen States Show Why the Kansas Critique of Income Tax Cuts Is Mistaken
The Kansas experience is so infamous that “what about Kansas?” is almost guaranteed to be a question—sometimes as a retort, but often a genuine expression of concern—any time any state explores tax relief. But what about the other two dozen states that have cut their income taxes since then?
6 min read
Ranking Property Taxes on the 2022 State Business Tax Climate Index
Which states have the highest property taxes in 2022? See how your state compares in property taxes across the United States
5 min read
State Sales Tax Breadth and Reliance, Fiscal Year 2021
The sales tax is too important a part of states’ revenue toolkits to be permitted further erosion, making sales tax modernization a vital project of the 2020s.
17 min read