Wisconsin has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 3.50 percent to 7.65 percent. Wisconsin has a flat 7.90 percent corporate income tax rate, a 5.00 percent state sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 5.72 percent. Wisconsin has a 1.32 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value. Wisconsin does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Wisconsin’s gas tax is 32.9 cents per gallon, and its cigarette excise tax is $2.52 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
Wisconsin raises tax revenue primarily through property taxes (30.6 percent of total state and local tax revenue), individual income taxes (25.8 percent), and general sales taxes (22.6 percent). Wisconsin collects $6,030 in state and local tax collections per capita, carries $9,371 in state and local debt per capita, and has a 106 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Wisconsin’s tax system ranks 21st overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Wisconsin is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare Wisconsin taxes with other states and to see how Wisconsin 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
While throwback and throwout rules in states’ corporate tax codes may not be widely understood, they have a notable impact on business location and investment decisions and reduce economic efficiency.
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The overall U.S. tax and transfer system is overwhelmingly progressive, and understanding the extent—and source—of that progressivity is essential for lawmakers considering the trade-offs associated with each tax policy decision.
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As housing prices are rapidly increasing, and property tax bills along with them, the property tax has come into the spotlight in many states. The design of a state’s property tax system can affect how attractive that state is to businesses and residents.
9 min read
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:
9 min read
While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within policymakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.
11 min read
Forty-three states adopted tax relief in 2021 or 2022—often in both years—and of those, 21 cut state income tax rates. It’s been a remarkable trend, driven by robust state revenues and an increasingly competitive tax environment.
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At the end of 2022, prices were 14.6 percent higher than they were two years prior. That’s the fastest inflation rate over any two calendar years since the stagflation era of the late 1970s. State policymakers are understandably interested in bringing any tools at their disposal to bear on the problem. And many of them are reaching for tax policy solutions.
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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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The pandemic has accelerated changes to the way we live and work, making it far easier for people to move—and they have. As states work to maintain their competitive advantage, they should pay attention to where people are moving, and try to understand why.
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